Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Thing That Wouldn't Leave

If Warner Brothers is ever interested in a remake of "The Man Who Came to Dinner," the Monty Wooley role of the irascible, housebound, curmudgeonly critic could be perfectly filled by Dick Cheney. His continuing media appearances have become an irritant like a rash that just won't heal. As badly as I'd like to forget these guys, the former Vice President, sometimes known by his regal name, "Richard the Chickenhearted," refuses to go away. Every day there's another Cheney sighting and another microphone to assist Dirty Dick in sewing his discord. And now that he's linked arms with Rush Limbaugh, his white noise concerning "enhanced interrogation techniques" will always have an outlet.

It has to be a tough gig defending torture under any circumstances, but Cheney tries to justify his special methods because, "They worked." So does armed robbery, but the criminals are usually brought to justice after they confess. Now, separate reports have surfaced saying the Office of the Vice President personally suggested "harsh techniques" to be used on certain captives in Iraq, and not because of some Keifer Sutherland, ticking dirty bomb fantasy. Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff, recently wrote in the Washington Note that Cheney's suggested "enhanced" methods used in April of 2002, before the President's legal council had spoken on the matter, were entirely for the purpose of "discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and Al Qaeda." Wilkerson continues to state that the reason the country has been free of a terrorist attack since 9/11, "is due almost entirely to the nation's having deployed over 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," and not as the result of Cheney's interrogation methods. So why does Cheney continue to parrot that the country is more vulnerable under Obama's non-torturing directives?

There is certainly no downside to Cheney predicting another terrorist attack on American soil. Most Middle East analysts agree with him, so if or when an attack is attempted, Cheney can say "I told you so," and be seen as a visionary. If another sneak attack should never come, he can say that he erred on the side of national security. Either way, Cheney can't lose and he believes history will absolve him of his crimes in the name of "vigilance." Of course, if you go above or around the law and, say, attack a sovereign nation without provocation, then you're merely a "vigilante." The fog of talk-show war that Cheney is churning out is for one purpose only; if he can get everyone to focus on the use of harsh questioning of perceived terrorists in defense of the country, attention is diverted from the larger issue of the initial decision to invade Iraq and the consequent sales pitch that preceded the bombing of Baghdad. Interrogating bad guys is an argument that Cheney can win, but busting him for torture is like arresting a man for speeding when he's been caught in a stolen car. Sending the armed forces into combat under false pretences is the real crime. The torture of prisoners was used to justify it.

There's a fierce storm a'comin. It's going to be more furious than Katrina, worse than the Clinton impeachment, and uglier than Watergate. In fact, you'll have to go back to the Grant administration and the trials of Jefferson Davis and the hierarchy of the Confederacy to find a parallel. But it is as inevitable as justice itself and the people will demand it. We've always known there would be a reckoning someday for all the destruction and death resulting from this misbegotten war; a war spawned by a political philosophy encapsulated in the "Statement of Principles" of the Project For the New American Century. (Click on title). Among the signers of that document, three years before Bush was appointed president by the Supreme Court, were Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, and Dick Cheney. Their imperialist desires were pretty much spelled out in advance, and Cheney, by necessity, had to emerge from his undisclosed location to defend what has become the indefensible; starting a war. And to think that if Karl Rove had achieved his goal of a "permanent Republican majority," through voter fraud and gerrymandering, this gang would have gotten away clean. All this clamor over harsh interrogations being spewed by Dick Cheney is the sound of a drowning man who realizes he's going under, but is treading water just as fast as he can to delay the inevitable; sort of like someone being waterboarded.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

On target Sputnik! This Cheney MF is like a continuous 'salt in the wound'; and his reasons are exactly as you state. I just wish the guy he shot while "hunting" would come on the tube, and say something about this bum! However, we'll have Cheney, Limbaugh, Hannity, Steele, Boehnner (sp), and Gingrich to thank when 2010, and 2012 come around! They're my best friends! Did I forget Palin? I think they've already discounted her. One more MF you failed to mention rings hard in my heart;; Richard Perle, and for obvious reasons. He and the Wolfy boy, should have to attend Bar Mitzvah classes for the rest of their miserable lives... Whew... I feel better already!

zephyrman

ghg said...

Dick Cheney will go down in history as the Rasputin to the idiot king, gwb. I believe you'll agree that allowing a rattlesnake to sleep in the bed with one of your children suggests that somewhere along the line you and the Devil made some high dollar deal. That was the deal the religious right made with Cheney and Rove. Let's kill us some Islam A-rabs. So what if we kill a bunch of our own boys and girls along the way. So what if we made up the whole thing. We'll own the world agin. The whole world!!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!

At some point many of those religious right folks will remember that they are also Christians...and will begin to hear that discordant music that has been making many with ears scream in pain. If and when it comes down and the smoking parchment is found, Cheney will look out from a small room with bars and will no longer be able to speak to anyone other than his fellow murderers...who all had really good reasons for their crimes, too.

Jane said...

Wait a minute...!!!!! I thought he left us already....I didn't realize he was still an "American".....YIKES!!...I can't keep up....but, I do know that I just can't bear to hear another word out of his twisted, lying, evil mouth.....so here's to never having to listen to what's his name, oh yeah, DICK!!!!!

rockskipper said...

You would think, with all his heart problems, that this "prick" would be preparing to meet his maker, but not Cheney. I guess the bastard thinks he's gonna' live forever.

Father Farken said...

President Obama is right to restate American opposition to torture...but in defense of Dick Cheney....torture is instilled in us all. Whether you are a vicious wrestler using a folding chair or a precious nun using enhanced interrogation techniques or a rambling minister after 35 minutes through his sermon tell the congregation..."ONE LAST POINT!" or a husband forgetting his wedding anniversary only to find that his spouse has authorized sleep deprivation for eight straight days. We are all guilty! Dick Cheney may or may not be an asshole but he is no more of a war criminal than Nancy Pelosi. The immediate post-Sept.11 atmosphere allowed for methods that now seem abhorrent. It was life or death back then ...more than it was ideology. When speaking of Nancy Pelosi Richard Cohen sez..."Oscar Levant supposedly said to Doris Day: I KNEW HER BEFORE SHE WAS A VIRGIN!" Like Ms. Pelosi...we have no memory of who we use to be. Now that liquor stores, cock fights & hookers have returned to Baghdad and Walgreen has ended the sale of CHIA Obama...can we get on to nation building.........OURS! The peace of the Lord! Father Farken

Pat Rohrbacher said...

I am with the Father on this one. To paraphrase "he who has no sin can throw the first stone" It's all about a witch hunt and history being written (or prosecuted)by the winner.
The fact is we have no knowledge about the "intellegence issues" deep content, nor will we ever, so this quickly devolves into a pissing contest.
The 2nd fact is that our Enemies from the far east make no secret about their desire for our elimination, and given the opportunity would torture us to for fun, with or without retribution involved.
My personal opinion is the backroom bosses in media want some republican asses to nail on the wall, and have created a "mob mentality" if you will, as evidenced by the vitrol displayed in these comments. And if Nancy goes down just to get Cheney, then thats ok too....Ok then, the stones are over there, who is the sin-less amongst us?
Pat

Alan said...

Wilkerson continues to state that the reason the country has been free of a terrorist attack since 9/11, "is due almost entirely to the nation's having deployed over 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," and not as the result of Cheney's interrogation methods.

Since you used this quote to make your point, do you accept his conclusion?