Weekend Smackdowns ... Cheney and Lieberman

Quite the weekend ...

While our Darth Vader Vice President backhanded the American people (and, yesterday, cowardly, threw The Commander Guy under the bus), an old colleague of his surfaced in the pages of The Washington Post this past weekend to slap him around.

Mickey Edwards, who served with Cheney in Congress, has had enough, becoming "increasingly frustrated by the Bush administration's repeated betrayal of constitutional ..."

In his Op-Ed, "Dick Cheney's Error - It's Government By the People", Edwards set out to remind The Bush Grindhouse, to give them a 5th grade civics lesson;

"Cheney told Raddatz that American war policy should not be affected by the views of the people. But that is precisely whose views should matter: It is the people who should decide whether the nation shall go to war. That is not a radical, or liberal, or unpatriotic idea. It is the very heart of America's constitutional system.

That is the difference between a strong president (one who leads) and a strong presidency (one in which ultimate power resides in the hands of a single person). Bush is officially America's "head of state," but he is not the head of government; he is the head of one branch of our government, and it's not the branch that decides on war and peace."

Somebody, please, copy this, laminate it, and then staple it to the foreheads of the everyone in the Executive Branch, and, might as well do the same to every single person in The Congress

But Wait, There's More ...

Then, on Sunday, John McCain's wingnut, the Democrat-in-title-only Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman, got his turn in the slapping dock, this coming from 'The Day', a New London, CT newspaper, who, essentially, took back their endorsement of Lieberman (H/T to Jane Hamsher on Firedoglake)

"Meanwhile, the junior Connecticut senator is not only backing the Republican nominee for the presidency, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, but appears to be making a contest of trying to get into every photo and TV news video with him. Perhaps Sen. Lieberman is taking delight in needling the chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, his 2004 opponent for the presidency, whose leadership he once dismissed as a “ticket to nowhere.”

Rather than building the bridges The Day expected when it endorsed Sen. Lieberman, he appears busy burning bridges with the party of which he is allegedly still a member. Perhaps the senator is positioning himself for a top cabinet post in a McCain presidency. But if the Democrats prevail, and enlarge their control of the Senate, it is hard to imagine this Connecticut senator being welcomed back with open arms."

Hmmm ... Here a nice, little daydream ...

As McCain stumbles along in his campaign, with his trusty sidekick Joe Lieberman riding shotgun, one-by-one, Connecticut newspapers follow the lead of The Day, and start taking back their endorsements ...

Maybe Lieberman will get confused ... Mis-speak ... Have his own "senior moment" ...


Bonus Links

Blue Texan/Firedoglake: Cheney To 66% Of The American People: Go F*** Yourself

Arianna Huffington: A McCain Moment: Do You Want Four More Years of This?

And, Today, Representing the "Clueless-They-Don't-Get-It" Team ... Senator Joe Lieberman!

The Bob Dole For The New Millennium


"Joe ... What the hell day is it?"

Top Ten Cloves: Signs That It Is First Day of Spring In the White House

News Item: Spring is coming earlier than you think: Why Americans start new season on March 20, not 21

10. The President starts humming and singing little ditties

9. It means Award Season begins!

8. President puts away his Winter Flightsuit and brings out the Summer one

7. Not much work gets done - Employees bunker down in cubicles, watching on their computers March Madness

6. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has to shake off the winter blues with a meaningless international photo-op tour

5. Vice President Dick Cheney has emerged from his Secret Bunker, his winter hibernation

4. Update the Christmas Pardons file that Scooter Libby was disbarred today

3. New Spring air gets White House Press Secretary Dana Perino a little confused

2. President Bush is out planting new lies

1. Crazy things happen ... Like, looking in the Passport file of Presidential Candidate, Senator Barack Obama

Where, Oh Where, Can Those Missing White House Emails Be ... Oh, Where, Oh Where Can They Be ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll

There are so many of them, and Keith Olbermann is tracking them, in his nightly segment "Bushed", that it's hard to put a quantitative amount of disgust on the ever looming Bush Grindhouse scandals.

Seemingly, just as one begins to fade into the background - BAM! - a whole new fresh one erupts on the scene ...

Take the Missing White House Emails.

The Bush Grindhouse has thumbed their noses at the Presidential Records Act, running official USA business on email accounts belonging to the RNC, not preserving them, or even having a policy to preserve (these last two come with a "wink, wink").

And it's just a coincidence that a major batch of missing White House emails are from the period of time when they were amping up the lies about going to war, and preparing to expose covert CIA Agent Valeria Plame.

And, they have the gall to say that none are missing!

Using the logic, that since they can't be located, you can't really say any are missing - Check out the transcript, with White House Assistant Mouthpiece Tony Fratto babbling on about it.

Well, our Garlic Poll voters have a pretty good idea where they may be.

Being the our Vice President actually went to court, to protect the secrecy of his Energy Task Force meetings, the vote was they got reclassified and stuck in there.

With the way these guys operate, that certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.

The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll January 22 - February 17, 2008

Those missing White House emails ... Turns out that ...

1. All got reclassified as part of Cheney's Energy Task Force, so now off-limits Tally 38%

2. Barney ate them Tally 28%

3. They were part of Bush's "Clean Screens Act" Tally 17%

4. The server they were stored on was in New Orleans ... So, with Hurricane Katrina ... Tally 17%


This week’s Poll - With so much confusing talk about them, most people think Superdelegates are ...

Scroll up to the top right corner to place your vote


Bonus Bush Grindhouse Antics

ThinkProgress: Bush Administration Hides More Data, Shuts Down Website Tracking U.S. Economic Indicators

The Carpetbagger Report: What you don’t know can hurt us

TPMmuckraker - Bush Admin: What You Don't Know Can't Hurt Us, 2007 Version

Breaking News! Bush Sees Shadow; Another Year of Lawbreaking Predicted

Oval Office Event Draws Thousands; Top Hat and Tails, and an Outcome "Just Like The Movie"

In what started out as an inside joke, among just a few staffers, has now grown to a full-scale event, with thousands of government employees gathering around the West Wing, and the grounds of the Bush GrindHouse, to see the spectacle.

For the past seven years, as soon as The Commander Guy walks into the Oval Office on February 2nd, hearts are stopped and breath is held - will he see his shadow, a bona fide indicator of continued disregard for the laws of the country - or not.

Reports are just coming in, over the roar of the crowd - The Commander Guy saw his own shadow ... Another year of lawbreaking lays ahead!

Often timed with the other famous prognosticator, Puxsutawney Phil, the legendary Pennsylvania groundhog, who also saw his own shadow this morning, the Oval Office event has grown to almost the same, frenzied, party-atmosphere as takes place in Gobbler's Knob.

Government employees from the State Department, Pentagon, Transportation, FBI, CIA, including some who travel to Washington from federal offices around the country, and a few from international posts, all begin gathering at and around the Bush Grindhouse in the pre-dawn hours, some staking out positions days in advance.

For the occasion, as like the crew at Gobbler's Knob, those that work in the West Wing, don tails and top hats, and only a chosen few handle The Commander Guy after he's seen his own shadow.

A cottage industry has grown around the Oval Office event, with trinkets, tchochtkes and T-Shirts - this year's showing, being the last Bush Shadow event, on the front, an outline of hand, holding a pen over a document, and, on the back, a listing of The Commander Guys' over-700 Signing Statements.

Vice President Dick Cheney, sources have told The Garlic, was at the event, wearing last years' official T-Shirt, simply the image of a pair of headphones embracing the country at both coasts, with the words "We're Listening" underneath.

"This really has come to emulate the movie," offered Hildy Johnson, editor of the monthly newsletter “What Did He Say Now?” that tracks and reviews President Bush’s speeches and interviews, referring to the comedy classic, 'Groundhog Day'.

"Bill Murray goes through the same day, over and over, and nothing happens to him," continued Johnson. "He doesn't get injured or hurt ...Arrested ... Nothing happens ... And Bush, it's the same thing ... He breaks law after law and nothing happens to him ... It's amazing, just like the movie."


Bonus Groundhog Riffs

Groundhog Lied; Investigation Launched

Breaking News! Bush Administration To Tap Punxsutawney Phil To Bolster Foreign Policy; Gobbler's Knob Appearance Tomorrow Will Be Last For Famous Prognosticator

More Discord In The White House; White House At Odds With Groundhog Hire, Handlers Over Cheney Shooting; Bush Said To Be "Livid, As Famous Prognosticator 'Never Tipped Us Off"; UK's Blair Said To Be Frantic For Direction



















For the occasion, as like the crew at Gobbler's Knob, those that work in the West Wing, don tails and top hats, and only a chosen few handle The Commander Guy after he's seen his own shadow.

Bush Fatigue Alert - Monday's SOTU

Did you hear that?

No, listen closely ....

That's right ... Nary a word on the upcoming production of Bush Fatigue, otherwise known as the State of the Union Address.

Boy, what a difference a Democratic-controlled Congress, 31% approval rating, the still ongoing Iraq disaster and, now, a tanking U.S. economy makes ...

I had been thinking about it, just vaguely, as this month as rolled on.

Isn't it time for the SOTU?

Last Thursday, Barry Crimmins also thought about it;

"Take a look at the MSNBC Political Calendar

JANUARY 2008
24 NBC Republican debate, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
26 South Carolina Democratic primary
29 Florida primary
30 Republican debate, Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California
31 Democratic debate, Los Angeles, CA

That's it for the balance of the month. Three debates and two primaries. But for you trivia fans out there, there is one other upcoming event that is generally considered extremely political yet it isn't mentioned.

If you guessed the State of the Union Address, go to the head of your home school. The reason people don't realize Bush came back from his extended trip abroad is because no one noticed him leave. The state of this presidency is obvious, which is why the next week's address has become The Super Bowl of Impertinence."

Quite right.

Past SOTU's, when the GOP orgy was in full swing, and the Bush Grindhouse in full swagger, the SOTU was trumpeted, hyped and otherwise blared across the land, making the Super Bowl look like a pee-wee flag football event.

If Nancy Pelosi had any balls (or, at least a table), when the Sargent of Arms calls out "Madam Speaker, the President of the United States", she should shout back "No, don't let him in!".

Or, to spare us all, of what, undoubtedly will be a bitch session, blaming the Democrats for everything, continuing his delusional spin (and lying) on how great things are going in Iraq (I suppose, the only sense of mystery will be how many times, if at all, he mentions Afghanistan or Pakistan), and, of course, boasting of his breadcrumbs Stimulus Package, he should mail it in.

Literally.

It is not a requirement that the President deliver the SOTU live, in a joint session of Congress, merely that he deliver one to Congress.

The "Must View SOTU" didn't go all Elvis-is-in-the-building until Woodrow Wilson;

"This changed in 1913. Wilson believed the presidency was more than a impersonal institution; that instead the presidency is dynamic, alive, and personal (see Tulis). In articulating this philosophy, Wilson delivered an oral message to Congress. Heath reasons prevented Wilson from addressing Congress in 1919 and 1920, but Harding's two messages (1921 and 1922) and Coolidge's first (1923) were also oral messages. In the strict constructionist style of 19th Century presidents, Coolidge's remaining State of the Unions (1924-28) and all four of Hoover's (1929-32) were written. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the modern tradition of delivering an oral State of the Union beginning with his first in 1934. Exceptions include Truman's 1st (1946) and last (1953), Eisenhower's last (1961), Carter's last (1981), and Nixon's 4th (1973). In addition, Roosevelt's last (1945) and Eisenhower's 4th (1956) were technically written messages although they addressed the American people via radio summarizing their reports. Any research design should recognize these facts."

So, on Monday evening, go back into your Hurricane Katrina mode, Mr. The Commander Guy, and just stay away.


Bonus SOTU Riffs

Notes from the Uber Rally ... Err, the State of the Union (The very first Garlic post)

White House Besieged With Would-Be Energy Inventors As Bush Backtracks From Pledge; All Looking To Cash In On President's New Energy Initiative - If Only President Meant It

Of Daydreams, Lies, Libby and The State of the Union ... Chopped Garlic ... Yes, Where Is The Intelligence - Both Literally and Figuratively?

Deadline Looms For Axis of Evil Applicants; White House Cramming To Fill List For State of Union Address; Is Considering Adding Individuals For First Time

Coming To A Theatre Near You Soon! - Republicans On A Plane ! ...Not Even Al-Qaeda-Types Can Handle it!
















Not only the most evil vice president in history, but also the greatest ventriloquist of all-time?

Thomas Friedman, Clearly, Is Eating Lead-Painted Toys From His Flat World Economy!

While he has long been on this path, it may be that, the effects of eating the lead-painted toys from his heralded "world is flat" economy must be taking over.

Thomas "My Head Is Flat" Friedman (or, as Barry Crimmins likes to call him, Thomas L. Freepass) uses his column space today ( "Channeling Dick Cheney") to advocate - self admittedly ("No, I personally am not a Dick Cheney fan, and I know it is absurd to even suggest, but now that I have your attention, here’s what’s on my mind ...") - that, if elected, Senator Barack Obama should retain Dick Cheney as his Vice President.

Okay, I'll wait a moment for you to pick yourself up off the floor.

Friedman quickly drops his absurdity to lay out that the Democrats are going to need to have - in their President or Vice President - a harsh, warmongering, crazy motha ..., "standing over his right shoulder, quietly pounding a baseball bat into his palm" kind of guy, to deal with Iran, and the Middle East overall

A kind of "Walk Loudly and Carry An Even Bigger Stick" foreign policy approach.

A kind of "Suck On This" Friedman-favorite approach.

A kind of same thing Friedman has been saying since the start of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, for which Glenn Greenwald, over at Salon, becoming equally-alarmed with the preposterous suggestion, points out that "The Tom Friedman of 2002 has not gone anywhere".

While Friedman paints (presumably loaded with lead, from his "word is flat" economy) a broad picture, let's take a look at some of the practical obstacles and hurdles that would have to be overcome in order for Darth Vader to stay in control of the galaxy.

The Axis of Evil List

Presumably, this AEL will expire on January 20th, 2009 - Will the new, presumably, Democratic President renew it?

Will the same players stay on the Axis of Evil List if it renewed? A new president may want to refresh the list, put some new countries on it, based on his (or her) agenda.

But, if we take into consideration Friedman's, as well as his rightwing, warmongering, Neocon buddies, a Democratic president will be, most assuredly, soft on terror ... A wimp, who will coddle and appease the terrorists.

So, almost assuredly, a new Democratic President won't have an AEL, which would leave the Vice President of Darkness with nothing to rail about. He can trade in his Louisville Slugger for a whiffleball bat.

Lawsuits

If the Congress hangs on to its' recently-grown spine, and keeps immunity out of any new FISA legislation, chances are Mr. Cheney is going to be busy, giving depositions, huddling with lawyers, going in-and-out of court.

He certainly isn't going to have time to shake his fist at Iran, or any other country, at least not while holding a subpoena in it.

This will be a nightmare for Friedman and his crowd.

The terrorists gaining an upper hand, winning because of our functioning, democratic, impartial legal system?

This certainly wont do, and Friedman will use his columns, and there'll be Weekly Standard an WSJ editorials, calling for more of our civil rights and liberties to be taken away. It will be like a warm, fuzzy dream when we think of how, under the Bush Grindhouse, we only lost Habeas Corpus.

(We also should factor in here, that in a third or fourth term as Vice President, Dick Cheney is very likely to continue with his hunting trips and, the chance that he may shoot - again - another fellow hunter, who won't be inclined to blame himself, or the local authorities will refuse to cover it up,. may bog down the Vice President's office)

Health

Considering the heated brouhaha over stem cells, what kind of outcry will come when we will possibly have a bionic Vice President?

Cheney is on, what, his third or fourth pacemaker, and warmongering is heavy-duty stressful work.

Constantly having to stay on message, having to constantly badger the CIA and other intelligence units, constantly having to lie, that takes stamina, and good, strong physical condition.

Will Cheney be up for that, capable of that?

Yes, we could bring back John Yoo, and have him, and David Addington, draft up new laws that "Organ Harvesting" of all those terrorist prisoners in Gitmo is not torture. Or, scanning the medical records of U.S. Citizens, a new round-up of enemy combatants could occur, taking into custody only those with healthy hearts that would be compatible with Cheney's (whoa, that's a frightening thought - that there could be another American with a dark, as black a heart, as Cheney)

The Shadow Presidency

Friedman, blatantly, overlooks one serious element of his equation.

It isn't a question of if a President-Elect Barack Obama would retain the current Vice President, but more, would the current Vice President allow a President-Elect Obama into his Shadow Presidency.

Will Dick Cheney give up his control of the Executive Branch?

We have to factor in another part of Friedman's flat world that may be giving the Lord of Darkness some ideas.

Pakistan.

On January 19th, or 20th, 2009, will Cheney step forward and officially announce he is in control of the government, abolish the Congress and the courts, start jailing anyone who opposes or criticizes the coup, all under the name of saving our democracy?

Granted, Friedman, and his rightwing power hawks would cheerlead such a Cheney coup, and that would likely generate another phony "mea culpa" column from Freidman, pointing back to today's dribble and how naïve he was, as he starts shouting to the new Dictator Cheney, with the decks all clear, to start having the Middle East "Suck On This"!

And we'll all be subjected to their nauseating anthem.

Neocon Days Are Here Again

So long New York Times
Go long LA Times
We are rid of you at last

Rowdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Neocon Days are here again
The torture we had is cleared again
So let's wage a war and cheer again
Neocon Days are here again

All together, shout it now
There's no one who can stop us now
So lets dominate the world about it now
Neocon Days are here again

Your laws and rights are gone
There'll be no constitution from now on
Neocon Days are here again

Neocon Days are here again
The laws we had are clear again
So let's wage a war and cheer again
Neocon Days are here again

Happy times
No Civil Rights
Only our ways
Neocon Days are here again!

Bonus Thomas "My Head Is Flat" Friedman Links

Jules Crittenden - Tom Friedman: “9/11 has made us stupid.”

Hollywood Reporter - Columnist in biz with MSNBC.com

David Sirota - Billionaire Tom & More Education Mythmaking

FAIR - Media Advisory: Tom Friedman's Flexible Deadlines Iraq's 'decisive' six months have lasted two and a half years

Dick Cheney's Not Darth Vader ... He's Harry Caul!

Perhaps, when the regime's term finally ends, we'll find Vice President Dick Cheney sitting in his secret bunker, the floorboards torn up, the walls ripped out, light fixtures disassembled, the sharp bits of broken figurines littered about.

It could be his last, futile attempt at finding those mushroom-clouding WMD's.

In hindsight, though, we've all had it wrong.

Cheney isn't Darth Vader.

He's Harry Caul, the paranoid surveillance freak from The Conversation.

From Wikipedia;

"Caul is utterly professional at work, but he finds personal contact difficult. He is exquisitely uncomfortable in dense crowds and withdrawn and taciturn in more intimate situations; he is also reticent and secretive with work colleagues."

From Filmsite.org;

"Its claustrophobic themes of the destruction of privacy, alienation, guilt, voyeurism, justified paranoia, unprincipled corporate power and personal responsibility effectively responded to growing, ominous 20th century threats of eavesdropping to personal liberties."

Certainly more than a handful of the Vice President's characteristics in there.

Unlike Harry Caul of the movies, Cheney/Harry Caul isn't hunting for electronic bugs - He is looking for Iranians!

And, gosh-darn-it, he's gonna get his Iranians ... He's going to fuss-and-fume, and stamp his feet until he gets his Iranians.

Where does this new, cinematic revisionist view of the Secret-Energy-Meeting Vice President come from?

Iraqi fighters 'grilled for evidence on Iran'; Interrogator says US military seeks evidence incriminating Tehran

The Guardian Unlimited has a report filed today, indicating military interrogators are feeling the thumbs-on-the-backs-of-their-necks kind of pressure to come up with evidence of Iranian involvement in Iraq.

"US military officials are putting huge pressure on interrogators who question Iraqi insurgents to find incriminating evidence pointing to Iran, it was claimed last night."

"Other military intelligence officials in Iraq refused to comment, but one said: 'The message is, "Got to find a link with Iran, got to find a link with Iran." It's sickening.'

And then there this, from IPS;

POLITICS-US: Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran NIE

It appears that our Cheney/Harry Caul is gumming up the release of the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, while he rips up the floorboards, searching out those darn Iranians.

"But this pressure on intelligence analysts, obviously instigated by Cheney himself, has not produced a draft estimate without those dissenting views, these sources say. The White House has now apparently decided to release the unsatisfactory draft NIE, but without making its key findings public."

In the move version, our Cheney/Harry Caul would be sitting with a tape recorder, wearing headphones, sweating, increasingly showing signs of agitation, as he plays and rewinds a piece of tape, back-and-forth, without getting his desired results.

"Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi provided a similar account, based on his own sources in the intelligence community. He told IPS that intelligence analysts have had to review and rewrite their findings three times, because of pressure from the White House.

"The White House wants a document that it can use as evidence for its Iran policy," says Giraldi. Despite pressures on them to change their dissenting conclusions, however, Giraldi says some analysts have refused to go along with conclusions that they believe are not supported by the evidence."

Hmmm ... Haven't we seen this movie before?

Send your refund request to the attention of Dennis Kucinich and the House Judiciary Committee.


Bonus, But Not De-Bugged, Links

David Swanson/AfterDowningStreet: The Low Down on Dick Cheney

McClatchy Newspapers: The confrontation with Iran - Experts: No evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons program

Seymour M. Hersh: Shifting Targets; The Administration’s plan for Iran.

Damn You, Nancy OffTheTable and Stagnant Hoyer!

Now let me get this straight ...

Dennis Kucinich introduced a resolution to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney, and the Democratic Leadership buried it?

Even after, in their smug, arrogant manner, the Republican Minority said "Sure, let's debate it"?

My God, what the hell is this? Another meeting of The Blank Check Club?

Does Nancy OffTheTable and Stagnant Hoyer have any concept of what the hell is at stake?

Especially and doubly odious, being it's the year-anniversary of the Dems taking the elections, and the majority, back in Congress.

This is like Ernie Banks saying "It's a beautiful day ... But I don't feel like playing any baseball", or John Cameron Swayze giving up and not testing to see if the Timex would still be ticking after taking a licking... Veteran and legendary anchorman Walter Cronkite admitting "I have no idea the way it is"

What cowards.

Yes, there are a boatload of important matters the Congress needs to deal with.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq ... Healthcare ... Immigration ... The economy ... Etc, Etc, Etc ...

And while The Garlic is usually hip, and cheering on Jeralyn Merrit, over on TalkLeft, but her "...The time to impeach, if there was one, was after we learned Bush and Cheney lied about getting us into war in Iraq. It's too late now and counterproductive." is off-the-mark.

Bush, Cheney and their henchman are still lying, piling lie-after-lie, on Iraq, while going into "Lie Reruns" with trying to get us into another quagmire, in Iran.

And another big lie - that bastion of democracy, Pakistan - is turning back on them to bite them in the ass ...

While we're at it, let's mention, to put on the menu, sort-of-speak, the treasonous exposure of Valerie Plame , or the firing of the U.S. Attorneys (and the complete corruption of the Department of Justice) ... The Torture Policy ... The Signing Statements...

It is far from counterproductive to hold the elected officials of this country - and yes, these two criminals weren't exactly elected -accountable for their crimes and misdemeanors.

Letting Bush and Cheney off-the-hook now, leaves every future administration off-the-hook, after they've black-jacked the Constitution, replacing it with their own whims.

No, it should be, exactly, the business of this Congress to begin the Articles of Impeachment of this dynamic duo. It's not too late and it's not counterproductive.

In fact, it is, quite likely, exactly what is needed to go towards restoring the image, and the integrity, of the United States.

To show our allies, the world, that our Congress hasn't turned its' back on The Constitution the way the Executive Branch has, and that they will do their constitutional duty to protect this country, from enemies abroad - and enemies within.

Hey, Nancy OffTheTable and Stagnant Hoyer, take a cue from Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks;

"It's a beautiful day ... Let's impeach two!"


Bonus Impeachment Links

Dennis Kucinich: Kucinich Will Introduce Privileged Resolution To Force Up Or Down Vote On Cheney Impeachment

David Swanson/AfterDowningStreet: Kucinich's Resolution Survives Tabling Attempt, Is Referred to Committee

Larisa Alexandrovna/AtLargely - Bruce Fein: Impeach Cheney

Wil S. Hylton: THE PEOPLE V. RICHARD CHENEY - Resolved, that Richard B. Cheney, vice president of the United States, should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that these articles of impeachment be submitted to the American people

Garlictorial: Happy 4th of July ... Okay, It May Be Down To This .... Citizen's Arrest!














How's about hugging your constitutional responsibilities?

Left Off Medal of Freedom Recipient List, Libby Said To Be "Crushed"

Cheney Said To Be Furious, Threatens To Expose Shadow Presidency If Pardon Doesn't Come Through

Sources tell The Garlic this morning that there are new, hostile divisions deep inside the White House.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, commuted from his felony conviction in the Plame Leak Case, was said to be "despondent and crushed" after seeing the list of Medal of Freedom recipients released by the President yesterday.

Libby, according to a West Wing staffer, called Vice President Dick Cheney, and in tears, expressed his disappointment to his former boss, of not being awarded one.

Cheney was said to be furious, reacting angrily and threatened to expose the Shadow Presidency he has been conducting.

Cheney reportedly called the President, "barking at him" and demanded to know, if Libby was not receiving a Medal of Freedom award, when was his pardon coming through.

"We were sure Scooter was going to get one." whined Mary Matalin (Editor's Note: Whining is Ms. Matalins' natural way of speaking), a Libby friend and former colleague, as well as one of the chief fundraisers for Libby's defense.

"I mean, he gave one to Tenet, for God sakes!"

When asked for comment, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino indicated she didn't know anything about the Medal of Freedom awards, or how the list was developed.

"However," she added, "I believe that there are certain health benefits to not receiving one."

Libby is, reportedly, in talks with the Fox News Network as to developing a new show, tentatively titled "Are You Smarter Than a Convicted, But Commuted, Former White House Official?"

Bonus Scooter Links

Libby Trial Update - The Scooter and Cheney Show Theme Song

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Tim Russert Didn't Ask Scooter Libby About Joe Wilson and His Wife

Miller To Leave 'Times' With Movie Deal In Hand; Signs On To Star In Memento Sequel; Not Sure If She Will Continue Freelancing For Bush Admn.

Letters Cast Light on Cheney's Inner Circle; Dozens of Prominent Figures and Insiders Praise Libby as Fundamentally Decent








"We were sure Scooter was going to get one,." whined Mary Matalin. "I mean, he gave one to Tenet, for Godsakes!"

Public Service Announcement - Dick Cheney Hunting Alert

If you are traveling in the Poughkeepsie/Duchess County, New York area, this is for you.

Courtesy of Think Progress:

"The Poughkeepsie Journal in New York reports that “Vice President Dick Cheney is coming to Duchess County again to go hunting.” On Monday, Cheney is “expected to leave Poughkeepsie and head to the Clove Valley Rod & Gun Club.”

People there should worry about the Vice President, not drinking, but falling asleep.

Bonus Meditating VP Riffs

White House To Manage Media; New White House Press Strategy On VP Shooting Deemed "Smashing Success"; Expect More Reports From Average Citizens, Local Papers Breaking News; President May Board Up Press Room

Bush To Change Legal Landscape; White House Primed To Replace "Miranda" With New, "Cheney Decision"; Says Still Tough On Crime; Won't Be Applicable For Rounded-Up Terror Suspects - "That's What Patriot Act Is For"

News In Brief! Cheney Woozy After MTP, Failed To Continue Nazi Thread; Cheney Briefly Hospitalized After Television Appearance Yesterday; Vice President Complained Of Dizziness After Relentless Spin Session on ‘Meet The Press’

Cheney Slated For Surgery; Halliburton Gets No Bid Contract; $26M For Operating Room Clean-up; "Can't have VP's DNA Floating Around" Says White House

Libby Trial Update - The Scooter and Cheney Show Theme Song

Cheney and Rumsfeld ... You Get Two ... Two ... Two Disasters In One!

They are not identical twins (physically, at least), so it's easy to see why Certs never tapped them for one of their ad campaigns.

Easier to tell them that, rather than admitting you don't want your product associated with truly unmitigated disasters.

Cheney and Rumsfeld ... Rumsfeld and Cheney ... The Governmental version of Martin and Lewis, Siegfried and Roy or, more the case, Fric-and-Frac.

Our constitutionally-Supreme Court-Stolen-elected Darth Vader has been in the news of recent, lamenting in one interview that he disagreed with The Commander Guy on the firing of his buddy, now former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and in another, being called out, labeled a disaster by former President Jimmy Carter.

Something, I'm sure, the Neocons will be curled up with bewilderment, for years, is how did the most powerful Vice President in history allow his best buddy to be fired? Oh, my goodness gracious!, how did he let one of them get axed?

Rummy is, after all, the flawed architect of the disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq, the artist of the Katzenjammer Kids blueprint these Neocons drew up. And while he was glib at the earliest stages of the disaster, you have to think how Rummy would have reacted, in his former heyday as CEO of the Searle Drug Co., if one of his production managers offered, as the reason for a failed batch, "stuff happens".

And they had such a good deal going, turning their Armageddon-Weekend-Let's-Rule-The-World-role-playing into reality.

Was it a Tessio moment, as in 'The Godfather', when the former loyal capo is made for his plot, and blurts out "Hell, he can't do that ... It screws up all my plans ..."

Was it bad timing, the one-day-a-year where he actually let The Decider Guy be President and, Oh My God, look what he's done!

Hard to put the Genie back in the bottle without calling attention to himself.

Best he could do, very pointedly, was to call his Armageddon-weekend pal "The finest Secretary of Defense this nation has ever had,”

As to Jimmy Carter ... The VP must have run out of ink, furiously scribbling notes in the column on this one, albeit, with no Covert-CIA Agent-wife to expose in retribution.

How frustrating.

Along with "denouncing Vice President Dick Cheney as a "disaster", in the BBC World News America interview, the peanut-farming, home-building ex-Prez also added;

"He's a militant who avoided any service of his own in the military and he has been most forceful in the last 10 years or more in fulfilling some of his more ancient commitments that the United States has a right to inject its power through military means in other parts of the world," Carter told the BBC World News America in an interview to air later on Wednesday.

I'm sure he's not feeling like "Dick, The Magic Vice-Prez" these days. Rummy, and The Scooter, are gone and his current staff of law-breaking, Constitutional Stormtroopers must be tiring of having that same "Let's bomb Iran" conversation every day.

The script for Little Timmy Russert, the one detailing all those mushrooms clouds stockpiled in Tehran, sits in the draw collecting dust, for the moment.

The empire is going soft, he must be thinking, with the new guy, Robert "What Intelligence?" Gates not drinking the Kool Aid, having a different agenda and Nanny of State Condoleeza Rice wanting to coddle the terrorists and legitimize those Islamo thugs.

With the clock running out, how will the chest-thumping (well, okay, in his case, it's more a soft patting), most-powerful Vice President-in-history ever fulfill his 30-year plan for his above-the-law Imperial Presidency?

Oh yeah, you can bet, in their weekend Armageddon frolicking, Rummy is still their Secretary of Defense.


Bonus Dynamic Duo Links

Barry Crimmins: Weekend Rumsfeld's Mysterious Resignation

Joan Walsh: Rumsfeld's legacy: Iraq and Dick Cheney

Robert Parry: Rumsfeld's legacy: Iraq and Dick Cheney

Fric-and-Frac

Top Ten Cloves: How History Would Be Different if Bush & Co. Were The Ones To First Discover America

News Item: The DNA Age; Seeking Columbus’s Origins, With a Swab

10. We would now be celebrating Dick Cheney Day in October

9. All the crew, from all the ships would be Stop-Lossed, and forced to serve another 15-months

8. Critics of the expedition would be branded as "Viking sympathizers and appeasers"

7. Bush would set out to prove his bigger goal, that the world was flat, which would include invading and occupying Iraq

6. Native population would be immediately declared "Enemy Combatants", and shipped off to Cuba for detention

5. Burning Spear's song, "A Damn Blasted Liar" would still be apropos

4. 2nd Mate Paul Wolfowitz would boast that the new land's natural resources would pay for the expedition

3. History would show conch shells to be the early, rudimentary beginnings of the NSA Illegal Wiretapping program

2. 1st Mate Donald Rumsfeld would deflect criticism by saying "You set sail with the ships you have, not the ships you you might want or wish to have at a later time."

1. Best of all, Captain Bush would start issuing "Signing Statements ", and go about making up the law as he went along


Happy Dick Cheney Day Links

BBC: They Discovered America

Franklin W Knight: The legacies of Christopher Columbus

James Carroll: A troubling turn in American history