Honesty, The Cheney Way

The Nation: Is Scooter Libby Honest? By Cheney's Definition, Yes

(The Nation)  This column was written by John Nichols

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Dick Cheney worked in the White House of Richard Nixon, who had to resign as Congress began impeachment proceedings that grew out of his dishonest and disreputable stewardship of the presidency

Dick Cheney worked with the White House of Ronald Reagan, which was investigated by Congress and the courts for establishing — and then lying about — a secret plan to violate the law by directing resources to its Iran-Contra co-conspirators in the Middle East and Latin America.

Dick Cheney worked in the White House of George Herbert Walker Bush, who pardoned former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Robert C. McFarlane, Elliott Abrams and others who had been indicted, and in some cases convicted, by Iran-Contra prosecutors.

Dick Cheney left the public sector to work in the corporate sector, where he established close alliances with the executives of Enron and hired the Arthur Andersen accounting firm to manage Halliburton's books.

Dick Cheney then stepped back into the public service as the prince regent to a boy president whose administration stands accused of "fixing" intelligence in order to convince Congress and the American people to support an unnecessary — and ultimately disastrous — invasion and occupation of Iraq. As part of that initiative, Cheney has repeatedly been caught promoting inaccurate claims about the supposed presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and an illusory "connection" between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Now, as he prepares to testify in the trial that is set to begin Tuesday on the charges of obstruction of justice and perjury that have been brought against his disgraced former chief-of-staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney says of Libby: "I believe he's one of the more honest men I know."

Cheney has refused repeated requests by members of Congress who want him to testify regarding Libby's actions and the efforts of the vice president's office to discredit retired Ambassador Joe Wilson, the man who exposed one of the administration's most serious assaults on the truth — the pre-war claim that Iraq was taking steps to rapidly develop a nuclear arsenal. Yet, the vice president told Fox News anchor Chris Wallace on Sunday that he plans to offer "my whole-hearted cooperation" to Libby's legal defense.

Wallace wanted to know whether the vice president was at all concerned by the many revelations regarding Libby's professional and personal problems. "But there's nothing that you have heard," the anchor asked, "nothing that you have read that shakes your confidence in Scooter Libby's integrity?

"That's correct," replied Cheney.

Libby, the vice president exclaimed, is "one of the finest individuals I've ever known."

There will be those who question whether the vice president can possibly be serious when he expresses confidence in what remains of Libby's integrity and describes his longtime aide as "one of the most honest men I know."

But let's put this in perspective. After almost four decades of working with the likes of Richard Nixon, the Iran-Contra conspirators, Enron and its accountants, Cheney might actually be telling the truth here.

In the circles in which Cheney has traveled throughout his career, Libby might come off as a paragon of virtue and veracity. That ought not much trouble prosecutors, however. The vice president is his own man, and he plays by his own set of rules. Just as Cheney has never felt constrained by any Constitutional definition of duty to the republic, nor has he ever provided even the slightest indication that he is familiar with the textbook definition of "honesty" — let alone with the notion that an official ought to value that quality in those with whom he chooses to associate.

[macaca98506]

In the interest of national security, Cheney should be waterboarded to secure his testimony at the Libby trial. This would not be torture, because he says it isn't. A necessary step given his inability to tell truth from delusion as well as right from wrong.

[catt42701]

cheney and bush are two of a kind. Empty of compassion and soul that want to rule the world. We will be better off when they are back on the ranch and hopefully away from any more business that can be corrupted.

[oleander8]

Cheney knows exactly how to work the system. He still has not revealed who attended the meetings where the Bush administration energy policies were formed - he claimed national security protected him from revealing those names. And then he just waited them out and people stopped asking for the information. George W. Bush has always been the puppet of master puppeteer Cheney - from the day he was told to run for the presidency by the real powers in this country. George just doesn't know it.

[macaca98506]

Any interest in joining a torch- and pitchfork carrying mob to drag the *** out of his office and apply tar and feathers? Leave your handle here...

[emhawks]

I 've said for years that Cheney is the one to watch out for. He's the primary archeitect of the majority of the Bush adm.'s policies. He's a brillant person, but his brillance is twisted & dark. Cheney is the consumate liar who is a sociopath & a murderer. He has no conscience & no empathy for any kind of human suffering. Read about him ( articles/books); check out the Project for the New American Century(PNAC)--Cheney & Rumsfeld are amongst the PNAC "founding fathers". I think he will become even more agressive in the months ahead concerning the Iraq war & the US position in the Mid-East because he knows his time to accomplish his agenda is running out. I also think if he refuses any request to appear before a hearing of any kind, he should be served with a warrant or handcuffed & dragged into court or before Congress. I hope & pray Cheney & Bush will be impeached. The things they have done while in office are certainly impeachable offenses. If Cheney isn't impeached, I'll be interested to see what happens to him in 2009, when he looses his "executive immunity". Hopefully, he will be brought up on charges of war crimes in the German international court (Rumsfeld has been charged).

[fascistusa]

When will Cheney's heart finally give out? I can't figure out what keeps this FASCIST alive.

Did his deal with The Devil grant him Endless Life?

Is Cheney some Orkish Undead Monster out a D & D Game?

Even Darth Vader had to wear a life support system. When will Darth Cheney be getting his suit and light saber? I know he's already crossed to the Dark Side...

[jimfinster]

"Libby is one of the finest individuals I have ever known."

All relative, I suppose. Since most of Cheney's friends are neocons, probably a true statement!

[johnshaft4]

FYI
If you write Cheny's first name on this site, it comes up as an asterik/profanity. Figures...

[johnshaft4]

Be very, very afraid...
Dr. *** 'Strangelove' Cheney has access to your e mail, bank accounts, phone and USPS mail. He knows all. If YOU write bad things about him, he WILL shoot you in the face. Be careful!

[observantx]

Darth Cheney has been in or connected to 4 past administrations riddled with scandals, investigations, and pardons being spewed out left and right. So it is more than curious as to why he keeps getting into positions of and access to power with his record. Of course nothing gets pinned on him directly, but when someone always seems to be around when the feces hits the fan as many times as he has been, you have to draw the obvious conclusions.

As to why he and others like him always seem to be cropping up can be directly laid at the pardon process. These creeps have no consequences for their deeds. They get pardoned and they%u2019re on to the next ripe opportunity. Unfortunately, Gerald Ford started this snowball rolling when he let Nixon off the hook. Now Darth & the rest of them have their %u201Cget out of jail free%u201D cards tucked in their inside suit pockets, ready to be whipped out when the occasion calls for it.

As for honest, I don%u2019t think Darth Cheney knows how to spell the word. And for him to call someone %u201COne of the most honest men I know,%u201D is the most ironic of ironies.