CHENEY: ONGOING EMBARRASSMENT
The first months in office for the Bush administration looked promising. Relative peace ruled the earth. Bush inherited a huge federal budget surplus. But it was not enough to overcome George W. Bush's own shortcomings: aptitude and telling the truth.
Not telling the truth was a hallmark of the Bush administration. Its negative effects on the U.S. and the world was heightened by Bush's selection of a cabinet and advistors. John Ashcroft, an amazingly poor choice for Attorney General, began his term by covering the "naked" statues in the Capitol. Advisors sought to bring to fruition their desire to invade Iraq long before 9-11, and to give perks to big corporations who were either former employers, campaign contributors, or greedy military-industrial giants who liked to throw around terms like "patriotic" or "defend the American people" or "support our troops." And so a series of lies and deceptions were planned before 9-11, but the Twin Towers helped to grease the slide into the chaos, deaths,, and economic disaster that would characterize the Bush administration.
There was a sleaziness up and down the Bush administration, but nobody was sleazier than Dick Cheney. His new book is not only filled with distortions and lies, it attacks the only two leading Bush leaders who had any credibility: Condoleezza Rich and General Powell (who just happen to be African Americans). Cheney, basically a very weak and insecure guy, couldn't wait to portray Rice as coming into his office "in tears." That is code for his racial bigotry and sexism. What a guy!
Cheney and his ilk would later ask sniffing questions about Obama and his failure to serve in the military. Dick Cheney, that heroic American, was relieved a couple times from serving in the miliary at all because he was conveniently a student and other avoidances.
Dick Cheney in his own sleazy way, codes his way to the top in the Bush administration history. Bush himself writes one thing, Cheney writes it differently, always making himself in charge without actually making that statement. Unfortunately, Cheney did carry lots of clout in the White House.
Dick Cheney was given a huge multi-million dollar handout when he left as CEO of Halliburton to serve as Vice President. From the beginning he saw that Halliburton got special favors. The Iraq and Afghanistan invasions allowed him to get scores of billions of dollars of special deals for Halliburton, without bothering with bidding contracts. Halliburton was simply handed these deals.
Cheney saw to it that an energy policy was formulated in secret. Enron got a special seat at the secret table. That was Cheney and Bush both seeing to that specialness. How sleazy can you get?
Dick Cheney took no prisoners. He got people tortured, He got an undercover CIA agent out to the press. He lied about Saddam, WMDs, aluminum pipes, "proof" of the nuclear capability of Iraq, ad infinitum.
There have been tons of low-level, unethical and immoral acts in American politics through the years. But none sunk lower than Dick Cheney. He dragged the United States through the mud. It cannot be totally tabulated what this low-life cost the U.S. in lives, image, economic diaster, etc.
Dick Cheney, you are a monster of the first waters.
