An island unto himself

November 9, 2005

The Washington Post reported this week that when it comes to tolerating torture, Dick Cheney is not the leading voice, he’s the only voice. A State Department official described Cheney’s camp as a “shrinking island.” Condoleezza Rice isn’t on the island, and as of yesterday, neither is intelligence czar John Negroponte.

Yesterday, this isolation became almost humorous.

At Scott McClellan’s press briefing yesterday, there were a barrage of questions, primarily from Helen Thomas and NBC’s David Gregory, about Dick Cheney lobbying Congress about exempting the CIA from any effort to curtail detainee abuse.

On two separate occasions, McClellan flat denied that Cheney has asked lawmakers for an exemption, which is a dubious claim in light of what’s been reported. But to reinforce the “shrinking island” notion, McClellan suggested that the Vice President is practically acting independently of the White House.

Q: So then why is the Vice President continuing to lobby on this issue? If you’re very happy with the laws on the books, what needs change?

McClellan: Again, you asked me — you want to ask questions of the Vice President’s office, feel free to do that. We’ve made our position very clear. […]

Q: Does the Vice President’s Office have — I mean, you blanket — covered the White House. The Vice President’s Office is under the Office of the White House. Why can’t you just — why can’t you answer?

McClellan: I’m not going to get into all the discussions we have with members of Congress. If they want to add additional information, you’re welcome to contact their office, as well.

Yes, if you have questions about the White House’s position, you can ask the White House press secretary. If you have questions about the Vice President is up to, call his office.

What does that make Cheney? Some kind of rogue, pro-torture operator?

I swear, they’re dirtying him up for a resignation.

  • See my comment from yesterday on the NYtimes article…Cheney IS the real power, and on any issue of real importance, he IS the President. There is nothing rogue about this. It’s just that now we are finally seeing what everyone suspected was the deal before the election — we’ll (the Neocons) tell you (Bush) what to say and get you elected; however, we’ll be the ones running the country. – the Neocons could never come to power without a frat boy face on the presidency (they’d scare the hell out of the electorate.) Cheney, Wolfie, Rummy and company…imagine them on the campaign trail. It’s laughable. I mean THEY even know it’s laughable. But they don’t care about how they get power, as long as they wield it, and they were perfectly willing to put up a complete stooge with a good family name (now ruined) in order to get a grip on power. Remember, these guys have been around a while, and their subservient positions in previous administrations made them bitter and hungry. And bitter hungry megalomaniacs make for nasty politics. The reason Brent Scrowcroft says he doesnt know who Cheney is anymore is because Cheney has become twisted by power. You can just see him running Halliburton while Clinton was in office, sitting there, seething, and scheming about how to get back in the game. (Of course, making a shitload of money meanwhile didnt do ANYTHING to ease the pain.) The pathetic thing is how the country was duped into letting this happen. At least now there is some hope that the whole giant fabrication about this “leader” of ours is unraveling into the flimsy threads from which is was woven. People believe what they want to believe, but after getting dicked over for five years, eventually you start to question why the version of reality we are being fed doesnt line up at all with the one we see every day.

  • Well, at least we know now why he’s not considered “White House staff”. Apparently the Vice President is actually President of the “Shadow White House” and no one told Shadow White House staff that they had to attend any ethics session.

    By the way, the paralells are GI-NOR-MOUS:

    Iraq=Vietnam
    Plamegate=Watergate
    Libby = Liddy
    Cheney = Agnew
    Bush=Nixon

  • As evidence of just how powerless Bush is as a leader, Cheney has been running around doing what he wants, and Bush refuses to take him to taks for it, dress him down, anything. If we had a President, this wouldn’t have gotten this out of control.

    I just don’t see these guys lasting three years.

  • Wrong question Lance.
    Which crony of Cheney’s will be the next Vice President??? Obviously, Cheney will be the new Prez.

  • Surely I’m not the only one who finds a creepy resemblance – in appearance and personality – between Cheney and Mr. Burns on the Simpsons. . . (not to mention neither should really be allowed near anything nuclear.)

  • I think Cheney is more of a Mr. Potter (ala’ It’s a Wonderful Life). Though I wouldn’t be surprised if Libby turns out to be a dead-on Smithers.

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