If this has been posted, lock er up For entire article, click link Time Hours before they were to leave office after eight troubled years, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney had one final and painful piece of business to conclude. For over a month Cheney had been pleading, cajoling, even pestering Bush to pardon the Vice President's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby. Libby had been convicted nearly two years earlier of obstructing an investigation into the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity by senior White House officials. The Libby pardon, aides reported, had become something of a crusade for Cheney, who seemed prepared to push his nine-year-old relationship with Bush to the breaking point — and perhaps past it — over the fate of his former aide. "We don't want to leave anyone on the battlefield," Cheney argued. Bush had already decided the week before that Libby was undeserving and told Cheney so, only to see the question raised again. A top adviser to Bush says he had never seen the Vice President focused so single-mindedly on anything over two terms. And so, on his last full day in office, Jan. 19, 2009, Bush would give Cheney his final decision. (See pictures of George W. Bush.) These last hours represent a climactic chapter in the mysterious and mostly opaque relationship at the center of a tumultuous period in American history. It reveals how one question — whether to grant a presidential pardon to a top vice-presidential aide — strained the bonds between Bush and his deputy and closest counselor. It reveals a gap in the two men's views of crime and punishment. And in a broader way, it uncovers a fundamental difference in how the two men regarded the legacy of the Bush years. As a Cheney confidant puts it, the Vice President believed he and the President could claim the war on terrorism as his greatest legacy only if they defended at all costs the men and women who fought in the trenches. When it came to Libby, Bush felt he had done enough. But the fight over the pardon was also a prelude to the difficult questions about justice and national security inherited by the Obama Administration: How closely should the nation examine the actions of government officials who took steps — legal or possibly illegal — to defend the nation's security during the war on terrorism? The Libby investigation, which began nearly six years ago, went to the heart of whether the Bush Administration misled the public in making its case to invade Iraq. But other Bush-era policies are still coming under legal scrutiny. Who, for example, should be held accountable in one of the darkest corners of the war on terrorism — the interrogators who may have tortured detainees? Or the men who conceived and crafted the policies that led to those secret sessions in the first place? How far back — and how high up the chain of command — should these inquiries go? As Attorney General Eric Holder weighs whether to name a special prosecutor to probe reports of detainee abuse during the Bush era, Democratic lawmakers are trying to determine why Cheney demanded that Congress be kept in the dark about some covert CIA plans after 9/11. There is no guarantee that these and other probes won't at some point require the testimony of the former President and Vice President. While Bush has retired to Texas to write his memoirs and secure his legacy by other means, Cheney is settling in for a long siege in Washington, where he will soon be installed in a conservative think tank and where, Republicans say, he will pull levers on Capitol Hill to make his voice heard. Above all, Cheney will continue to insist that the Commander in Chief and his lieutenants had almost limitless power in the war on terrorism and deserved a measure of immunity for taking part in that fight. That's a conviction Cheney made clear to all those involved in the Libby affair — including, in his final hours in power, the President himself. The Commutation Fail-Safe This Libby-pardon fight — an account pieced together from dozens of interviews with former officials who agreed to speak only without attribution — began two years earlier, in the federal district courthouse in Washington. In a case that gripped the capital but often mystified the rest of the country, Cheney's former top aide on domestic and foreign policy stood accused of obstructing a federal investigation into the source of an egregious media leak: the identity of an undercover CIA officer named Valerie Plame. Her husband Joseph Wilson, a former diplomat, had written an Op-Ed for the New York Times in July 2003 claiming to have evidence that the Administration had lied to bolster the case for war in Iraq. Within days, in an effort to discredit Wilson's story, a conservative columnist had revealed the identify of Wilson's wife. Plame's "outing" was seen by her husband and his fellow Democrats as an act of revenge orchestrated by Cheney himself — and the most extreme example of how far an Administration would go to cover its tracks in a war gone bad. Libby maintained his innocence throughout his trial, claiming that any false statements he had made to investigators resulted from bad memory, not deception. But Libby had reason to lie: his job was at stake, and his boss's was on the line too. Bush had declared that anyone involved in leaking Plame's identity would be fired. Cheney had personally assured Bush early on that his aide wasn't involved, even persuading the President to exonerate Libby publicly through a spokesman. Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who prosecuted the case, said Libby's obstruction had prevented investigators from uncovering the truth about Cheney's role. "There is a cloud over the Vice President," Fitzgerald said in his closing arguments. (Matthew Cooper, then a TIME correspondent, was a witness in the case against Libby. Cooper had spoken to both Libby and Bush aide Karl Rove in July 2003 about Wilson's relationship to Plame. Time Inc. turned Cooper's notes over to Fitzgerald after fighting the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear Time Inc.'s appeal. Rove was not indicted.)
basso I am glad you entered this thread to receive pain. Your posts on this subject matter are truly legendary in their wrongness. Those of you with search, prepare to humiliate and celebrate. LMFAO, and this encapsulates the chickenhawk legacy perfectly. Cheney's about as close to the battlefield as this guy: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3X60mrYO1UU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3X60mrYO1UU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I'm finishing up reading the article, but I had the same thought reading that line. these guys are priceless.
...As for the issue at hand, I'm truly not surprised. One of the worst administrations in history will, I fear, only be more reviled as more of the inner workings and secrets are revealed.
Thanks for posting that article Pgab and the link. Its a great read and a lot of insight on the relationship between Bush and Cheney, who many of us viewed as being the actual president. As we learn more about the GW Bush Presidency I think we will find that GW Bush wasn't the evil charicature that many have of his critiques have painted him but was man with a moral compass who was ill served by some of his closest advisors and never really got to put his own stamp on the office until well into his second term. The article supports that idea by pointing out how in his second term he got rid of the Cheney chronies to redirect the Admin. onto a more pragmatic rather than ideological course. History might not treat Cheney that well especially if more evidence comes out showing that Cheney's primary concern was ideological battles and personal loyalty. Cheney also isn't doing much to help his legacy by continuing to fight the battle while out of office. It seems to me that if he would just shut up and allow Obama to either fail or succeed on his own history will be more kind to him.
Near beer? Didn't Bush claim he quitted alcohol for good when he turned 40 something? P.S. Other than the near beer stuff, the pretty much same story was reported on NPR (by Nina Totenberg if I remember correctly) on the eve of the last day of Bush presidency.
How much would you pay to see the actual Bush and Cheney families square off on Family Feud? I would take out a flimsy home equity line of credit to pay for it.
Dawson: Question, what is the number one accepatable enhanced coersion technique used by the CIA Buzzzzzz Dawson: Dick do you have an answer backgroud: WATERBOARD WATERBOARD, FEMALE SEXUAL ABUSE FEMALE, WATERBOARD
LOL, unless Bush senior played, the Bush clan would get mowed down pretty badly, unless Laura brought her A game.
There’s a leak in my Bukkit, dear Valerie, dear Valerie! There’s a leak in my Bukkit, dear Valerie, a leak! Then mend it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! Then mend it dear Dickie, dear Dickie, mend it! With what shall I mend it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? With what shall I mend it, dear Valerie, with what? With straw, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! With straw, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, a straw! But the straw is too long, dear Valerie, dear Valerie! But the straw is too long, dear Valerie, too long! Then cut it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! Then cut it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, cut it! With what shall I cut it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? With what shall I cut it, dear Valerie, with what? With a knife, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! With a knife, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, a knife! But the knife is too dull, dear Valerie, dear Valerie! But the knife is too dull, dear Valerie, too dull! Then sharpen it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! Then sharpen it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, sharpen it! With what shall I sharpen it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? With what shall I sharpen it, dear Valerie, with what? With a stone, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! With a stone, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, a stone! But the stone is too dry, dear Valerie, dear Valerie! But the stone is too dry, dear Valerie, too dry! Then wet it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! Then wet it, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, wet it! With what shall I wet it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? With what shall I wet it, dear Valerie, with what? With water, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! With water, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, water! But where shall I get it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? But where shall I get it, dear Valerie, but where? From the well, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! From the well, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, the well! In what shall I carry it, dear Valerie, dear Valerie? In what shall I carry it, dear Valerie, in what? In the Bukkit, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, dear Dickie! In the Bukkit, dear Dickie, dear Dickie, the Bukkit! BUT THERE’S A LEAK IN MY BUKKIT, DEAR VALERIE, DEAR VALERIE! THERE’S A LEAK IN MY BUKKIT, DEAR VALERIE, A LEAK!
Since the republicans now are getting push back on their criticism of Obama being political, Cheney is coming out and saying he didn't agree with Bush. link WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he disagreed with the Bush administration's release of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and with the decision to subject terrorists to criminal courts. Cheney says he opposed the Bush administration decision to charge shoe bomber Richard Reid in criminal court rather than declare him an enemy combatant and hold him in military custody. Obama administration officials have responded to Republican-led criticism of their handling of terrorism suspects in part by pointing to similar actions by the administration of Republican President George W. Bush. Cheney spoke Sunday on ABC's "This Week." THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. WASHINGTON (AP) _Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he disagreed with the Bush administration's release of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and with the decision to subject terrorists to criminal courts. Cheney says he opposed the Bush administration decision to charge shoe bomber Richard Reid in criminal court rather than declare him an enemy combatant and hold him in military custody. Obama administration officials have responded to Republican-led criticism of their handling of terrorism suspects in part by pointing to similar actions by the administration of Republican President George W. Bush. Cheney spoke Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
Ah the striving for contentment!! Bush was just misunderstood. He was just an innocent victim. The torture, the lying the needless war etc. Just mislead, no responsibility. Just a moderate. All is well with America. All is pleasant.
