The New York Times’ Bob Herbert hasn’t been pulling any punches when it comes to the Bush White House, but today, I’m fairly sure Herbert became the first writer for a major newspaper to call for Dick Cheney’s resignation.
Herbert uses the shooting incident as a kick-off point, but his case has far more to do with Cheney’s overall record, not one poorly-handled accident. As Herbert sees it, Cheney embraces secrecy and shuns transparency because his record — on Iraq, classified leaks, secret meetings with energy companies, etc. — is “not the kind you want to hold up for intense scrutiny.”
Mr. Cheney is arrogant, defiant and at times blatantly vulgar. He once told Senator Patrick Leahy to perform a crude act upon himself.
A vice president who insists on writing his own rules, who shudders at the very idea of transparency in government, whose judgment on crucial policy issues has been as wildly off the mark (and infinitely more tragic) as his actions in Texas over the weekend, and who has now become an object of relentless ridicule, cannot by any reasonable measure be thought of as an asset to the nation or to the president he serves.
The Bush administration would benefit from new thinking and new perspectives on the war in Iraq, the potential threat from Iran, the nation’s readiness to cope with another terror attack, the development of a comprehensive energy policy and other important issues. […]
Mr. Cheney would do his nation and his president a service by packing his bags and heading back to Wyoming. He’s become a joke. But not a funny one.
OK, Bob, now tell us what you really think.
Atrios’ responded to Herbert’s column by saying, “On the whole Cheney’s resignation would be bad for Democrats. Better to keep the snarl in place to scare the children and the voters. But, yes, his resignation would be good for the country.”
I’m very much inclined to agree. When it comes to politics, Cheney’s departure removes an unpopular figure and clears the way for Bush to tap an heir apparent. But when it comes to the integrity of the government, a Cheney resignation would be an immediate improvement to the administration.