Interrogation Buddies: Cheney, Bush and … Obama?

Well this is a nasty surprise.  Cheney apparently likes parts of Obama’s record:

“Cheney has kind of backed away lately, largely because Obama has met Bush and praised him when it comes to things like Afghanistan, the use of drones and interrogation,” said Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas.

Cheney and Bush’s record on interrogation was illegal, brutal, and pro-torture.  For Obama to be even remotely on the same page as these men is a truly saddening day for human rights.  It also offers a starker view of a president in danger of permanently alienating anyone in the Democratic party to the left of the Clintons.

Happy Apologize for Getting Shot in the Face Day!

WriteChic is onto something big with her holiday idea:

Harry M. Whittington (born March 3, 1927) is the American lawyer and real estate investor who received international media attention on February 11, 2006.  He was shot in the face by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail with two women on a ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Harry’s decision to apologize for getting shot by a possibly drunk VP is a darkly humorous reminder that power not only corrupts the bullies, it corrupts the victims as well.  Happy AGSF Day!

Please Let Palin Speak More

Given Palin’s strong support for Bush/Cheney executive power grabs, it isn’t clear whether this is her usual ignorance or lust for power on display.  Via Think Progress:

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued that the Vice President is “in charge of the United States Senate“:

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me! … [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

She doesn’t belong anywhere near public office.

Every time she speaks she makes this clearer.

McCain Rides PUMA to Dead End

I know PUMA says they have 16 gazillion supporters, but really, if they number more than a couple thousand I’d be impressed.  That hasn’t stopped McCain from attempting to divide and conquer:

John McCain’s campaign suggested Sunday that rival Barack Obama snubbed Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate because of her criticism during the battle for the Democratic nomination. Obama’s campaign dismissed the claim as the candidate praised Joe Biden, the man he did choose.

PUMA, in addition to becoming increasingly pathetic, has created an opening McCain was certain to exploit.  Post Denver, expect more.  I fully expect to see the thousands of bitter “Hillary over Politics” supporters (who Clinton has asked to support Obama) to start a full on McCain campaign.

Honestly?  Given Hillary Clinton lost both the popular vote and the delegate count, there’s no way she’ll be the candidate.  So are do PUMA’s honestly suppose Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going to be more like Bush and Cheney than McCain and Romney?

Former Clinton Backers are not “split” over Biden:

Clinton issued a statement Saturday praising Obama’s decision and calling Biden “an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant.”

Some of her supporters were less charitable.

“It’s a total diss to Sen. Clinton, in my opinion,” said Diane Mantouvalos, co-founder of the Just Say No Deal Coalition. “It just speaks volumes about how Barack Obama doesn’t stand for anything.”

Its her supporters and Clinton herself, vs a handful of loud PUMA self styled pundits.  An alliance of Republican plants, lightweight liberals, and the blindly bitter.

If those who supported Hillary Clinton really are upset over a close primary, they ought to tackle the reasons an otherwise formidable female candidate loss (biased media coverage, a candidate with a few political positions that went against her core constituency of liberals), not try to attack Obama at the expense of instilling a candidate who actually is the mirror image of Bush.

Bush, Rove, Cheney – We’ll Never Pay

Karl Rove has flown the coop!  I don’t understand how we can pretend to be a nation of laws when this guy is allowed to ignore a subpoena:

Karl Rove was scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. He didn’t show. Not only that, the Committee was told that Rove had left the country on a “long scheduled” trip.

In this video clip, Rep. Linda Sanchez explains that Rove never told them about any trip.

Word is impeachment is back on the table.  If handled correctly, it could provide fodder for the general election.  And any move that forces McCain to defend Bush when Obama is left with an opening to attack, is a great move.

But I could care less about impeachment.  When do the criminal trials start?  And will they ever pay for their crimes?

Bush to Illegally Spy on Us

Washington Post (emphasis mine):

The Bush administration said yesterday that it plans to start using the nation’s most advanced spy technology for domestic purposes soon, rebuffing challenges by House Democrats over the idea’s legal authority.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department will activate his department’s new domestic satellite surveillance office in stages, starting as soon as possible with traditional scientific and homeland security activities — such as tracking hurricane damage, monitoring climate change and creating terrain maps.

This is an administration with a proven disregard for the law.  They don’t care what comes of their actions.  They know they will not be seriously prosecuted (if at all). That is why they won’t stop.

Expect more when Bush’s heir McCain becomes President in 2008.

Meanwhile the Democrats haven’t learned a thing from the past 7 years:

“I have had a firsthand experience with the trust-me theory of law from this administration,” said Harman, citing the 2005 disclosure of the National Security Agency‘s domestic spying program, which included warrantless eavesdropping on calls and e-mails between people in the United States and overseas. “I won’t make the same mistake. . . . I want to see the legal underpinnings for the whole program.”

This is a constitutional crisis.  The spying is bad, the blatant disregard for the law is criminal.  Don’t just look for the legal underpinnings.  Aggressively attack the entire program and the administration’s illegal actions.

DHS officials said the demands are unwarranted. “The legal framework that governs the National Applications Office . . . is reflected in the Constitution, the U.S. Code and all other U.S. laws,” said DHS spokeswoman Laura Keehner. She said its operations will be subject to “robust,” structured legal scrutiny by multiple agencies.

That’s a smoke-screen you smell.  Behind it is the same “We’ll do what we want and screw the law” mentality that is choking our civil rights out of our government.

Cheney’s Hand Looks Like a Naked Woman

And now you can’t un-know it (McClatchyDC):

What’s stirring all the buzz is the reflection in the vice president’s dark glasses. Some thought that the reflection looked like a naked woman

…

So McClatchy/Tribune Information Services photo editor George Bridges used the latest digital technology to enlarge the picture, took a close look at Cheney’s sunglasses and concluded that Mitchell was telling the truth.

The image is of the vice president’s hand on his fly rod.

::Shudder::

Cheney Administration Insiders Defend Illegal Torture

Is there any surprise at all?  Its not like Dick Cheney would ever say “Oh, you caught me.  Yes, I broke the law and approved torture methods.”.  Instead members of the Cheney Administration proved once again they have a little credibility as they have honor or morality ABC News (emphasis mine):

On Dec. 19, 2005, Vice President Cheney told [read: lied to] ABC, “I can say that we, in fact, are consistent with the commitments of the United States that we don’t engage in torture, and we don’t.”

They broke the law and lied to the American public about it.

Three months later, on March 16, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoed that theme in a speech in Sydney, Australia: “I want to emphasize and underscore, because the president made very clear from day one that he would not condone torture.”

She might as well have added “Which is why we didn’t tell him, heh heh heh”.

When caught breaking the law and ordering our citizens to commit one of the most ethically foul acts possible, their response is “It is not against the law!”.

When are we going to arrest these jokers?

We Killed People, We Don’t Care

George Bush and Dick Cheney lied us into a war that killed thousands of our citizens, and murdered vast numbers of Iraqis.

Their response is essentially “Fuck Reality, Fuck the Voters and Fuck the Consequences” (Melissa (Shakespeare’s Sister)):

Five years in, Bush says, “No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure, but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq,” and Cheney doesn’t care that two-thirds of the American public no longer supports the war: “So? …I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.”

What else is there to say? The warmongers have spoken.

And they don’t care what we think.

To which I reply: “Fuck Impeachment.  When 2009 comes you’re doing hard time.”.

They lied us into a war.  They are actively working against the will of the people.  And they are risking this country’s security by misfiring our military resources and they won’t even lift the self-imposed blind-fold long enough to take a real peek at how they’re doing.

The American people, our system of government, cannot afford to let them get away with these high crimes unpunished.

Bush and Cheney Thought Experiment

Some wingers are wondering what would have happened if MoveOn had been around in 1942 (David, Orcinus):

Oliver Willis observes that the right-wingers, in their mass fainting spell over MoveOn.org’s Gen. Petraeus ad, have been busy speculating what America would have looked like if MoveOn had been around during World War II (see here for a local example, which seems not to credit or link to the original).

Never mind, of course, that the historical examples are far removed from each other both by circumstance and context, and that comparing Petraeus with Eisenhower is like comparing Christopher Cross with The Beatles.

Two can play at that game:

What the hell — we can have a little fun with this line of speculation, to wit:

What if Bush and Cheney had been in charge at the time of Pearl Harbor?

I dunno about you, but it’s pretty clear that this:

… would have been replaced by this:

And of course, it would now be 1949 and the president would probably be explaining why they hadn’t yet captured Hitler (he’s not that important, you know) and the invasion and continued occupation of India was the major battle front in winning the war.

Zing! For my part, I’d be concerned about the fate of lil’ orphan annie:

I’m fairly certain Dick Cheney would eat her.

(Source Images: FDR, Bush, Cheney.)

All of this illustrates a fairly important point in rhetoric: Don’t employ a tactic your opponent can use to better effect.

The US and Israel

You hear it nearly every day. Whispered on far right websites and lefty blogs alike. Israel is running US foreign policy.

Bull-donkey!

It occurred to me, reading one of Chris’s excellent posts, just what the relationship really is:

Citing two unnamed sources the magazine called knowledgeable, the magazine quoted David Wurmser, until last month Cheney’s Middle East advisor, as having told a small group of people that:

“Cheney had been mulling the idea of pushing for limited Israeli missile strikes against the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz and perhaps other sites in order to provoke Tehran into lashing out.”

That would be Cheney considering ordering Israel around. That’s when it hit me. The oppression of Palestinian. The massive arms deals. The insane obsession with terrorism at the cost of domestic policy. Israel is like a warlord or a dictatorship that can count on US money so long as it fights a common enemy. Israel is our security bitch. And right now our leadership is thinking about yelling “sic ’em!”.

The Bush cabal doesn’t really care what the consequences are for Israel. So a few Israelis die when Iran launches a brutal counter attack. Big deal.

That is the relationship Israel has with the US. The idea that they are controlling our policy is a fantasy born of the serious loads of lobbying cash they waste on Congress, and the stale racist myths about Jews running the world.

Israel would be better off saving all that lobbying cash and using it domestically, and telling the US to go fuck itself. I bet that would go a long way towards moving the peace process forward.

Stop The Madness: 9/11 For Iraq, Iraq For Iran

Its the anniversary of 9/11.  The hole is still there (August Pollack).  So is the massive invasion Bush began planning for right after 9/11 (Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon):

I can tell you one thing most people won’t be saying: “How can we use this attack that was orchestrated mostly by Saudis and ordered by the Saudi leader of a terrorist organization based mainly in Afghanistan as leverage to wage a pointless war on Iraq so that our President can finally show his family that his dick is indeed bigger than his father’s?”

Of course you wouldn’t say that. Which is why any random dumbfuck off the street would be a better President than the Shrub, who did in fact immediately start looking for a way to use the death of 3,000 innocent Americans as a way to dupe the American public into getting into a war he was dying to start. Remember, this meeting took place while the smoke was still in the air and rescue workers were trying desperately to find survivors.

Now the President is using the violence in Iraq to push us towards Iran, using the many of the same methods, lies, and the same henchnetwork.

Meanwhile the best the “opposition” in Congress (who we elected with great effort in 2006) is a weak non bill (BarbinMD, DailyKos):

More than four years into this war, and Congress is planning to vote on a bill to have the Bush administration begin to develop a plan for redeployment?  Just a suggestion mind you, nothing more. Not good enough. This bill is a joke that doesn’t even deserve to get to the floor for a vote, let alone receive bipartisan support.  Because as we all know, these days bipartisan means just a few Democrats joining with the Republicans to continue rubber stamping George Bush’s war policies.

If that’s the best they can do on a hugely unpopular war that is already costing us lives, security, and money, how will congress respond to Bush and Cheney’s naked rush towards war with Iran?

Join Blue Gal and The Largest Minority and join the blogswam against war with Iran.  Head over to BurbinMD’s post for more details on how to get your representative to take a substantive, not a symbolic, stand on the war:

So start making those calls and post the results.  Start with your own Representative, and if you have the time, call a few more. And as the results come in, updates will be posted so we all know who are the Democrats and who are the capitulators.

The main switchboard for the House of Representatives:  (202) 224-3121
And for those outside of Washington D.C., the toll free number:  1-800-828-0498

And below the fold, the name and phone number of every Democratic Representative, and if you are unsure who your Representative is, information on how to find out.

The war in Iraq has killed hundreds of thousands, and made life a living hell for millions more.  It has made America weaker and less safe.  It has been a cash cow and recruitment drive for the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11.  A war with Iran would have the same, if not a far worse, impact on the world.  We need to stop it.

Rove Speculation

W. R. Marshall has a really well written piece up on Axcess News (ignore the obnoxious “News for the X generation”).  He’s got some of the best one liners in there, ever referring to the current Administration:

The biggest rat of all has deserted the sinking ship. No, it’s not the Vice President, pure evil usually takes the shape of a bat or a wolf

Karl Rove, the man who did the impossible and lowered the bar in political campaigns, the man who made running for office sleazier – and not just a little sleazier – has handed his resignation to his latest and greatest piece of clay

Regarding the timing of Rove’s departure:

The party line at the White House is Karl Rove wants to spend more time with his family. The beltway wags will say the smoking gun has been found in his desk. (I’m sure both parties will use the same excuse for Alberto Gonzales if he ever steps down – or the Democrats find the sack to chase him out of office…okay, if he ever steps down.) Guys like Rove don’t want to spend time with their families, rats don’t really like other rats, and there are volumes of Norwegian rat research to prove it.

So what is Rove’s deal then?   Marshall nails it:

Rove, like all rats, is an opportunist and the opportunities in the current administration are over.

Where he’ll find such opportunity will likely be the source of much speculation.  Marshall cites a possible book deal and of course, getting involved with the 2008 candidates as possibilities.  Personally I favor a more party-centric approach, working directly for the RNC.  I can see Rove advising the central committee for years to come.  Its hard to tell from his closing sentence, but I’d wager W.R. agrees:

No, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he hasn’t already made a deal to manage the west side of Hell, and after he swiftboats Cheney, the whole Underworld will be his.

If that’s the case, Rove won’t have that hard a path to travel:

Using his carpetbag of dirty tricks he did his best to put an end to the Democratic Party, so America, like the old Soviet Union and Germany in the 30’s, would be a one party nation. He failed, but not to worry Karl, the Democrats seem to be carrying on your work just fine.

Karl may just be leaving one sinking ship to scurry aboard another.  With turd blossom’s record, perhaps Karl will succeed in toppling the Democrats after all, by joining them as an adviser.  It’d be a brilliant move, and with the language Hillary Clinton’s using in her campaign, he might even have a willing host.

Keith Ellison and Fake Moral Outrage

Republicans are making a fuss about Keith Ellison’s comparison of 9/11 to the burning of the Reichstag.  Tough.  That comparison holds.

Ever since that terrorist attack every other word out of Bush/Cheney’s conjoined mouth has been “9/11”.  And Bush and Cheney have a used that tragedy to justify every authoritarian action committed during their reign.  (Susie-Q):

“It’s almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that,” Mr Ellison said. “After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it, and it put the leader [Hitler] of that country in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted.”

This is exactly what Bush did.  He focused on a “useful enemy”, and has gained a position where he can do whatever the hell he wants.  The “decider” walks all over congress and the American people, and so far only the year 2008 has had the courage to stand up to him.

Republican whining on this issue falls flat:

Mark Drake, of the Republican party in Minnesota, said: “To compare the democratically elected leader of the United States of America to Hitler is an absolute moral outrage which trivialises the horrors of Nazi Germany.”

Let’s leave aside “democratically elected” and the 2000 elections for a moment.  Comparing a US leader to the leader of nazi Germany is a warning.  It does not trivialize the horrors of the nazi regime.  It says boldly with a much needed frankness “It can Happen Here“.  (JTA):

Defending his comments to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Ellison said: “In the aftermath of a tragedy, space is opened up for governments to take action that they could not have achieved before that.” He cited the Iraq war and parts of the Patriot Act, which granted the government greater arrest and surveillance powers after the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bush & Cheney predicated and entire war and a host of laws and unlawful actions upon that one event.  They have done so in a way that consistently increases their own power, and limits the power and rights of ordinary citizens.  This is more than calling a spade a spade.  It is an accurate diagnosis of executive abuse of power, and a warning against failing to check that abuse of power.

It is a warning we should take very seriously.

Why Fred Thompson Shouldn’t Be President

The media has decided to pack in on Fred’s younger wife. They should fuck off. That isn’t even close to an issue.

There is however Fred’s fake populism brand showmanship and his lobbying work for a family-planning group:

A spokesman for the former Tennessee senator denied that Thompson did the lobbying work. But the minutes of a 1991 board meeting of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Assn. say that the group hired Thompson that year.

He may be pulling a Bill Clinton George W Bush Thompson on his past as a lobbyist. Taken in conjunction with that pickup truck of his, he appears to be working over his image with the same nervous industry as Romney. This is something to pay attention to, but it alone is not a reason to vote against this guy. Although I’m sure stock Republicans will find much to object to as his conservative credentials are cracked open and roasted over the next couple months.

No, the reason not to vote for this guy is simple (Trish, Pensitor Review):

…

Remember this ad beating the drums for war with Iraq back in 2003? As if from Cheney’s own mouth comes the final note of fear mongering: “And when people ask, ‘What has Saddam done to us?’ I ask, ‘What had the 9/11 hijackers done to us…before 9/11?’”

If Dick Cheney and George W Bush had a love clone together, the result would be Fred Thompson.

Yes, if you were afraid you would be leaving behind the shoot from the hip (and into the face) policies of the world’s worst, yet angriest, bumblers you should back Fred “The Lobbyist” Thompson for president. It’s the best way to ensure more of the same.

A Thompson candidacy would be a continuation of the current administration in both ends and means. His record speaks directly to this continuation (All American Patriots, each paragraph is a clip from the original):

In the Senate, Thompson voted in support of President Bush 99.5% of the time and with his party 92% of the time [Congressional Quarterly Voting Studies]

The same post goes on to note his staunch support for Libby, and his role in helping Roberts and Alito onto the court. When you hear about Fred Thompson, realize you are dealing with Bush Cheney. The ascendancy of his campaign is an attempt to sell us at least one more term of Bush Cheney gruel. For this reason alone, on top of everything else about the man and his record, we ought to speak up loud and clear: America ain’t buying his recycled bull.