LAT: Cheney, CIA Long at Odds

[Tiggeroshii]

Cheney, CIA Long at Odds
The vice president's history of tension with the agency may help explain why his office is an area of interest in the blown-cover probe.

By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, Dick Cheney has tussled with the CIA, first as secretary of Defense and later as vice president. Now that long and tortured history forms the backdrop of a federal probe into who named an undercover agency officer — an inquiry that is centering in part on Cheney's office.

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has interviewed not only the vice president but also his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and several other current and former Cheney aides as he seeks to learn who told reporters about the agent and whether anyone obstructed his inquiry.

Cheney's long relationship with Libby, and their shared doubts about the CIA, help explain why the vice president and his staff would draw the prosecutor's interest. Fitzgerald is in the final stages of deciding whether to issue indictments, according to defense lawyers in the case, and his decision could roil a White House struggling with sinking poll numbers, a troubled Supreme Court nomination and other problems.

Fitzgerald is trying to determine who revealed the identity of Valerie Plame, an undercover officer and the wife of former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson IV. Wilson had publicly accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence to rally support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

More: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cheney20oct20,0,5587019.story?coll=la-home-nation

[jamesinca]

1. This is getting good

I have the industrial sized tub of popcorn and I am waiting for this to come to a conclusion. Just think the man who voted against Meals-on -wheels may finally get his just deserts.

On edit the XXV amendment, I think it may come in handy in the next few days.

Amendment XXV

Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.


Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.


Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.


Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.


Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

[Tiggeroshii]

2. Yep

It'll prolly be Dennis Hastert as VP...

[Judi Lynn]

3. Here's Hastert getting some pointers in acting pResidential.

_Bush is showing a few selected politicians how to "walk this way."



Obviously Daschle and Gebhart couldn't get it down, and they're gone.

[Robeson]

4. Great Picture......

...not trying to be off topic here, but what struck me when I saw that, was how when I was growing up, and everyone would look at the Chinese in their green or blue outfits, and people would say that's their party uniform. Hell, are these guys any different? Looks like an American Party uniform. They're all wearing the same suit.

[leveymg]

7. Cover-The-Gut Saluters - survived the purge. The Pin-Wearers out early.

Fearless Leader doesn't do the Presidential Strut like that anymore. That one was a double, anyway.

Gosh, this is almost as fun as Kremlin Watching at the Lenin Tomb.



:hide: :patriot: B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) :dunce: :+ B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) B-) :patriot: :hide: :yoiks:

[jamesinca]

6. I disagree with the Hastert prediction

I am betting on James Dobson, he needs to shore up the fundie base after the Harriet Miers debacle. You know Sponge Bob Square Pants not only promotes the homosexual agenda, he doubles as a contraceptive for women. That is why James Dobson hates Sponge Bob.

[madmark]

5. This may be very "tin foil", but

does anybody else think that the CIA may have set up these corrupt morons (bushco) with the plame/wilson situation, and the corrupt morons took the bait by committing treason, and now they are about to face the intended consequences?

[leveymg]

8. That was an early thought. But, Cheney, Scooter and Hannah have been

trying to destroy the professional analysts at CIA for a long time.

The phoney documents and Plame outing are right in line with their dirty-tricks MO. Ledeen, Ghorbanifar and Dewey go back a long time with Cheney and the others who pulled off Iran-Contra. In a way, Fitz is a long-delayed consequence of that failed prosecution. They all should have been taken away in irons in 1991.

They committed treason alright, but it was all their own doing - over, and over again.

[cassiepriam]

9. I have always wondered about the CIA getting back at BushCo.

The repugs are such idiots and so evil that all the CIA has to do is get the truth out. That is a big task however. And the CIA would have to protect the prosecutors going after the corruption.

[readmylips]

10. Cheney's secret dicktator government...

Who needs the CIA when we got dick.

[BushSpeak]

11. Who do you replace first - the Pres or the Veep

This is a long shot, but we can play a bit of political fiction until the Fitzgerald sh$* hits the fan.

There is a link on Buzzflash to a rumor that Cheney is already plea bargaining with the special investigator, involving his resignation. Also says that there is speculation on the hill as to who would replace Cheney. McCain has apparently been contacted.

Now, suppose that the power establishment has given up on Bush and is trying to limit the damage in 2008. How do you go about it and in what order.

If Bush gets impeached who gets the call? How's that help for 2008?

But if things are done in the other order, the new Veep is already in place to take over, set the new image and help forget the Bush legacy.

Sweet dreams

[cliss]

12. I think the Vice-Prez will be first.

That's what they did the last time around. I just heard on the radio that they are talking to McCain to replace Cheney.

After that, Bush is "Fair Game" like Rove said once. Bush is nothing without Rove or Cheney. Randi Rhodes said that Cheney is actually the president, and Rove has been the Vice-president.

LOVE the way this is going.

[goforit]

13. Tom Hamburger???....Whata a name for a writer of this "SCAM"!!!

Sorry but the names of 3/4 of these people involved in this
administration and beyond has got to be a joke.

And is very surreal.

Bush/Rumsfeld/Cheney/Rove/Ashcroft/Rice(+Condi)/Bolton/Blair

Scalia/Snow/DeLay/Pearle/Kristol/Powell/White/Lay/Skilling/Ari

These names are names that only Alfred Hitchcock would think up.

[Tiggeroshii]

Haha. Got'cha there...

It's like a storybook, that's for sure...

[supernova]

14. Cheney has been at this game since

the Nixon administration.

Is it any wonder that he is as fucked up as he is?

[goforit]

15. The headline should be "How Cheney Manipulated the CIA for Years"

[lovuian]

16. Cheney was trying to influence or INTIMIDATE the CIA!!!

Into making 9/11 the key to going to war with IRAQ!!!


"For example, CIA officials repeatedly told Cheney and others in his circle that they did not think Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta had met with Iraqi agents in Prague, Czech Republic, before the attacks."