Imagine the reaction from the media and the Republican Party if this story had been in the news ten years ago:
Sworn testimony has revealed that Vice Pres. Al Gore masterminded the unmasking of a covert CIA agent who specialized in the terrorist blackmarket for weapons of mass destruction — and that Gore’s motive was to exact political retribution against the agent’s husband, an outspoken critic of Clinton-Gore policies.
It is hardly an exaggeration to suggest that Vice Pres. Gore would have been hounded from office within weeks of such headlines — as Vice Pres. Mondale or any other Democratic vice president would have been.
And yet we now know from testimony by an FBI agent and others at Scooter Libby’s perjury trial in the CIA Leak scandal that it was not Karl Rove who masterminded the campaign to reveal agent Valerie Plame’s identity, as most of us assumed — it was Libby’s boss, Dick Cheney, the vice president of the United States.
It also clear from the evidence that Cheney was fully aware that Plame worked undercover for the CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Division, where she was involved hands-on in tracking of illegal sales and shipments of WMD around the world. It is also clear that Cheney was more than willing to risk whatever intelligence assets Plame had developed in order to retaliate against her husband, former Amb. Joe Wilson, who had dared to call the Cheney-Bush administration on its lies about Iraq’s purported nuclear capabilities.
If Cheney were a Democrat, and these accusations had been made against him as part of sworn testimony, the reaction in Washington would be as clamorous as it would be swift:
- Investigations would be launched by both the Senate and House committees on national security and government affairs.
- Even in advance of the hearings, the House would have drawn up Bills of Impeachment against the vice president and probably the president as well.
- Fox News would be leading with the story wall-to-wall, couching the news as a deliberate, pro-terrorist security breach orchestrated from the White House.
- Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts would be hammering away at the vice president, calling his patriotism into question and implying that he was revealing national secrets at the behest of his boss, the president.
Instead, what we have gotten from the media and the Congress is bascially, “So what? It’s just Cheney being Cheney.” It is apparent that the vice president will get away with jeopardizing our national security without punsihment, or even a mild rebuke.
It’s over folks for our democracy. It’s dead. Killed by global corporations. It’s a corpse and its starting to stink. Cheney and Bush are just the maggots. There is a
whole lot more of disgust to follow before the process is finished. So Christo-fascists you are right. Their is a Satan (Cheney) and the world is coming to an end with Dick’s assistance. Enjoy your friggin’ rapture!
to Sally–I feel for you!
How’d we get here???
Anyone who voted for Nixon, Reagan, or either Bush, even once, is responsible for where we are now.
Anyone who secretly gloated when Reagan broke PATCO and cheered that finally those union bastards are getting what they deserve is responsible for where we are now.
Anyone who puffed out there chest with pride as the war criminal North bragged about subverting the will of the people by doing an end run around congress is responsible for where we are now.
Anyone who says there were no WMD, but….is responsible for where we are now.
Look at the history of this family. Prescott Bush not only got away with trading with the enemy, he was elected to the senate. Even after his son Neil was convicted of pillaging a savings and loan, George Bush I was given a free ride throughout the Iran-Contra fiasco even though congress knew he was involved. Where was the outrage when he pardoned every single one of his co-conspirators, including Weinberger before the latter was even convicted of a crime? George Bush II steals two elections, shreds the bill of rights, and arrogantly thumbs his nose at the American people and gets a free ride.
The mainstream media owners are of the same class as the Bushes. There are secrets to be protected, possibly videos and pics given Bush’s past in the CIA (and that involvement goes back to 1953 as proven by Mary Ferrell). They will NEVER lead the charge but must be dragged kicking and screaming to the hanging.
Veteran – I’m a veteran too, Marine combat veteran of Vietnam and I refuse to die until this country is back on track even if I am reduced to nothing but a head in a jar on the mantle artificially kept alive.
Dick Cheney knows where your bodies are buried, and he knows where to bury your body–should it come to that.
Jon Ponder’s premise is undeniably true and the double standard is so outrageous but ignored that you cannot help but get very angry when you think about it. How can members of the MSM seriously continue with their jobs while this huge green elephant rumbles around the room? The ability of humans to ignore and disregard unsettling realities is amazing.
On a similar vein, do you think Cheney ignores his hypocrisy, or does he rationalize it with a political view that democracy and constitutional republics, as forms of governing a state are no longer or never were viable, and that an oligarchy of wise men should rule is the best way to rule a state?
republics no longer viable, and that an oligarchy of wise men should rule America?
it makes sense that darth may resign. why else would john negroponte have taken a job which appears to be a step down, unless, there is the possibility that darth resigns, condi is appointed to the veep job and then negroponte becomes secretary of state. hmmmmm, we’ll see