Former Cheney Adviser: ‘Iraq Is Now Bush’s Baby, And Cheney Doesn’t Want To Be Tarred With It’

[RedEarth]

Questioning why Vice President Cheney has been “publicly silent and mostly out of sight” since the Iraq Study Group issued its report, U.S. News reports that a former Cheney adviser believes the vice president is now cutting-and-running from the “grave and deteriorating” situation in Iraq:

“I think we’ll see less of him than ever,” says the associate. “Iraq is now Bush’s baby, and Cheney doesn’t want to be tarred with it in the eyes of historians.”

Regardless of the actions Cheney takes in the future, history will not forget that he has been at the center of the administration’s most egregious attempts to both sell the war (”we believe has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons“) and falsely report the situation on the ground (”I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency”).

Based on conversations with sources inside the White House, U.S. News notes there may be an alternative explanation for Cheney’s disappearance:

White House insiders say Cheney is playing an inside game, advising President Bush privately not to change course too much in Iraq, not to withdraw U.S. troops anytime soon, and not to talk directly with the hard-line regimes in Iran and Syria about the situation.

Cheney, an architect of current policy, is waiting for Bush to decide, perhaps early in the new year, what to do next before he speaks out. At that point, insiders say, he will go public to sell the president’s decision around the country, especially in speeches to conservative audiences who still have a high regard for Cheney, even though his popularity with the public is very low.

Cheney is reportedly advocating taking the side of the Shiites in Iraq’s civil war, a position which caused him to be “summoned” recently to Saudi Arabia and has stoked fears of a broader war in the Middle East. Whatever motivations Cheney has for remaining publicly silent, he seems intent on pushing his failed ideological vision to its disastrous ends, while escaping accountability for it.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/13/cheneys-silence/

[Bucky]

1. These Republicans just crack me up.

If it weren't for all the dead people, it'd be pretty funny.

[WI_DEM]

2. Cheney "doesn't want to be tarred by it" in history--too late, big boy!

[goforit]

13. Ahhh .....but he plans to delay the inevitable.

Question is when eeverything is said and done, where will he go where will he hide.

[Howardx]

14. forever intertwined in my mind

seriously cheney must be "on his last throes" to believe thats going to work

[berni_mccoy]

3. Did he just say Tar and Baby? How offensive.

[librechik]

4. HOW DARE HE DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM HIS WAR

that he talked Shrimp into, that he negotiated with the oil companies, that HIS COMPANY HALLIBURTON made BILLIONS off of after being close to bankruptcy in 2000?

HOW DARE HE TRY THIS ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!!

ARREST THAT SCALAWAG and put him in with the regular (prison) population.

[Imagevision]

7. When the sh*t hits the fan, Cheney will resign due to heart/health issue and Rice will replace him

killing any chances for McCain or Giuliani in 08. This you can take to the Bank!!

[MADem]

5. The vice president is now cutting-and-running

Gee, what a surprise....not!!!!

Cheney is reportedly advocating taking the side of the Shiites in Iraq’s civil war, a position which caused him to be “summoned” recently to Saudi Arabia and has stoked fears of a broader war in the Middle East.

This shit gets more and more interesting!!! Maybe Cheney doesn't realize that the shi'a are those bastards running Eye-Ran, or maybe he's hoping that a bunch of Iranian exiles will rise up and put Baby Shah on the throne and toss out the clerics!!!

.... he seems intent on pushing his failed ideological vision to its disastrous ends, while escaping accountability for it.

Eh, so what ELSE is new? Isn't that his MO for ever and always? Pro-war muthafucka with five deferments!!!


I notice that USNWR calls the source "the FORMER associate." Hmmm...Scooter? Mary Matalin?

[Imagevision]

6. With repugs jumping ship, Bush looks like a manchurian candidate with each passing day

[Disturbed]

8. Cheney is a Sociopathetic Asshole,

if you will. :argh:

[rodeodance]

9. rummy is playing the same game now also.

[NNN0LHI]

10. Dick is one Duracell away from a dirt sandwich and he is worried about his legacy

These people are sick puppies.

Don

[sendero]

12. LOL..

... THAT was funny!

[rodeodance]

11. but he has been in all the Photo-Ops this week.

[DemonFighterLives]

21. When I saw the 3 at the helm

GFY, dubby and kindaricey = all I could think of is ship of fools.
Us poor poor Americans are rudderless!
:dem:

[goforit]

15. He 's got that right ...."escaping accountability..."

[Gwerlain]

16. Well, whatever happened to...

IdesOfOctober and CorpGovActivist? I'd say the stuff those guys dug up, combined with the Nigeria bribery scandal being pursued by the French, combined with Plamegate, and a few other little thises-and-thats might be a hell of a lot better explanation. If I was him with that much shit swirling, I'd be talking to my lawyers 8x5 for DAMN sure.

But if anyone knows what's going on with CGA's activities, I'd be interested to know. I should probably be looking in the SEC archives and on those two web sites, and I think I'll suit actions to words. Hope nothing nasty happened.

[Gwerlain]

19. A bit of research...

shows the HALWhistleblowers site is still on line. It was last updated on the 20th of November. The last post CGA made (at least on this forum) was the 3rd of December.

Wonder what's going on.

[conscious evolution]

30. Corp is in court this week.

State street bank had him arrested for tresspassing at stockholder meeting.Trial started Friday.He plans on asking some interesting questions that could really embarass bushco.
As for Ides I think he is a lawyerfor either Corp or the feds.Either way he is pretty busy these days.

[Gwerlain]

32. Thanks for the info n/t.

[peacetalksforall]

17. This is an attempt to save PNA C and more. No matter how old and

how tarred President Cheney and Rumsfeld are, there are plenty of young ones in the PNAC Party that can carry on after Cheney is tried for illegal deals for Hallibruton and the KBR family of companies and friends. The world might also take he and Rumsfeld to court for war crimes. They are both doomed.

But the PNAC Party can be saved. Jr is not really PNAC - he didn't author anything - he is the gofer puppet who fund raises and does what Cheney, with approval from the higher up barons (so far), have allowed him to do. If he saves the PNAC Party, it saves the Baron Party, and the Republican Party.

The immediate prize is to gamble on Iran and the Shia to keep the oil he and Rumsfeld think they won (took).

I think any realist knows that Cheney and Rumsfeld cannot be saved in history. If only the same were true for PNAC and the Baron Party agenda of destroying this country so that we are no better than any other second or third world country. The dreams of your parents, grandparents, and great ones for their descendents may be lost forever if the PNAC & Baron Party succeed.

[Imagevision]

18. Cheney is dangerous and a traitor, the sooner he leaves, the better!!

[Double T]

20. Standing by with plenty of tar and feathers for the king of ALL chickenhawks......

history will NEVER FORGET this failed administration and its' destruction

[hvn_nbr_2]

22. Why Cheney is silently hiding

He's hoping to be inconspicuous enough that he won't get tossed before Bush either gets impeached, has a breakdown, or throws up his hands and quits. Then Cheney will be POTUS and will make the DOD a subsidiary of Halliburton. Imagine what that will do for his stock options.

[Sapere aude]

23. If we stay in Iraq we have to take a side in the civil war and when we do we

become the enemy of either Syria or Iran. I see the neocons wanting us to take the side that is favored by Syria and we then ratchet up the war with Iran. That was the plan all along. The civil war is welcomed by the administration now. Thus the fleet in the area.


You mark my word. The only hope we have is for the Dems to cut the funding. The neocons will not give up.

[rateyes]

24. As far as I'm concerned, Cheney can

GO FUCK HIMSELF!!!

[Morgana LaFey]

25. The arrogant bastard thinks

he STILL can manipulate public opinion, not to mention history? Amazing the limitless abundance of hubris.

[SemperEadem]

26. So Haliburton is going to turn over its profits now?

No, Cheney is tarred and feathered in this and he can't step away from it now.

[Subdivisions]

27. "And Cheney Doesn’t Want To Be Tarred With It" ... too late! n/t

[smoogatz]

28. "We will be greeted as liberators."

Whatever Cheney says, do the opposite.

[Olney Blue]

29. I'll never forget reading that Cheney picked up a magazine

to take down to the shelter during the 9/11 evacuation of the WH.

That's one cold motherfu**er

[MrSlayer]

31. He knew he was in no danger.

Easy to be so cool when you know the plan.