Cheney Said What?

Let's put this into context with the administration that he was a part of - even though ( and God help me for saying this ) I agree with his statements about Palin.



Making a judgement on the basis of politics is EXACTLY what got us into the Iraq quagmire. And anyone that challenges him on this fact will have to deal with his daughter Liz, Bill Kristol, and Charles Krauthammer revising history and deflecting the question entirely in order to castigate Obama.

More from Think Progress.

Conservatives Own Email-Gate Is Brewing

Well, look what we found - 22 million emails from the Bush administration that were allegedly "lost". And the timeline for these just happens to coincide with the Plame Affair. Perhaps this story will reveal more conservative hypocrisy in regards to revelations of information contained in email correspondence.

The discovery was announced Monday by the National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, which filed lawsuits against the Executive Office of the President, or EOP, over the e-mails in 2007.

The two groups had initially filed a Freedom of Information Act request for e-mails in the wake of a scandal involving the Justice Department, which had fired U.S. attorneys around the country in an apparent political bid to rid the department of prosecutors who didn’t adhere to the White House’s conservative agenda. The missing e-mails were also potentially crucial to the investigation into the Valerie Plame–CIA leak scandal.

These emails will now be cataloged in the National Archives and made part of the public domain. Potentially there is information contained within that will show not only the corrupt nature of the Bush Justice Department but also that Plame's outing by Dick Cheney and his staff was illegal. Could formal charges finally be brought against Cheney? Could "Scooter" Libby face more charges or would that fall under the "no double jeopardy" rule?

This story has the potential to spell big trouble for former Bush administration officials, and the spin from conservatives will likely be quite dizzying.

The Dithering Bloom Of Bush/Cheney

In a recent conversation on Twitter with @AnUnlikelySaint, I pointed out that as recently as last year, Bush/Cheney did not answer a call for more troops in Afghanistan. My assertion, back up by a report in McClatchy which I blogged about yesterday, is solidified with new information coming from Admiral Micheal Mullen

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pushed back in a fact-checking dispute with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, asserting that the Bush administration objected rejected a Pentagon request for more troops for Afghanistan last year.

Adm. Michael Mullen told a House committee Wednesday that Gen. David McKiernan, who led U.S. troops in Afghanistan between 2008 and this year, had asked for 20,000 troops for the effort but was rebuffed.

“We didn’t have them because they were pushed to Iraq,” the four-star admiral said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in response to a question from Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence. “That was the priority of the president.”

The conservative base, now faced with the reality that the Bush administration largely ignored Afghanistan in favor of attempting to nation-build in Iraq, are completley unwilling to recognize the failure that they had once claimed liberal/progressive Democrats embraced.

But while many who watched Obama's speech at West Point considered Obama's statement about troop requests and his patience on issuing another ( his first was in March - the one that Bush/Cheney ignored ) was directed at Dick Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thought it was all about him:

Such a bald misstatement, at least as it pertains to the period I served as secretary of defense, deserves a response. I am not aware of a single request of that nature between 2001 and 2006. If any such requests occurred, "repeated" or not, the White House should promptly make them public. The President's assertion does a disservice to the truth and, in particular, to the thousands of men and women in uniform who have fought, served and sacrificed in Afghanistan.

But there is one problem with Rumsfeld's statement, he was the Sec. of Defense when this happened - it was Robert Gates, the man that is still holds the position today. And while conservatives will attempt to use this as a "well it's not really Bush/Cheney's fault, is it" defense, the reality of the matter is that Bush/Cheney have authority over Gates just as they had authority over Rumsfeld.

In the end, this whole concept of "dithering" by Obama is a non-starter. The best decision was made with a far more solid plan than at any time during the Bush administration, who largely ignored the mission in Afghanistan.

Beatdown

This was probably my favorite part of Obama's speech last night, as it took Dick Cheney to task over his "dithering" comment that conservatives have eagerly lapped-up like so much sweet candy.



Obama, though not calling out Dick Cheney directly as he should have, was responding to this:



And reports are coming in now that it was, in point of fact, Cheney that was the Dithering Darth Vader of the White House. McClatchy is reporting that Cheney and the Bush White House sat on simular Afghanistan plans for 8 months, and it was Obama that ended up implementing those plans.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- The conservative Right has always confused ranting, raving, and shouting with rational discourse. They can never confront those that oppose them with even a marginal sense of honesty. The Franken Rape Amendment is a classic example of this. It's also worth noting that that, when confronted by people that have lived through the horror of rape, that conservatives are more than willing to lie and dodge the question in order to make their case.

- Why does this remind me of Oliver North's trial from the late 80s. Learning that Cheney apparently can't recall rather important information regarding an issue he was intimately involved in makes one realize that his memory skills in regards to his time as Vice President, in all aspects of his job duties, are suspect as well.

- Why do conservatives continually rally around Sarah Palin every time she makes some grand proclamation? What has this woman accomplished that would lead anyone of even rudementary intelligence to accept that she knows what she's talking about?

Shorter Dick Cheney

Cheney Goes After Obama On Afganistan

I'm hoping that the fact that myself and George W. Bush largely ignored this particular conflict isn't going to matter to you. But let's also not forget that I was never part of the Executive or Legislative branches of government, therefor I cannot be held responsible for the lack of understanding and support of the mission in Afganistan from 2001 until 2008 - which you are still instructed to never mention in public. In summation, I rule, Obama drools. Thank you.

And Now For Something Completely Different

An ideological curmudgeon in a wheelchair set to funny music.



( h/t to The Hegemon )

Weaver's Wise Words

Sorry for the blatantly silly alliterative title, but it's true.

If it's 2012 and our party is defined by Palin and Limbaugh and Cheney, then we're headed for a blowout...That's just the truth.

That's what John Weaver, a top adviser to John Huntsman, said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that Cheney, Limbaugh, and Palin are pretty much poison to the Republican/Conservative brand.

No! Surely not!

Seriously, if Republicans think they are going to see big gains in 2010 when you have these people as the "leaders" of the party, then the Republican party is more out of touch with reality than we might first think.

Rush said this today on his radio show:

By the way, I hate this whole concept of giving back anyway. That somehow it is the duty of the successful to give back.

So I guess I was right in thinking that Rush's intentions when doing this was predicated more on the fact that he could write it off on his tax return. Sure, the tainted money went to a worthy cause, but do you honestl believe that Limbaugh cares about the military? Aside from them being one of his favorite weapons to beat people with, he has no use for them.

Cheney, Limbaugh, and Palin can do as much for the Republican party's resurgance as a barber can do to cure Parkinsons.

Joe Knows Talking Points

Joe Scarborough will believe anything that will make him favorable, albeit momentarily, with both parties.

Since Dick Cheney is getting so much face-time now, he's going to play with the conservative base and run with the "Obama has made the coutnry less safe" meme.



Here's why you can't rely on what Dick Cheney or Joe Scarborough have to say about the "safety" of America. They have no proof that what they did or what Barack Obama's administration is doing has made the country any less or any more safe. They cite these mysteriously vague statistical percentages that simply don't match up with the data that is readily available.

The main thesis statement of the Bush administration is that America was safer because they "tortured", because of the "Patriot Act", rendition, removing habeas corpus, and more importantly because they said so. They expected us to believe them and no question, for one second, that what they were postulating just might not be true.

Dick Cheney isn't going to go away, and he certainly isn't going to change his mind about what he and George W. Bush have done to this country. We can uncover all the evidence that is out there that proves their tactics did more to damage the credibility of America, as well as not improve national security, and he will still say that he was right.

And as long as Dick says it, Joe will parrot it back.

More from Media Matters

Quote Of The Day: Dick Cheney Edition

In an interview with Sean Hannity, Cheney offered this little puzzler as a coda to his game of "patty-cake" with Sean.

I think there is -- it's important not to personally attack the new president. I've never done that...

Oh, really?



More from Think Progress

Such is the mind of the compulsive liar. They do it so often that they don't realize they are doing it.

Dick Cheney: Still Frightening The Neighbors

From Politico.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that there is a “high probability” that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration’s policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.

In an interview Tuesday with Politico, Cheney unyieldingly defended the Bush administration’s support for the Guantanamo Bay prison and coercive interrogation of terrorism suspects.

As was standard operating procedure with Cheney and Co, the "fear as motivator" concept is still alive and strong.

Although Cheney is now officially outside of the executive and the legislative branches of government, does he still think he holds sway over those that are still there?

Overshadowed, Irrelevant, And A Little Predicatble Too

Last night, in between attempting to perfect my pork-chop sandwich, watching highlights of Eric Holder's confirmation hearing, and a few rounds of Jack and Coke, I paused to hear W give his "fond farewell".

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

YAWN!!!

Not only was Bush overshadowed by Holder, but the real attractionof the day was Chesley Sullenberger's quick action in saving every passenger and crewmember aboard Flight 1549.

Certainly, Bush is going to be lauded by his peers and his channel ( Fox"News" ) but one has to wonder what was going through his mind. I mean, Dick Cheney was even bored:



And I'm sure that there were some people that felt a little sad. Just imagine Sean Hannity, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Rush Limbaugh in a cuddle puddle in front of the TV.

Wherein The Inner Conspiracy Theorist In Me Comes Out

Why do I have this uneasy feelin in my gullet that the outgoing Bush administration is going to have a "very important" press conference on the afternoon of the 19th?

Pressed on some of the foreign policy missteps and shortcomings of the Bush administration, Dick Cheney, even with just days to go in his time in public office, pleaded for more time.

Asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer why President Bush had been unable to "capture or kill [Osama] bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 al Qaeda leader," the vice president replied:

Well, we've got a few days left yet, Wolf.

I mean, even if he's just kidding around - and why would someone kid around about the man that the Bush White House has had labeled the "most wanted" ever since 2001.....don't answer that - about Bin Laden, doesn't it make this whole interview even more pointless. Doesn't it lend more credance to the fact that Cheney and Bush never really cared about catching him in the first place?

Worst Persons In The World v 1.9

From last night's edition of Countdown: