Frank Rich: 'Once Again Cheney And Cohorts Using Lies, Fear For Political Advantage'

New York Times:

The Beltway antics that greeted the great Cheney-Obama torture debate were an unsettling return to the post-9/11 dynamic that landed America in Iraq. Once again Cheney and his cohort were using lies and fear to try to gain political advantage -- this time to rewrite history and escape accountability for the failed Bush presidency rather than to drum up a new war. Once again Democrats in Congress were cowed. And once again too much of the so-called liberal news media parroted the right's scare tactics, putting America's real security interests at risk by failing to challenge any Washington politician carrying a big stick.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[JohnHKennedy]

The Iraq War was totally a war of choice. The choice was Bush and Cheney's.
They cooked the intel as an excuse. They lied to Congress to get cover for their illegal invasion and then when there was no WMD found in Iraq they

Tortured captives to get false intel to cover up for their WMD Lies.

We must put a stop to the Presidential Lies. We need to Prosecute Bush and Cheney so our current and future presidents will stop violating Federal Laws and lying to Congress.

If you do nothing else for your Country today,

SIGN THE PETITION To Prosecute Them For Torture

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

Over 250,000 have signed
Join them and call yourself a Patriot

[Garvagh]

Bravo! And speaking of idiotic elective wars, Israel continues to make noises indicating a surprise attack on Iran might very well happen. Too many US politicians amplify the insane militarist rhetoric emanating from Israel, and this stupidity is not challenged by the US media.

[seted]

It's common knowledge that republicans have always been largely a group of wussies. That's mainly the reason they love to pour money into the military so someone will fight for them, or hide behind a fictional character like '24' jack Bauer.
If Conservatives were just about saving money, they would be a little easier to accept. But too many suffer from schadenfreude ( German word for some one who experiences joy from someone else misfortune )and lack imagination to foresee things will get better, however they do have enough to scare themselves silly ( Iraqis will swim over here and take over the country, or the minorities will gain enough power to dish out some serious payback )hence the war mongering, provided some poor kid does the fighting for them

[StillAmused]

While Mr. Rich is one of the rare exceptions, the "press" is mostly dead. Newspapers have largely become advertising circulars, investigative reporting is a quaint memory and the talking heads on the TV machine -- whether Fox carnival barkers or purported 'legitimate' moderators like Gregory -- are living proof that, to quote an old saw among musicians on the society circuit, "Anyone can get work."

If a focus on the press seems unfair, it's worth remembering that independent, vibrant and aggressive reporting is the ONLY thing standing between us and The Big Lie. The notion that the 'checks and balances' of Congressional oversight can do the job has been proven a naïve fantasy.

Had the press performed even a modicum of its professional duty in the aftermath of the September horror in 2001, Bush and Cheney would have been stopped in their tracks before they could bring their cauldron of slogans, buzz-words and jingoism to a boil... and, whatever challenges we might still be facing in today's explosive international atmosphere, those challenges would be dramatically lightened by two pointless, immoral and fabricated military adventures.

In retrospect, Junior Bush's inappropriately toxic attempt at humor -- "Nope, no WMD under here..." -- was a thumb in the eye of the press, and they accepted it meekly. The unspoken response was, "May we have another, sir?"

[RRG64]

"All told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries. Many others have met a different fate. Let's put it this way-they are no longer a problem to the United States and our friends and allies..."

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/6/9/7/0/p69701_index.html

"Many others have met a different fate."

What does that mean?

[sviolette]

Dr. Tillman syndrome would be my guess.

[sviolette]

Sorry I meant Dr. Tiller syndrome.

[HyperInfluential]

See normally you would think that was a straight-up reference to killing people, but with these guys, who knows. All he's saying is, these people aren't technically arrested, and you're never going to see or hear from them again. They could be in the man-sized safe, or some island in international waters being used for bizarre experiments, who knows. They could be in a base in Antarctica for all we know. But yeah, they're prolly dead.

[islandsox]

I find it immoral and probably unlawful to not release the documents Cheney wants released that proves enhanced prisoner interrogations gave them useful information to deter future attacks. Why doesn't Obama want this released? Probably because it's true and he wants to hide it. I can't think of any other reason to not release the documents. And just because Obama said he read them and found them to have no validity, isn't enough for me. People lie, even our President. Washington lies, look at the lies they have told all of us since election day. I think it important to ask the questions of those we elected.

[sviolette]

It's niether immoral or illegal to not release the documents that Sen. Durbin has seen and says they don't prove that torture works. In fact they prove otherwise. The only thing that is both immoral and illegal is torture. It is actually a WAR CRIME!!

You are defending war criminals. Stoopid!

[RRG64]

Yes, release the documents. All of the top secret Cheney Energy Task force meetings, release them all.

[sviolette]

Don't forget the lies of the previous administration!!

[seted]

Release one you release them all. Don't fret, they will be out at just at the right time.

[eshalom]

Mr. Rich,

You lost all credibility in your critiques of Cheney, Limbaugh, Gingrich, etc. with your sliming of the Clintons in the 2008 Democratic primary. Back then you and your so-called liberal chums joined forces with the right wing to destroy Hillary's candidacy and anoint Barack Obama president. How dare you criticize the liberal pundits today and the Democratic party for succumbing to the right?

[marco01]

How does favoring Obama over Hillary destroy his credibility?

[sviolette]

I haven't succumbed to anyone especially a stinkin' righty!!

[sviolette]

I find it very hard to believe that people are still defending torture and the war criminals that order it done.

We aren't in Kansas anymore Toto.

I forgot that it's very dangerous to be in Kansas. There are nutcase righties running around there.

[BeasleysMom]

Really now--what would invite another attack? Closing Gitmo and banning torture or telling the world several times a week that the United States in now weak, vulnerable and unprepared?

[jmpurser]

Or announcing that we have pictures but won't release them because they depict acts so heinous as to inflame the entire Arab world and THEN saying "But we're not going to prosecute." How in the world could THAT be the way to make troops safer?

I think at this point I resent the implied stupidity of the audience these lies portray.

[HyperInfluential]

Bravo! People aren't stupid, they're just tired from working so damn hard for so long for so little.

[marco01]

Would hearing that the enemy is torturing Americans motivate you to attack them?

[sviolette]

How about having the former VP going on TV bragging about torture saving lives when in fact it never did?

[mesmerised]

The reason none of the anti Cheney et al people have ever officially been cited with their "findings" and subsequent stories that allegedly refute Cheney's statements, IS BECAUSE THEY'VE NEVER BEEN ESTABLISHED AS FACT. Everything Rich refers to contains the echo of the belief in the neocon conspiracy to take over the world theory. The one where Cheney and his crew blew up the WTC and got American dummies to believe it was al Qaeda. And then he led the charge into Iraq blah blah blah.

Frank Rich and the unhinged Left HATE Republicans. Always have. Cheney and Bush are just the latest ones to be hammered and shaped into the monstrous beings the Left wants people to believe.

The reason the MSM was cowed by the debate between Cheney and Obama is because Cheney was telling the truth. Even people who wanted to believe he is a four square liar saw the logic in what he said. Face it Frank: your side lost.

[jmpurser]

A severe case of reality deficit disorder. Actually the facts have largely come out. Everything the "unhinged Left" said turned out to be true.

Or are you still looking for Saddam's WMD and his connection to Al Qaeda?

[mesmerised]

Wrong. All of the ALLEGATIONS have come out and been sold as truth. They are not. Cheney would be in jail this very day if they were true.

You are unable to accept the truth, so deep is your hatred and mistaken beliefs.

[marco01]

What a joke.

Mr. "We now have NO DOUBT that Saddam has WMD" was telling the truth? Despite the fact that we now know WITHOUT A DOUBT that there was reams of doubt within the intelligence community at the time? This is an undeniable and easily verifiable FACT.

You cons like to dismiss all this talk exposing Bushcos, lies, hypocrisy, and ineptitude as some far left loony conspiracy theory but yet many, MANY prominent conservatives and Republicans have come out on the same side as us. It takes some pretty hefty skills of willful denial and rationalization to deny the many credible conservatives who have criticized Bushco. Let's not even discuss the many highly credible intelligence agents and interrogators who have repudiated Bushco lies on "enhanced interrogation techniques."

And trotting out the 911 Truthers conspiracists as an example to dismiss the mountains of evidence supporting the willful ignorance and arrogance of the Bush is a cheap shot. Let's look to the far, far right for our "examples" to debunk the entire right. The dems and the MSM are cowards who are afraid to confront the status quo.

[marco01]

Damn right I hate Republicans. Not all, of course, but there is a strong tendency inherent among conservatives against accepting new facts and paradigms. They refuse to engage in an fair and honest debate. They treat ideological opponents as mortal enemies instead of partners in democracy, using every dirty trick in the book to win at all costs. And most importantly, they are traitors to the great ideals of this nation, self-righteously claiming the mantle of American freedom, justice, and liberty for themselves alone while callously tossing them aside whenever it suits their needs. Their tactics and actions amply demonstrate that they have no real faith in democracy or our other cherished ideals.

[mesmerised]

Every word of what you posted has been stated by innumerable conservatives, including the most highly respected scholars (Bill Kristol [love him or hate him], George Will, and others.) against the Left.

Only time and subsequent events will prove who's right and who's wrong.

[marco01]

What a joke.

Mr. "We now have NO DOUBT that Saddam has WMD" was telling the truth? Despite the fact that we now know WITHOUT A DOUBT that there was reams of doubt within the intelligence community at the time? This is an undeniable and easily verifiable FACT.

You cons like to dismiss all this talk exposing Bushcos, lies, hypocrisy, and ineptitude as some far left loony conspiracy theory but yet many, MANY prominent conservatives and Republicans have come out on the same side as us. It takes some pretty hefty skills of willful denial and rationalization to pull that one off.

And trotting out the 911 Truthers conspiracists as an example to dismiss the mountains of evidence supporting the willful ignorance and arrogance of the Bush is a cheap shot. Let's look to the far, far right for our "examples" to debunk the entire right.

The dems and the MSM are cowards who are afraid to confront the status quo.

[marco01]

Mr. "We now have NO DOUBT that Saddam has WMD" was telling the truth? Despite the fact that we now know WITHOUT A DOUBT that there was reams of doubt within the intelligence community at the time? This is an undeniable and easily verifiable FACT.

Many on the Right have this astonishing ability to deny a mountain of evidence and cling fiercely to a few highly questionably scraps until the bitter end. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. By definition a conservative desperately clings to the past even when all signs point to the future

[imsosure]

And once again this blog proves to not be a blog as if it were not being screened for honest and frank, candid responses there would be hundreds, instead they're covering Cheney's ass.

[PrometheanSalvation]

If you can't acknowledge the facts of real world national security than you can't play the game. Pretending that the previous admin was trying to get Bin Laden in the first place will throw off your understanding of what happened to us in the run up and aftermath of 911.

[nichtviel]

Remember, the liar screams the loudest in proclaiming others to be lying. This article is so filled with half-truths, misrepresentations and falsehoods it is difficult to take seriously. It is total and complete spin. It denigrates America’s citizens and politicians to gullible followers of Dick Cheney, Carl Rove and others. Could it be that the vast majority of Americans don’t want Guantanamo detainees re-housed and released in the U.S.? No of course not. They have all been swayed by the Right. The author is a paranoid, partisan conspiracy theorist.

[jmpurser]

I'm guessing you didn't read the article. Nice use of irony by being an example of your first sentence though.

[StillAmused]

"the vast majority of Americans don't want Guantanamo detainees re-housed and released in the U.S."

The time to reflect on what you plan to do with your new collection is BEFORE you start collecting. It focuses the mind.

[1dogs2]

Interesting that you haven't pointed to a single "lie" or supplied a source for your conclusion that it is a lie.

[judiNJ]

What are you talking about??? Rehoused and released? What, you think they are going to be dumped on the corner of Broadway and 52nd Street? How silly you scardy people are.

[sviolette]

It would be safer than letting Cheney run free. He is the one that scares me.

[Defunct]

Facts? LOL. The US prefers myth and nuance. (Jesus). There are facts about war crimes and they go ignored daily by the BO. Lies, denial, hypocrisy... what keeps the USA going.

[jmpurser]

While I kind of doubt that an obsession with nuance is America's big problem just now (or for the last 30 years) I can get behind the rest.

[RRG64]

does it always take two of you to make a point?

[LEFTturnonlyallowed]

There is little doubt Mr. Cheney is running scared. If the World Court at the Hague decides of pursue a war crimes investigation, Mr. Cheney's weak ticker may not be able to withstand that kind of stress. Additionally, Spain is probably going to execute a writ of extradition for war crimes. Although the U.S. would never comply, such an edict would seriously limit Mr Cheney's freedom and ability to travel since he would have to be constantly vigilant and travel with very tight security.

So Mr. Cheney does what the right wing does so well: lie.