Dick Cheney Rebuked By REPUBLICANS Colin Powell and General Petraeus

I have been very outspoken about my disgust for former Vice President Cheney's disgraceful conduct since he was rolled out of the White House in a wheelchair as one of the most unpopular politician's in our history. Lacking any evidence whatsoever, he has continually leveled the charge against President Barack Obama that he has made the United States "less safe." In fact, virtually all of the evidence points to the contrary. There has been no 9/11 on President Obama's watch. Increased cooperation with other countries has led to major successes, drone strikes have been dramatically increased in Pakistan, and numerous plots have been disrupted in the past year here in the U.S. Cheney's one discredited point seems to be that illegal torture methods are no longer employed and therefore we are less safe. Again, the experts agree with virtual unanamity that higher quality intelligence is gathered through proven, professional interrogation methods and not toruture. A flood of recent cases including the "underwear" bomber and Najibullah Zazi (who had plotted to blow up the New York City subway system) show that reams of intelligence were gained without torture and by using the professionals in our criminal justice system.

It was nice to finally see two of the most popular Republicans condemn Cheney's nonsense. Petraeus has actually publicly disagreed with Cheney before stating that "It is hugely significant to us to live the values that we hold so dear and that we have fought so hard to protect over the years." Being that both David Petraeus and Colin Powell are or were Generals, I think they might have just a little bit more credibility on this issue than the former Vice President. The obvious attempt by Cheney and his daughter to undercut the current President of the United States with unsupported, universally discredited, self-serving talking points may make good theater for the far right-wing fringe, but it is beyond shameful. I applaud both Powell and Petraeus for strongly backing President Obama's highly-effective, pro-American anti-terrorism strategies. I would like to see many more Republicans speak out on this issue which should be above the partisan fray, but I am not holding my breath. Watch Powell's scathing rebuke of Cheney's factless charges in the video above. In addition he lays out the FACTS about military commissions.

Outing A CIA Agent Now Legal In The U.S.

There is only one logical conclusion that can be drawn from the fact that the Supreme Court has declined to hear Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson's case against Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Richard Armitage. The conclusion is that undercover CIA Agents can now be outed in this country with impunity. Overwhelming evidence points directly to Dick Cheney for initiating the leak of Valerie Plame's name when he became outraged at her husband's article exposing the Bush Administration's false assertions regarding Iraq's nuclear program.

This was a clear case of treason committed purely for petty political vengeance. Nobody was ever held accountable for this most un-American of acts. There are many to blame for the lack of accountability in this case. President Bush said he would terminate anyone found responsible for leaking the information, but he never fired anybody connected with the leak (Cheney, Rove, Armitage, Libby). He added insult to injury by pardoning the guy (Libby) who blatantly obstructed the investigation.

Armitage was the primary source because he recklessly blabbed Plame's name to Robert Novak and Bob Woodward. Rove, by multiple accounts, was the confirming source in his conversations with reporters Matt Cooper and Robert Novak. These guys were beyond careless and I don't buy for a second their lame explanations. Her name was floating around out there in the Bush White House because Cheney got the ball rolling after Joe Wilson's article. Even Ari Fleischer (White House Spokesman) and Dan Bartlett (Counselor to the President) were mentioning Plame's name. Fleischer was granted immunity by Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald and admitted revealing Plame's name to David Gregory of NBC News after he heard Bartlett openly reveal that Plame worked for the CIA aboard Air Force One.

Fitzgerald was unwilling to go forward with a case against any of the principles because he claimed that he was obstructed by Libby. But there was a LOT of evidence that this was a politically motivated act of vengeance initiated by Dick Cheney. The final stage of leaking was carried out by the Rove's, Armitages, etc. I think Fitzgerald had a strong case, but decided not to pursue it for reasons I still cannot fully comprehend. Imagine for a second that the Clinton or Obama administrations outed an undercover CIA agent. The Republicans would lose their minds. But due to the Bush Administration, Patrick Fitzgerald, and the Supreme Court we have established a new precedent in the United States: It is now acceptable to out an undercover CIA agent without any consequences whatsoever. It is a sad day for this country and a triumph for future traitors.

A Former VP Without Any Class and Without A Clue

On a day when the sitting, very popular President delivered a major speech on national security, the astoundingly unpopular, discredited Vice President gave an immediate "rebuttal." I am aware that Cheney has been on a non-stop "Undermine Obama and Try To Save My Ass Media Tour," but his "rebuttal" today shattered any notion that he has even an ounce of class. He obviously doesn't.

The American people spoke in November when President Obama received more votes than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history. By a large margin the country came down on the side of respecting the Constitution and closing Guantanamo. It was an electoral college landslide in which Obama bested the republican candidate by more than a 2 to 1 margin (365-172) and won the popular vote by almost 10 million. Cheney's disgraced reign over this country, in which its cherished values and sacred Constitution were little more than an afterthought, ended when they rolled him out the door in a wheelchair.

I can only conclude that he is now completely delusional or desperately trying to head off a possible conviction. He is quite the chatterbox since he left office. Where was he for eight years? You almost never saw the guy. His behavior since leaving office is nothing short of disgusting. Trying to undercut the President at every turn followed by his lame, twisted justifications for his illegal and un-American actions while in office is turning into a sad sideshow. This is unprecedented behavior and shows no self-awareness of just how unpopular he is and that there is now a new leader who is supported by the majority of Americans. It is a new day, but he just can't accept it.

I think President Obama summed-up Cheney's philosophy and those who support Cheney when he said:

"On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who embrace a view that can be summarized in two words: anything goes. Their arguments suggest that the ends of fighting terrorism can be used to justify any means, and that the President should have blanket authority to do whatever he wants - provided that it is a President with whom they agree."

That philosophy is not what America is all about and is also why, despite Dick Cheney's best efforts, history will always consider him to be a key player in one of America's darkest chapters.

Latest Republican "False Outrage" - Nancy Pelosi

Let me see if I understand this correctly. No outrage from the right-wing about torture, outing an undercover CIA agent, politicizing the Justice Department, Hurricane Katrina, record budget deficits, crumbling infrastructure, and destroying the economy in less than 8 years. BUT if there is any possibility that Nancy Pelosi may have been briefed by the CIA about waterboarding then it is the crime of the century. Or is the crime of the century Obama shaking hands with Chavez, or ordering a hamburger with mustard, or using a teleprompter. This transparent "false outrage" tactic in order to deflect attention from real news is getting old fast.

I am actually not a big fan of Nancy Pelosi primarily because she took impeachment off the table at a time when the facts were screaming out for impeachment of President Bush due to his clear violations of federal law and the Constitution (warrantless wiretapping, torture, etc.). And it really doesn't matter to me whether she gets burned by this issue or not. If investigations and criminal prosecutions of torture cause political damage to some democrats in Congress, then so be it. As I have said on many occasions I am for holding anybody accountable for ordering torture whether they be in a Democratic or Republican Administration. It is not a political issue for me. It goes way beyond that.

For at least a short period of time the mounting evidence that Dick Cheney was suggesting that an Iraqi detainee be waterboarded in order to try to establish a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq gets pushed completely to the side as the media focuses exclusively on the relatively insignificant sideshow of Nancy Pelosi. I have got to give the right-wing credit for their effective "divert attention from Bush/Cheney complicity at all costs" campaign.

At this time it is not clear what was really said in those briefings. There were caveats in Panetta's response which were largely overlooked by the media and Bob Graham's statements cast a lot of doubt on the credibility of the CIA's briefing dates, etc. I will withhold judgment until I see clear evidence one way or the other. But this in no way affects the overwhelming case mounting against high-ranking Bush Administration officials. Let the chips fall where they may.

Patrick Leahy - My New Favorite Senator

On my podcast and videoblog I already applauded Leahy's call for a "Truth and Reconciliation" Commission to investigate the details of the Bush Administration's long list of illegal activities; now Leahy is pushing back on Cheney's recent remarks about Obama's ability to protect the United States from terrorists. This is my favorite quote of 2009 so far:

"I just want to say here Bush and Cheney were in charge when the last attack happened," Leahy said. "They were warned about the last attack before it happened. On September 10th their proposal was to cut our counter-terrorism budget substantially. I don't need any lectures from him. They screwed up badly.

"They are also the same people who said the war in Iraq would be over in a couple weeks and we would find the weapons of mass destruction. Their policy was to let Osama bin Laden get away when we had him cornered and send the troops into a useless war in Iraq. No, no, I don't think he has a great deal of credibility." LINK

OUCH!

Palin and Cheney Are Playing With My Head!

I don't know if the Republicans are messing with me or what, but I have been followed by Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin on two consecutive days. Yesterday while working on a project in New Orleans I got word that Dick Cheney was in town. And on my way back into Pensacola, Florida this morning I passed the Civic Center and saw CNN along with other news satellite trucks. I whip out my iPhone and see that Sarah Palin is coming to town today.

I'm thinking this is possibly part of the "domestic surveillance" program or an act of intimidation on the part of the Bush administration and the McCain campaign. Maybe they came across my blog and didn't like what they saw. I am curious how they knew about my blog though because I wasn't going to start promoting it until this coming weekend. Oh yeah, I forgot that they monitor everybody's internet habits, mail, phone calls, email, and reading list. It's all starting to make sense now.

It rained in New Orleans yesterday and it's raining here in Pensacola today. These two forces of darkness seem to bring dark clouds wherever they go. I'm tired and I plan to sleep through her campaign stop in Pensacola; that is if I don't get arrested for my free thinking and enthusiastic support of Barrack Obama. If this ends up being my last blog post, you guys please come looking for me in Guantanamo or in some secret foreign prison.

Republicans Cannot Call For Impeachment For ANY Reason!

Although I am predicting an Obama win in the fall election, I do not feel it is guaranteed by any means. My recent postings about current polling data and Obama's pending VP decision have me a little concerned. But, for now, let's go with the assumption that Barack Obama is sworn in on January 20, 2009 as the President of the United States. What follows is my instructions for all the Republicans who continued to defend the current President and his administration during all of the illegal and impeachable offenses committed during the last 8 years.

Since we have now entered the era of "anything goes" when it comes to the illegal activities of the President, you Republicans will need to keep your mouths shut when you see illegal activity by any future Democratic President. No whining! You got it? If we did not impeach the current occupant of the White House for his blatant law-breaking, then I am officially declaring any and all President Obama illegalities off-limits for impeachment. Any calls for his impeachment or any complaining about these activities will be considered unamerican and unpatriotic, just as those of us who have criticized President Bush have been labeled. Please, no statements by Republicans who are shocked and outraged, but didn't "bat an eye" as Bush trampled on the Constitution (warrantless wiretapping, torture, etc.), outed undercover CIA agents for political reasons (treason-punishable by death), and made a joke out of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Obama does not strike me as the kind of guy who would commit blatant unconstitutional crimes. I would be profoundly disappointed if he did. I actually wish he would instruct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue indictments against Bush (warantless wiretapping, torture), Cheney (outing of an undercover CIA Agent), Rove (outing of an undercover CIA agent, political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman), Gonzales (torture, U.S. Attorney firings, illegal hiring practices). It looks like this probably won't happen based on Obama's recent comments.