The Historian (interviewer): Mr. Vice-President, you've now had six months to observe the new Democratic president and administration. Give us your views.
Cheney: They're totally out of control.
The Historian: Out of control? In what way?
Cheney: Pretty obvious. They're abusing power. They're operating totally outside the Constitution.
The Historian: Can you give some specifics?
Cheney: Of course. Yesterday the president issued a "signing statement" declaring his/her intention not to enforce Congressional restrictions on children's health care. That follows those other so-called "signing statements" that refuse to uphold the laws Congress passed on wiretap and surveillance of our enemies and on unlimited detention of enemy combatants.
The Historian: Forgive me, Mr. Vice-President, but didn't your administration make wholesale use of these "signing statements"?
Cheney: That, of course, was entirely different. We were protecting the country. Our country was under attack. We needed to unify executive authority to protect national security.
The Historian: But this administration has said it is merely continuing your theory of the "unitary executive," that you merely laid the groundwork for a new powerful executive.
Cheney: Big difference. We knew what we were doing. This crowd doesn't. We knew how to use power. They're totally out of control, as I said.
The Historian: With due respect, Mr. Vice President, your lawyers, particularly Mr. Addington and Mr. Yoo, said that the Constitution permitted aggregation of power in the presidency, that anything not specifically denied by the Constitution could be done by the president and his administration and neither the Congress nor the Courts could do anything about it.
Cheney: Look. Don't try to twist things. That was then. This is now. Everything is different.
The Historian: Mr. Cheney, what is different is a new president and new administration.
Cheney: Are you seriously arguing that this crowd is entitled to the same powers we had?
The Historian: Seems only fair. The precedent.....
Cheney: We created no precedent. Our lawyers laid down theories that applied to us, not to every liberal, lefty administration that manages to get elected Besides, the Supreme Court is going to fix this. Heritage and AEI have filed suits against this liberal abuse of power and we have no doubt that the Court we empowered, Roberts and Alito and that other one, are going to crush this nonsense in its crib.
The Historian: Those other executive powers--ignoring regulatory mandates, financing military operations off-budget, search and seizure, suspending habeas corpus, covert operations in Iran, and many others--shouldn't they be available to this new administration?
Cheney: Are you kidding? I wouldn't trust this crowd with the keys to the White House restrooms.
The Historian: So, it seems to me you are saying that a "strong" president, one who can be trusted with extra-Constitutional powers, must automatically be a Republican.
Cheney: You still don't get it, do you? We've got our Constitutional weenies too. We're talking about a special kind of leader. Do want just anybody off the street having the powers we had? You only give those powers to serious neoconservatives, men who've experienced the battlefield, heroes who understand good and evil, trusted and tested patriots who understand what we're up against. You don't just hand out our authority to whatever politicians come along. [OK, I'm going off the record here. Understood. Turn that tape off. We're meeting. We're planning. Just like we did after '74. We're coming back. We have plans. Unlike those limp-wristed liberals, we are patient. Our hour will come. We'll be back. And when we are, you're going to see real power. Got it?]
It might no longer matter to him if he has some of those off-shore type accounts with BILLIONS in ...campaign donations. I've heard someone else has planned for retirement in Paraguay.
Perhaps a new republicant credo?
I'veepublicant credo?
Darth Vader (Dick Cheney) pulled the strings to test the waters.
This was just a "TEST RUN" as a Precursor to Bombing Iran's Nuclear Facilities.
If the World accepts Israelis' attack on Syria then Iran is next!
Mao Tse Tung
I mentioned somewhere down thread (here? there? some other post on this site? I should cut-and-paste) that BOTH political parties have been infiltrated by neo-Bolsheviks and neo-fascists who think an Eternal War on Everybody is sound foreign policy.
We're already living in a fascist police state. Police brutality is on the rise. We can be jailed for thought crimes. We can be denied legal assistance. Plans for martial law are in place. All it takes is one more "crisis," real or manufactured.
I actually think all those copycat "noose" incidents are staged to foment unrest. Voila! Martial law!
Two people can get us out of this mess: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich. They're the ONLY ones not beholden to the corporatist puppeteers. Any other candidate will have us bombing Iran in no time flat.
I don't want that kind of blood on my hands. I'd rather have a loony libertarian CONSTITUTIONALIST committed to a LIBERAL DEMOCRACY in the White House than a neocon shill pretending to be a Democrat. Would we run the risk of losing government benefits? Congress would probably prevent that from happening. But even if government DID contract significantly I'd be willing to bite the bullet not to have millions MORE innocent people die in the Middle East.
Just think: Millions of innocent dead people vs. party loyalty, political purism, and buttering one's own toast. I'm willing to make the personal sacrifice, and in more lucid moments I'm BLOWN AWAY by people who can't see past their own selfish interests.
WISE, WISE WORDS!
If we don`t unite, in NON violent, carefully organized and ACTIVE citizen awareness groups. Educate ourselves and condemn Partisan Politics as usual, we are doomed.
The single question.
Do you defend and support the Constitution of the United States of America? The FIRST and primmest contract with America.
It is beyond my comprehension that this founding document and declarations of universal truth could ever bee so miss used and manipulated by the Conservative Movement as ONCE defined.
I will put Newt Gingrich in this group, and at the head of the line! We have failed YOU,,, Hedonistic,, and we have failed America.
Your call for AMERICAN UNITY, I will echo with all my heart and shout from the rooftops. You are 100% right.
American unity that transcends all fear, all screams from the talking heads, all efforts to divide us or not listen to one another or minimize each others concerns.
The worst, I am humiliated to admit, from MY PARTY.
There is not ONE THING Republican in the Neo-Con agenda.
To Cheney,, *We should not worry about Wiretapping if we have nothing to hide?*
Then,,,, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Karl Rove, Condaleezza Rice, Donald Rumseld, Paul Wolfowitz, Michael Chertoff, John Bolton, Alberto Gonzales.
Should NOT in the least worry about OPEN and TRANSPARENT government ,,,,,, if they have NOTHING TO HIDE!
They can WIRETAP any damn person they want,, WITH A WARRANT.
Refer to that other document, THE Constitution.
I hope 2008 will be an AMERICAN VOTE!
TOGETHER!
These Neo-Cons are NOT Republicans !!!!!!!
All the best
Knute (Neo-LIB)
I'm disgusted with the twisting and manipulation of facts under Republicans since Nixon...... yeah Carter was to blame for the Iranian fiasco - but Reagan cut a deal with Iran before the election to get them to HOLD the hostages LONGER - so he could trade arms for them...... trafficking drugs to arm the CONTRAS and any other thugs that claim to be "anti-Communist" eg pro US business fascist dictators that will do whatever we say..... our Founding Fathers would've been called "Commies" and traitors - 'terrorists' by the Republicans because they believed in individual rights and limits on government
"But then again, Clinton's advisors tried to get Clinton interested in fighting a real war against terrorists. But he was more interested in being popular and not doing tough things that needed to be done and left for Bush to do."
Clinton was weakened by the never-ending Paula Jones/ Whitewater/ Ken Starr investigations. The "liberal media" chimed in with " wag the dog" speculation every time he applied force as a foreign policy instrument. The first WTT bombing was handled as a crime, by law enforcement., as should the second have been. Don't you know how ridiculous we look trying to swat flies with Armored Calvary Regiments and Aircraft Carriers?.
see:
NYT article entitled,
"Democrats Seem Ready to Extend Wiretap Powers"
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and CARL HULSE
"Why be a Richard when you can be a Dick?"
All of docs the WH and the VP are withholding will be available to the next administration. Even if the shredders have started already, there's a very good chance something will be overlooked.
I can't help but think of the following: Bush has the power to name anyone an enemy combatant. He has an ideologically aligned SCOTUS. And a possibly still compliant DoJ. He has lowered the bar for what's needed to declare Martial Law. He has decimated the states' national guards. He's fired most of the military commanders who disagree with him. And he has close ties to the largest mercenary force in the world.
I'm just sayin', is all.
Hopefully Rove (remember him?) will manage to steal the election peacefully.
Beware the new Red Menace.
Don't say "Iraq War", say "Bush's War."
NEVER EVER say "surge". Say "Bush's Escalation."
Remember Highlights(r) for Children: http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/GnG5/h1gng14.asp
Goofus always says: "Surge."
Gallant always says: "Escalation."
E Pleb Neesta
GODISNOWHERE
If HPV vaccination and sex-ed cause promiscuity, then confession causes sin.
Make lots of White MONEY $$auce
for yourself and your ENTITLED FAVORITE CORPORATE WELFARE QUEENS by starting a "war" [INVASION ] that enriches you and your pals.
Blend all together and serve hot with stinking rotten hot fish.
Such bold macho moves paralyze everybody else who'd rather rubberneck the disaster than take action against Bush-Cheney rule by "entitled" corruption.