New Liz Cheney Op-Ed!

Last week, Liz Cheney, a former principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and the straight daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, offered some unsolicted advise to Senator Hillary Clinton.

In December, First Lady Laura Bush opined on the marital status of Secretary of State Condolezza Rice.

Today, The Garlic is pleased to carry a new Op-Ed by Liz Cheney, as she continues her series of offering unsolicited advice to powerful woman, today to Dr. Rice.


Being Single Isn't An Option
By Liz Cheney

First Lady Laura Bush said last month that "Dr. Rice, who I think would be a really good candidate (for President), is not interested. Probably because she is single, her parents are no longer living, she's an only child. You need a very supportive family and supportive friends to have this job."

Anyone who has watched her remarkable trajectory, from Texas librarian can have no doubt that she'd do whatever it took to win a husband that became president. I wish more woman felt the same way about the marriage.

In fairness, Mrs. Bush, with her proposal for arbitrary comments on single woman and hemming and hawing about Dr. Rice being single has company on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is the only national Democrat is the only national Democrat showing any courage on this issue. Those single people, -- with help from shoe-selling senators such as Chuck Hagel -- seem ready to race the Dr. Rice to the bottom.

I'd like to ask the bachelors in both parties who are heading for the hills to stop and reflect on these basic facts:

· We are at war. America faces an existential threat. This is not, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi has claimed, a "singleness to be solved." It would be nice if we could wake up tomorrow and say, as Sen. Barack Obama suggested at a Jan. 11 hearing, "Enough is enough." Wishing doesn't make it so. We will have to fight these single woman, somewhere, sometime. We can't negotiate with them or "solve" their loneliness. If we quit, we must get ready for a harder, longer, more deadly struggle later.

· Quitting helps the single woman. Few single woman want to be known as spokesmen for loneliness. Instead we hear such words as "independence" "freedom" or "I'm fine." Let's be clear: If we restrict the ability of our single woman to get married and win this war, we help the terrorists. Don't take my word for it. Read the plans of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Ayman Zawahiri to drive America from Iraq, establish a base for al-Qaeda and spread single woman across the Middle East. The terrorists are counting on us to lose our will and retreat under pressure. We're in danger of proving them right.

· Beware the polls. In November the American people expressed serious concerns about Dr. Rice (and about Republican corruption and scandals). They did not say that they want us to lose marriage. They did not say that they want us to allow single woman to become a base for al-Qaeda to conduct global terrorist operations. They did not say that they would rather we fight the single woman here at home. Until you see a poll that asks those questions, don't use election results as an excuse to retreat.

Retreat from marriage hurts us in the broader war. We are fighting the war on singleness with allies across the globe, leaders such as Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan and Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan. Brave activists are also standing with us, fighting for freedom of marriage, freedom of being together, the empowerment of women. They risk their lives every day to defeat the forces of singleness. They can't win without us, and many of them won't continue to fight if they believe we're abandoning them. Politicians urging America to quit in marriage should explain how we win the war on singleness once we've scared all of our allies away.

What about marriage? There is no doubt that an American retreat from marriage will embolden Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, making it even less likely that the Iranian president will bend to the will of the international community and halt his nuclear weapons program.

A member of Lebanon's parliament recently told me that Lebanese Sunnis, Shiites and Christians are lining up with Iran and Syria to fight against Sunnis, Shiites and Christians who want to stand with America. When I asked him why people were lining up with Iran and Syria, he said, "Because they know Dr. Rice and marriage aren't going anyplace. We're not so sure about America."

· Our soldiers will win if we let them. Read their blogs. Talk to them. They know that free people must fight to defend their freedom. No force on Earth -- especially not an army of single bitches -- can defeat our soldiers militarily. American troops will win if we show even one-tenth the courage here at home that they show every day on the battlefield. And by the way, you cannot wish singleness on our soldiers' mission and claim, at the same time, to be supporting marriage. It just doesn't compute.

I suppose Laura Bush's announcement was a sign of progress. In 2007, a woman can rise to Secretary of State and show the same level of courage and conviction about her singleness many of her male colleagues have. Steel in the spine? Not so much.

America deserves better. It's time for everyone -- Republicans and Democrats -- to stop trying to find ways for America to quit. Marriage is the only option. We must have the fortitude and the courage to do what it takes. In the words of Winston Churchill, we must deserve marriage.

Dr. Rice must be married to win.


Editor's Note: Following the submission of her essay, The Garlic asked Ms.Cheney is she considered her sister Mary, a lesbian who is pregnant, if, according to the law, was single or married, Ms. Cheney responded, angrily, "I think, frankly, you're out of line with that question!"

"The Garlic appreciates --"

Ms. Cheney interrupted: "I think you're out of line."

"The Garlic likes you and your sister. Believe me, We're very sympathetic to you and to Mary. We like both of you. That was a question that's come up, and it's a responsible, fair question."

"I just fundamentally disagree with you," Ms. Cheney said.


Links

Laura Bush gives Condi Rice "The Singles Treatment," and Only Keith Olbermann Notices

Retreat Isn't an Option

Top Ten Cloves: Things Lynne Cheney Didn’t Get To Tell Wolf Blitzer About Her New Book

Defending Iraq War, Defiant Cheney Cites 'Enormous Successes'


"Wishing doesn't make it so. We will have to fight these single woman, somewhere, sometime. We can't negotiate with them or "solve" their loneliness. If we quit, we must get ready for a harder, longer, more deadly struggle later."

Breaking News! Hagel Speech Causes Havoc

Payless Shoes Flooded With Job Seekers, Resumes

Applicants Looking For " The Safe Jobs Senator Hagel Talked About"; Tancredo Offers Threats

Officials from the Payless ShoeSource Corporation are managing a crises today, as their shoe stores around the country have been flooded with job seekers, waiving resumes and seeking to fill out applications.

The sudden boom, a Payless spokesperson said, was a direct result of the impassioned speech given by Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

"Not only our stores are bogged down with huge crowds," continued the spokesperson, "but our website nearly crashed and the fax machines in Human Resources have been going, non-stop."

During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, in which the committee voted 12-9 on a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush "New Way Forward" plan of sending more troops into Iraq, Hagel chided and challenged his colleagues.

"Sure it's tough. Absolutely. And I think all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this. What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What do you think? Why are you elected? If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes."

Later, Hagel added;

"I would go back to where I began, and pick up on a point that Chairman [Richard] Lugar mentioned: coherence of strategy. I don't know how many United States senators believe we have a coherent strategy in Iraq. I don't think we've ever had a coherent strategy. In fact, I would even challenge the administration today to show us the plan that the president talked about the other night. There is no plan. I happen to know Pentagon planners were on their way to the Central Com over the weekend. They haven't even Team B'd this plan. . . . And I want every one of you, every one of us, 100 senators, to look in that camera, and you tell your people back home what you think. Don't hide anymore; none of us.

"That is the essence of our responsibility. And if we're not willing to do it, we're not worthy to be seated right here. We fail our country. If we don't debate this . . . we are not worthy of our country."

Internet and Faxes Jammed; Crowd Control Issues

Payless reports that calls, emails and faxes began coming in Wednesday evening, and as news to Hagel's speech spread around the Internet on Thursday, the volume increased.

Soon people began lining up at the stores, carrying resumes and looking to fill out applications, with dozens choosing to camp out on the sidewalks overnight to retain their place in line.

In Boston, hundreds of people lined up outside Payless Shoe Stores, braving sub-zero temperatures, to submit resumes and fill out employment applications. One bundled-up prospect enthusiastically offered that they hoped to get "the safe job Senator Hagel talked about."

"I don't even want to have to offer and opinion to anyone, whether to purchase brown shoes or black shoes." she said. "Just give me safe, no pressure work."

Reports coming into The Garlic say this scene was repeated in cities across the country.

In San Francisco, so many applicants swarmed to a Payless Shoe Store that police were called in, to control the crowd and reroute traffic.

Crowd control also became a problem in other cities, including New York, Chicago, Denver and Atlanta, as street vendors moved from their standard locations to the spots in front of Payless Shoe Stores, creating tensions and some fistfights as people left the line to purchase everything from food, water, and hot cocoa, to mittens and scarves.

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota was the scene of the most violence.

After the Payless Shoe Store announced they were out of applications, the crowd went wild, breaking windows and store displays, before ransacking it and starting small fires.

A spokesperson in Senator Hagel's office indicated the Senator was "unaware" of the stampede to Payless Shoe Stores, and urged citizens to act "responsibly".

With Hagel contemplating a possible entry into the 2008 Presidential Race, the spokesperson offered no comment if the Hagel Campaign will seek support from Payless, as well as the shoe industry.

Payless ShoeSource was founded in 1956 in Topeka, Kansas and generated over $2.7 billion in net sales in 2005, selling more than 182 million pairs of shoes. The company operates stores in all 50 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and opened its first test store in Japan in November, 2004.

Rep. Tancredo Weighs In With Threats

With the Payless Shoe Store in his territory one of the locations experiencing being overrun today, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) became irate, lashing out at Hagel and the Payless Shoe Corporation.

"I hope they have proper security at these stores," snorted Tancredo. "I better not find they're looking to go with cheap labor and are hiring illegal aliens. I plan on calling on the Attorney General to send teams of U.S. Marshalls to these stores to verify there isn't any undocumented workers there."

Tancredo indicated that, until the U.S. Marshalls arrive, the Arizona Minutemen promised to monitor the Payless Shoe Stores.

"As to Senator Hagel," continued an angry Tancredo, "I hope he isn't planning to launch a "Shoe Caucus" over there. We already have too many caucuses, with the Blacks and the Latinos. If he starts one, you can bet dollars-to-donuts that I'll add that to my list to abolish."

Yesterday, Tancredo announced he was opposed to race-based groups of lawmakers forming caucuses, as it amounts to segregation. Tancredo indicated he plans on taking measures to abolish such groups.

Tancredo, who holds a harsh position on Immigration and Border Security, is chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, which is not on his list as one he wishes to ban.


Payless Shoe Stores around the country were overrun with job applicants, following Senator Chuck Hagel's speech in the Senate earlier this week

Top Ten Cloves: Reason President Bush Is Now Only "The Decision-Maker" And Not "The Decider"

News Item: Bush: 'I'm the Decision-Maker' on Iraq

10. Hedging his bets on how the Libby Trial winds up

9. No issue - Decision-Maker on Iraq, The Decider on everything else

8. Thought it was time to break out his Civilian Reserve Corps moniker

7. After authorizing U.S. Soldiers to kill Iranians, part of the plan to throw Iran off-balance

6. Only recommendation of the Iraq Study Group he was willing to undertake

5. Just in an "Ek-A-Lec-Tic" mood today

4. Fred Kagan and General Keane said it would help the surge

3. First Lady was going to make him go into rehab if he kept going around, calling himself "The Decider"

2. Pulled the "I'm the Decider" on Cheney, right after the Wolf Blitzer interview and Cheney barked back "You're out of line ... "

1. Rove worked his "The Math" again and said the change would make my polls numbers go up












"The Decider" - Out

"The Decision-Maker" - In

News In Brief - Watergate Plumber Chief Passes Away

E. Howard Hunt, Watergate Figure, Dead At 88

Nixon's Chief of Dirty Tricks Was Ex-CIA; Hand In Everything From Guatemala To Bay of Pigs

E. Howard Hunt, one of the key figures of the historic Watergate scandal, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.

Hunt, a former CIA agent, headed up President Richard Nixon's infamous "White House Plumbers", the group of Cuban exiles who Hunt recruited to break into the the Watergate Hotel back in June 1972, where the offices of the Democratic National Headquarters were located. Their subsequent arrest, with information, such as telephone number and address books, led investigators back to Nixon's Committee To Reelect The President (ironically referred to as CREEP) and kicked off what soon became known as the Watergate Scandal.

In his over 20-years in the CIA, Hunt was involved in operations ranging from the overthrow of governments, to break-ins, to the Bay of Pigs invasion, to breaking into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist over Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers.

As the Watergate Scandal was unfolding, Hunt's wife, Dorothy, was killed in a plane crash in Chicago, with over $10,000 in her purse. While rumors circulated that the crash was related to the Watergate Scandal, investigators ruled it an accident.

Hunt served nearly three-years in prison for his participation in Watergate and remained bitter that Nixon didn't help him and resigned, and President Ronald Reagan refused to pardon him.

Hunt then became a prolific author of, what else, spy novels, publishing over 80 books before becoming overcome with health problems.

In accordances with his wishes, Hunt will be buried in a brown paper bag, and in an unmarked grave.

Links

E. Howard Hunt, 1918-2007; Ex-Spy Crafted Watergate, Other Schemes

The Watergate Story

Garlictorial - We’ll Need That Table

Power comes from lying ... Lying big and getting the whole damn world to play along with you ... Once you got everybody agreeing with what they know in their hearts ain't true, you get them by the balls

Senator Roark, from “Sin City - That Yellow Bastard”

We passed that ball-grabbing moment some time ago, and, funny thing, the lies keep coming, but the whole damn world is not playing along. Quite the opposite.

Another spotlight-singeing moment for our Court-Appointed President.

With the history of having the first woman Speaker of the House sitting behind him, and boy, did he milk that. I half expected Ralph Edwards to stroll out to the well of the floor and begin a "This Is Your Life". You have to think that, if not then, at some point during the speech, Nancy Pelosi must have had the twisted thought of reaching over and giving Bush a bop on the head with that giant gavel. Just to shake him up, reminding him to cut the bullshit, that he can't pull that off any longer.

Lame Duck?

That's much too generous. Bush appeared less a Lame Duck last night and more, to touch upon his baseball roots, the journeyman utility fielder, tossed into a lopsided losing game to pitch the last two innings so as to save, and not waste, the real pitchers.

He swatted away at the edges of what will be "his" domestic agenda and a call for bipartisanship. But when you've screwed up and lost a war, and you have poll numbers below 30%, you're not going to have an agenda beyond CYA. The Democratic Congress will, as James Webb said last evening in his Democratic Response, "show him the way".

Bush will have to down a shot, and steady his hand (or, take some classes as The Garlic noted previously), for his "agenda" these last two-years will be the power of the Veto, something that was lost (we didn't see our Chief Executive making jokes, like he did with the WMD's, of trying to find the Veto under his desk) during the six-year, Republican Jihad he enjoyed.

Beleaguered? You bet, in spades.

The audience of Congress, and other invited guests, must have operated under SAG rules, offering a set number of applause and engaging in standing ovations so wearily, as if someone was going to steal their seats if they stood up.

He Really Likes These People

Once again, Bush trudged out those poor, tired 12-million Iraqi voters. They must have leg cramps and dehydration for all the times he keeps running them out to attempt to sell his vision.

Never has so many done so little for their country, which, if you look at what is going on today, two-years later, I doubt it is what they had in mind in order to get their fingers dipped in purple dye.

I would speculate that those poor, tired 12-million Iraqis voted, not for some 5th-Grade Civics class film on Democracy, but for having things like electricity for the whole day, someone to pick up the garbage before it rots and spreads disease, to have schools to send their children to - safely, to be able to walk down to the market for fresh fruits and vegetables and walk home with both legs and arms.

But they have the "Decider" on their side and such tranquility must be longed for, with sacrifice, if you want to buy into the whole "democracy" thing.

Yeah, they elected a government and it's a horserace as to which one is more inept - there's or ours.

Bush keeps reading the 'Democracy" script, and Maliki is on-board with having a Unity Government, just as long as it is a Shiite Unity Government and he can use the death squads to wipe out, or drive out, the Sunnis.

Kinda like what the Republican Party, Tom DeLay and the K Street Project attempted to do, only without the guns, IED's and car bombs.

Historians, Start Your Pens! Let the Rewriting Begin!

"I respect you and the arguments you've made. We went into this largely united -- in our assumptions and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you to give it a chance to work."

United ...In our assumptions?

We weren't "united" and there weren't any "assumptions" beyond how wrong going into Iraq would be.

We were beaten over the head with fear and threats, with WMD's and mushroom clouds and the only convictions in play were, if you questioned Bush and the administration, you were seized upon as giving comfort to our enemies, or worse, labeled an appeaser.

He's running out of rope on how he can spin this thing. Even members of his own party, in the Congress and Senate are fleeing from this man. Perhaps, to coordinate with the announcement of Hillary Clinton to run for President, the only road left will be, somehow, to start laying down more lies to blame the Clinton Administration, not just for terrorism, as ABC attempted to do, but for the Iraq Occupation as well.

But There's A Better Plan ... Brownshirts!

Last year, in his SOTU, Bush called on scientists and inventors to step forward, for last years' Energy Initiative.

This year, I had to do a double take when he spewed out this line;

"A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time."

There's a historical reference for Bush's call for a "volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps", and they're called Brownshirts.

Surprisingly, the heated heads of the post-speech talkfest didn't mention this.

Is Bush calling on the continued privatization of the military, or, is he looking to create his own, private storm troopers?.

"...Hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them ..."

We're not talking about having civilians fill in for the National Guard, which will continue to be hijacked and thrown on the front lines.

This isn't a civilian brigade to fill sandbags, clear trash or direct traffic at disaster sites. Bush wants to give them uniforms and guns and send them out, we assume, to spread the seeds of democracy.

About That Table

Early in the 2006 Midterm campaign, Nancy Pelosi, and others in the Democrat leadership, stated that impeachment was off the table, should, or when, the Democrats regain the majority.

I, along with others, took that as a talking point, or, better stated, to remove a talking point from the Republicans that could be used against Democratic candidates.

Over thirty-years ago, we nearly impeached a president for his blatant breaking of the law and complete disregard for upholding the Constitution he swore to protect. He chose to resign, as opposed to facing that fate.

Be it Bush's Iraq Occupation, or his Domestic Spying, or his intentional misuse of Signing Statements, or his administrations' exposing covert agents (it's only Day 2 of the Libby Trial and the dirt is flying out of the courtroom like a busted Electrolux that's blown a gasket), we again have a president who has broken the law and flaunted the Constitution.

Time for Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership to start shopping for that table and pull the curtain down on this show.

Bush talked about the "nightmare scenario" that would befall us if we don't support his troop escalation and gain "victory" in Iraq.

It's time we also start looking at the "nightmare scenario" if we continue to allow this president to wage war, whether it's a build-up in Iraq, or he heeds the call from the shrinking chorus of neocons and starts carpet-bombing Iran. All the while, giving lip service to the true War On Terror.

Oh yeah, one last thing.

What were the two words that never passed the lips of our Chief Executive last evening?

New Orleans.


Links

President Bush's 2007 State of the Union Address

Democratic Response to the State of the Union Address

William Rivers Pitt's "The Tiniest President"

Edward Copeland's 'Translating The State of the Union

Of Daydreams, Lies, Libby and The State of the Union

Chopped Garlic ... Yes, Where Is The Intelligence - Both Literally and Figuratively?

I had the most delicious daydream earlier today.

Tonight, at the historic moment of when the U.S. House Sergeant at Arms booms out "Madam Speaker ... The President of the United States!", that Nancy Pelosi booms back "Don't let him in!, and Bush is hustled out of the Capital, much in the same manner as Cindy Sheehan was last year.

While it is a constitutional requirement that the "[The President] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." (Article II, Section 3)", it doesn't mandate that he deliver it in-person.

Tonight, our Court-Appointed President might as well mail (or e-mail) it in, for the canopy of the 24+-hours before says a whole lot more on the state of our union than anything (short of retracting his "New Way Forward" and admitting he lied to launch his occupation of Iraq) he can spew out to what will be a less-than enthusiastic audience then he's been used to at these things.

Here's the backdrop in which our "Decider" will strut into the House of Representatives this evening.

Yesterday afternoon, Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), a staunch supporter of the President's policy and deeply knowledgeable on the military, joined with a mushrooming (no, not one of Condi Rice's "mushrooms") group of senators in denouncing the President's plan to send more troops into Iraq, with yet another resolution.

This morning, during the opening arguments of the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald laid out a devastating charge that Libby was acting on the orders of Vice President Dick Cheney in bouncing around Washington, telling all who would listen on who administration-critic and former Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife was. And that Libby destroyed a memo given to him by Cheney on just what to say to a reporter to lay out the smear-and-destroy job they were launching on the Wilson's.

Maybe Cheney will send his daughter out, not to bash Hillary Clinton and other critics of the administration's foreign policy as she did today, but perhaps spin yet another version of the CIA Leak Case, or begin smearing Fitzgerald.

But it was last evening, when our intrepid anchor-hero, MSNBC Countdown's Keith Olbermann called out the President, and his administration, by pointing out that there are only seven work days left in January for them to release, as they said they would, the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq.

With Olbermann, to stand up, waving their arms as if to say "Look over here" was Richard Clarke, the former top counter-terrorism adviser to presidents of both parties, and author of the new techno thriller “Break Point.”

It was brutal.

When asked by Olbermann on where was the N.I.E. Report, Clarke offered "They haven‘t written it ... It‘s in draft. It‘s in pieces." Then, with the timing of Max Roach on the back beat, he added "The reason is this administration doesn‘t base its actions on intelligence."

OLBERMANN: The administration has been accused in many quarters, especially this one, of playing politics with intelligence. Would it go so far—you worked with these people; you know some of them. Would it so far to really sit on a NIE and not assemble it for purely political reasons?

CLARKE: Well, they can delay it. The fact that they have said there‘s one being prepared means ultimately they have to produce it. And given the fact that they did try to influence the last important one on Iraq, WMD one, and there have been investigations after that, trying to figure out how much they influenced it, and they influenced it a lot. They‘re limited in what they can do to influence this one. Especially now that they have increasingly real intelligence analysts, real intelligence professionals in some of these jobs.

The House, this evening, may resemble a Saturday afternoon swap meet, as Bush will have to have his best Willy Loman suit on, to spin selling whatever it is he's hawking this week - be it Iraq, the new, new FISA Domestic Spying program of last week, or laying down the lies, er, I mean foundation, to start hyping war against Iran.

Frankly, I'm hoping it wasn't a daydream I had, but a premonition

Links

Watch The Olbermann Video of 'Where's The Intelligence'

Transcript of Countdown for Monday 22 January 2007

Elizabeth de la Vega's "Lying and Spying: How the Administration Slip-Slides Away"

Frank Rich's "Lying Like It's 2003"

Editor's Note - Battling To Get Back To Form

Good Evening Garlic Fans

Apologies for the lack of posts the past few days. Once again, this writer is battling (for the second time in a month) a major battle with his sinuses - and they have been winning. The bitter cold (below-zero wind chills) we've had here the past few days hasn't helped the situation.

I'm aiming to be back in form (or at least able to hold some thoughts for, at least, half-an-hour) in order to get some posts up tomorrow (Tuesday). Too much going on, with the State of the Union and, approaching the third anniversary of The Garlic, to be sitting on the sidelines.

Thanks again for visiting (and a special shout-out to my "Amelie" for calling) The Garlic.

Peace
JTD

Will The Jury Be Sequestered? ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll

Well, if our Garlic Poll Voters are any kind of indicators, you can bet that I. Lewis Libby is firmly behind President Bush escalating the occupation of Iraq. In fact, as you will see, he's hoping and praying for it, and that our Court-Appointed President peel off a team of JAGs to lend a hand to the Scooter.

Now that they finally have a jury, a note to anyone left out there that plans on entering the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

The clock is ticking. Once the Scooter's old boss takes the witness stand, Washington comes to a standstill, and it becomes a blizzard of 24/7 media on the Cheney-Fitzgerald Battle Royal.


The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll January 15 - January 20, 2007

With the Scooter Libby trial beginning this week, we should be prepared for ...

1. Trials gets interupted and postponed due to the U.S. invasion of Iran Tally 34%

2. President Bush orders a surge of lawyers into the courtroom to aid Libby Tally 27%

3. Libby, when he takes the stand, exposes three-or-four more undercover CIA agents Tally 25%

4. At last minute, Libby's lawyers switch to "Godfather Defense" and have Scooter show up to court in pajamas, mumbling and claiming he doesn't know who he is Tally 14%


This Week’s Poll - The timing of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign, on a Saturday, on the Internet had to do with ...

Scroll up to the top right corner to place your vote

New Bush Spying Expanding!

Nod To FISA May Signal Surge In Wiretaps, Experts Say

Bush Turns To Marx Brothers Policy Once Again; Signs Point To Coordinating Mail Reading and Eavesdropping

In a stunning reversal, not unlike one we've seen before, President Bush has abandoned his illegal domestic spying, known by the adminstration as the Terrorist Surveillence Program, and will concede oversight of his wiretapping by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Some close to the White House say this is a "clear signal" that Bush is planning a "surge of wiretaps" to coordinate with his new Iraq policy.

The abrupt change by the White House also points towards the continuation of the President's "Hello, I Must Be Going" policy.

Back in October, the President shifted from his Keystone Cops method of operations and into the Marx Brothers, when he, and members of his administration denied ever stating "Stay The Course" or that it was the operational policy of the White House.

Surge In Iraq Needs Counterbalance With Surge In Wiretaps

"It's about time he put some lead in his pencil," bellowed Hugh P. Varicator, a consultant with the conservative hawkish think tank, “Cry Wolf”, that is said to be closely affiliated with The Project for the New American Century (PNAC), and, some say, may be an adjunct to the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG.

"We need to get those telephones calls over there, before we have to get them here, added Varicator.

"It makes sense," said Holly Martins, Publisher of Axis of Evil Illustrated, a quarterly publication, that is rumored to be a house magazine for the Project for The New American Century

"No doubt that the surge in Iraq will, inevitablly, lead to more telephone calls," offered Martins. "If he surges in Iraq, he has to balance it out on this end with the surge on the wiretapping. I don't see what all the fuss is about, he's already been doing it for nearly five-years and we haven't had a another, single attack within our borders. I say "Go for it, Mr. President, we're right behind you."

On Wednesday, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicating a reversal in White House policy, saying that the warrantless surveillance program run by the National Security Agency would now follow the law set forth by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.

The White House indicated that they are not retreating from their position that President Bush has full authority to order warrentless wiretapping, but rather new rules have made it easierm and quicker, to work within the framework of FISA.

Faced with a Democratic-controlled Congress exercising oversight, and with lawsuits pending over the warrentless wiretapping, President Bush is also not conceding ground on his hold of broad, extraordinary Executive Power, having last weeked, along with Vice President Dick Cheney, said that Congress could not stop him from sending the 20,000+ surge troops to Iraq.

A Bigger Plan In The Pipeline?

Other sources have told The Garlic that the White House's sudden shift to allow the secret surveillience court oversight on their wiretapping goes towards a larger plan coming from President Bush and his recent strategy sessions.

"He set himself up to read the mail," says Dix Whitcomb, editor of the newsletter "Our Laws Are Different", "so this must be a part of that plan."

Earlier this month, through the use of his controversial use of Signing Statements, President Bush added the statement to a postal bill that the Bush Adminstration "shall construe" a section of that law to allow the opening of sealed mail to protect life, guard against hazardous materials or conduct "physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."

'It could be," added Whitcomb, "that the wiretaps gave them intelligence that there was something in the mail. Now it's a matter of coordinating the wiretaps with the mail, get a fuller picture on whoever it is they are targeting."

Yesterday, in a grilling before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made no reference of tying the opening of mail with the wiretaps

Main Street Quiet, Fears Getting Trapped By NSA

Public reaction to the move by the White House suddenly going to the FISA Court has been muted.

In an overnight survey, The Garlic found that over 77% of those polled say they have shied away from calling or emailing friends and family to discuss the news, out of fear that they may be monitored by the NSA.

"I insisted my friend," said one participant, "to meet me for coffee - and I didn’t say where, she knew - and we talked about it whispers and hushed voices."

"I started writing an email," said another, "but I deleted it before I sent it, I didn’t want to take any chances."

When asked what message the President was sending to the American people, with his policies of eavesdropping and opening others' mail, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow sighed;

"Well, let me -- because I'm constantly being asked, what message does the President get. It's probably worth asking, what message does Congress intend to give, and who does it think the audience is? Is the audience merely the President? Is it the voting American public? Or in an age of instant communication, is it also al Qaeda? Is it Iraq? Is it players in Iraq? Is it U.S. troops? Is it people in the Gulf who want to understand whether the United States is, in fact, a partner upon whom they can depend for security even in trying times?"

Top Ten Cloves: What It Will Take For President Bush To Brief Congress On New Wiretap Plans

News Item: Spy Court's Orders Stir Debate on Hill; Some Want Documents Made Public

10. Hilary vs. Obama... Steel-Cage Match, on the floor of the Senate

9. Getting Charlie Rangel to give Dick Cheney his Congressional office back

8. Just as soon as he gets SMU to agree to have his Presidential Library

7. Shortly after he digs up enough dirt on everyone in Congress via the illegal wiretaps

6. When Paris Hilton wins a Grammy

5. The day after Osama bin Laden is arrested

4. Too Late - Already put it in a Signing Statement that he doesn’t have to tell anyone

3. Pledge from everyone in Congress that they won't call him "stupid" anymore

2. Waiting until Pat Robertson hears back from God again

1. He's going to do what Carly Simon did... There'll be an auction and whoever puts in the most money, he'll whisper it in their ear

Editor's Note

Good Afternoon Garlic Fans

Just a note of apology for the lack of posting yesterday (Thursday).

There were technical difficulties, with Blogger being down for a significant amount of time.

We're back on track today, so read on!

Peace
JTD

Libby Trial Update: Cheney In The Crosshairs

Reports Surface Cheney Scouring eBay, Internet For Credibility

VP Office Silent, But On-Line Resellers Abuzz On Interest, Bartering With Vice President

With council on both sides waiting for a ruling by Judge Reggie Walton, over yesterday's opening brouhaha regarding possible jury tampering by Scooter Libby's lawyers, Day Two has potential jurors intensely interested in the credibility of Vice President Dick Cheney.

So much so, sources close to the White House tell The Garlic, that the Vice President himself has been surfing the internet in search of purchasing some last-minute integrity before he has to, potentially, testify in open court.

"Cheney's been scouring eBay, Overstock.com, Amazon, Craigslist ... Just about anyone that is selling on-line," said a senior White House aid.

"He's been banging away for a few hours now. And it's not his forte, if you know what I mean," continued the aide. "He's used to making notes in the margins, so someone has had to come in every so often and clean is screen, which only gets him angrier."

Jurors are being questioned today on their knowledge of the Bush White House, the war in Iraq and about memory.

Some Congressional and Senate offices are reporting receiving an email from the Vice President's office, asking for testimonials praising the Vice President, that would be used for an unstated purpose.

Unconfirmed reports say that Cheney has received only one statement to his credibility, that coming from Katherine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the Vice President shot his friend, the 78-year-old lawyer, Henry Whittington last year.

When contacted for a comment, Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride denied that Cheney, or anyone else in the Vice President's office was attempting to purchase credibility and refused any additional comment on the matter.

Google issued a statement indicating that their system is stable and functioning with normal ranges, unlike the incident a few months ago when White House "I'm Feeling Lucky" searches crashed their system.

One reseller on eBay, 69-year old Edna Hauser, of Ames, Iowa, who says she sells something "pretty close to credibility", says she spoke directly with the Vice President.

"He tried to strong-arm me, to get it for free" said a defiant Hauser. "Started babbling about national security, and service to my country ... I told him to go fuck himself... I've been selling here on eBay for over 10-years and I know what I'm doing ... No cash, no sale ... I said to him to go open a Pay Pal account and after he does that, I'll sell him something ..."

"I didn't have any of the stuff he wanted," offered Joseph Santos, of Red Hook, NY, "But I was able to trade'em for some fly fishing gear I had ... Got some of that Hallyburton stock for it... I don't care about the price, I just want it for bragging rights ... A friend of mine said I’d never get rid of that gear and here I am, selling it to the Vice President ..."


"Now, are you sure you want to question my credibility?"

Top Ten Cloves: Things About Cully Stimson's Apology Over His Guantanamo/Lawyers Remarks

News Item: U.S. Official Apologizes for Guantanamo Remarks

10. Felt, with Rumsfeld, and his blunt way of speaking, gone, was his chance to step into the administration limelight

9. Only made apology because he feared Joint Chiefs of Staff were going to write another letter, protesting about him

8. Was looking to get "into the heads" of any Iranian terrorist that we might capture when we invade Iran, that they won't get good lawyers

7. Naked attempt of trying to brown-nose Vice President Dick Cheney

6. Filing protest with President Bush - How come he gets slammed for one comment, when Karl Rove can go around smearing anyone he wants

5. Thought saying lawyers shouldn't do do pro bono work for terrorism suspects might help ease the violence in Iraq

4. Early investigation points towards he was trying to shakedown the lawyers

3. Made comments under duress; Has been edgy over the news of Castro being close to death

2. Really meant to say he was calling for a "surge of lawyers" to hit Gitmo

1. Taking one for the team; Took it upon himself to deflect attention away from the President's speech last week

Breaking News! Domestic Spying Injected Into Libby Trial

Trial In Chaos; Justice Dept. Gave Libby Lawyers Prospective Jurors Personal Info

Fitzgerald Livid As Emails, NSA Wiretaps, Financial Records Found In Defense Lawyers' Briefcase

No sooner than it started, the trial of former Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, erupted in chaos, after the discovery of NSA wiretaps, emails and financial records in the possession of defense attorneys, apparently provided to them by the Justice Department.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was livid, charging the Libby team of lawyers, and the Vice President's office, with attempting to "intimidate the jury".

Fitzgerald said that as voir dire began, the process of questioning prospective jurors, he passed by the defense table, he noticed a memo, on the stationary of David Addington, Vice President Cheney's new Chief of Staff, addressed to Ted Wilson, Libby's lead attorney, stating;

"Teddy; I had the NSA put this package together for you ... Hope it helps ... David A"

There was also a "PS" on it, offering "Still working on the Chief to issue a Signing Statement for Scooter ... Don't give up hope for Pardon either".

'There were file folders with jurors names on them, transcripts, tapes ..." a still shaken Fitzgerald recounted to reporters.

Flabbergasted, Fitzgerald turned to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, asking for a sidebar. After a heated discussion between the attorneys and Judge, Walton called a recess in proceedings, and ordering the attorneys into his chambers for further discussion.

The Justice Department, as well as the office of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, refused comment, citing the policy of not making statements on on-going legal matters.

The National Security Agency also refused comment, on the basis of national security.

The Justice Department, and the Bush Administration have been under fire, and still face legal challenges, to their domestic spying, or, as referred to by the White House, the Terrorist Surveillance Program.

Libby is on trial, charged with multiple counts of perjury, for allegedly lying to Federal Agents, and the Grand Jury, investigating the leak in the Valerie Plame Case. Libby faces up to 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines.

Ironically,. Addington may be called to testify in the case, as the potential witness list also includes Vice President Cheney and a Who's-Who of Washington polticos and media.

Plame, a former CIA undercover agent, had her identity exposed by the Bush Administration, allegedly in retribution for action by her husband, the former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.

Wilson wrote an Op-Ed article in the New York Times, criticizing President Bush, and the administration, for placing debunked intelligence in the President's 2003 State of the Union Address, charging Iraq's Saddam Hussein with seeking Yellow Cake uranium in Africa for the purpose of nuclear weapons.

This piece of fabricated intelligence, as well as others, were used by the Bush Administration to build up the case for war and justify the invasion of Iraq.

According to reports, Vice President Cheney wrote notes in the margins of the Wilson Op-Ed, giving them to Libby, which launched what ultimately ended with the outing of CIA Agent Plame and the subsequent investigation leading to Libby's criminal charges.

White House Spokesperson Tony Snow told reporters this morning that "This isn't a head-banger... The President won't comment on on-going legal proceedings. As to dealing with anyone on his staff that leaks information, he's still thinking about that and he doesn't rule forming a new study group to look into it."

Snow would not comment on the rumors that, in an effort to keep Libby, and others, from testifying under oath about the inner workings of the Bush Administration, President Bush will declare the former staffer an "enemy combatant" and charge him with treason, under the cover of a closed military tribunal.

In a related matter, MSNBC host Tucker Carlson has been hired the Libby lawyers, to badger and threaten any bloggers covering the trial. Carlson said he was happy to be tapped and is up to the challenge, promising to "[expletive] destroy them."



















The trial of Scooter Libby, and the potential witnesses called, may have the Capital squirming, as secrets of the Bush Adminstration could come tumbling out

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard At The Golden Globes Last Evening

News Item: When Glitz Meets Glamour

10. He won't do it here, but I could see Martin Scorsese at the Oscars saying "You Like Me, You Really Like Me" if he wins one ...

9. And for our next award, Best Hanging Caught By A Cell Phone, the nominees are ...

8. Look, there's Helen Mirren ... And speaking of queens, looks like Ryan Seacrest over there

7. Wait and watch ... Now that she's won an award, there'll be six more shows next year with the word "Ugly" in the title

6. There's a rumor going around that Angelina and Brad are going one-up Madonna and adopt some from here tonight

5. Jesus, Clint Eastwood, he looks so old ... If he wins a Golden Globe, it will have to be a flat one

4. I heard they're giving President Bush a special Golden Globe, for Best Unintentional Willy Loman Impersonation, for his speech last week

3. I wonder if Eddie Murphy and Scary Spice will be hooking up with the Beckhams when they settle in here?

2. I wonder if Eddie Murphy and Scary Spice will be hooking up with the Beckhams when they settle in here?

1. Wouldn't be a hoot if both Mel Gibson and Paula Abdul hit the stage drunk ...

Surge Me The Money! ... The Results - The Garlic Week Poll

The race is on as to which gets built or rebuilt first, and, considering our Court-Appointed President's big "Win One For The Dubya!" speech this past week, Las Vegas must be placing odds that it will be Baghdad - that is if the insurgents (aka Iraqi citizens) don't burn it down first.

Mayor Ray Nagin, and the rest of the politicians down in Louisianna have to make the tough, political choices in the weeks and months ahead.

If they want to get the funds to rebuild New Orleans, they're going to have to invite the Shites and Sunnis to come on over and start battling in the Big Easy. Maybe then, the current administration occupying the White House will pay attention to the city.

As to the Bush Library.

Based on our Chief Surger's tenure, and with the drumbeat gettting louder for some level of violence with Iran (Cheney can economize and just use the same forged papers to claim that Ahmadinejad is trying to get Yellow Cake Uranium from Africa to get the ball rolling), they can just place the Bush Think Tank, errr, I mean Library, inside the PNAC or American Enterprise Institute.

The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll January 10 - January 13, 2007

For the remainder of Court-Appointed President Bush’s term, which will get more funding, construction and/or reconstruction?

1. Baghdad, Iraq Tally 50%

2. Bush Presidential Library Tally 33%

3. New Orleans, LA Tally 17%


This Week’s Poll - With the Scooter Libby trial beginning this week, we should be prepared for ...

Scroll up to the top right corner to place your vote