FT Article: Cheney faces troubled new year

[MazeRat7]

For those of you wanting something of substance as we enter the new year, there is this little teaser in the Financial Times

Dick Cheney has forged a reputation as the most powerful but also least visible vice-president in recent history. In the next few weeks, however, he will be forced to fight some of his battles in the open – in the courtroom and on Capitol Hill.

The first test will come in the criminal trial of his former chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, charged with lying to a grand jury during an investigation into how a CIA agent’s name was leaked. The trial, due to begin in two weeks, is likely to set an ignominious precedent when Mr Cheney becomes the first vice-president to testify in a trial.

Mr Cheney’s legal team are also steeling themselves for the launch of legislative investigations by the new Democrat-controlled Congress.

In 2004 the vice-president felt confident enough to dismiss questions from Patrick Leahy, then a powerless Democrat, with a lewd invitation for him to do something sexually impossible. Now, he faces political revenge: Mr Leahy, the incoming chairman of the judiciary committee, has said he will issue subpoenas to secure documents that show whether the Bush administration authorised torture as part of its “war on terror”.

He also vowed to look into no-bid Iraq contracts, including those awarded to Halliburton, a company the vice-president once ran. He said: “At the risk of incurring another of Vice-President Cheney’s special season’s greetings, I ask: ‘Where did all the money go?’ ”

...

With the Republicans losing control of the House, keeping the party’s Senate minority unified is vital as the last line of defence for the presidential agenda. “The Senate has become more critical. It is no longer about how to get 287 votes in the House and 60 in the Senate, but how you get 41 votes in the Senate to block something. That’s your power,” says one former senior Cheney aide.


...
Indeed, there is a danger for the Democrats that if they push too hard with subpoenas Republicans could rally around the vice-president.

Mr Lott warns them not to over-reach: “The Republicans found that when they impeached President Bill Clinton. They will find Cheney a tough hombre.”

I plan to be watching the execution of all the planned "fact finding efforts" to see how deftly our new democratic leaders play political chess. It is my prediction that if they use a broad sword rather than a scalpel during these initial campaigns, they will never succeeded in holding anyone in this administration accountable for the damage they have inflicted on us, our nation, and the world.


MZr7

[babylonsister]

1. Good, good, good! I can't wait! Eleanor Clift predicted on McLaughlin

Group last night that there will be a constitutional confrontation over the subpoenas in 07.

:popcorn: Popcorn, anyone?

[leveymg]

2. I'm afraid if the Dems don't start cutting away at the cancer, the patient will die.

If there was ever a time to forceful in the use of subpoena powers, this may be the last chance.

[Cocoa]

3. maybe Cheney can get a deferment from 2007

[SpiralHawk]

17. That's right, Deadeye Dick is a DEFERMENT specialist

He managed to get five (5) military deferments during the Vietnam War because, in his own words, he "had other priorities."

Just another republicon chickenhawk, sending our sons and daughters in uniforms off to fight his WAR PROFITEERING crusade.

[cassiepriam]

4. Cheney will delay for as long as he can, then he will be out of office.

[Hawkowl]

5. office shmoffice

So what if it drags on till he's out of office? It will be that much easier to put him behind bars for past crimes, rather than impeach him for current crimes. Hound him for the rest of his life. The criminal must pay.

[Auggie]

7. If his heart holds up...

[Kat 333]

13. Yep

Major stress and heart disease aren't a good combination. That added to the fact he's an evil bastard. Sounds dicey to me.

[cassiepriam]

14. It is only held together with masking tape and spit at this point.

[cassiepriam]

21. He may have to pull a Ken Lay..... nt

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Senator Lott has no right to warn anybody

about anything. He needs to go Cheney himself.

[DemReadingDU]

8. evening kick

[Fovea]

9. I wonder if Lott is saying

"Do not try to impeach Bush/Cheney" or
"Don't screw it up like we did."

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Lott doesn't have a lot of reason to like the Bushies.

They threw him out of the basket to lighten the balloon a few years ago.

[WiseButAngrySara]

10. Hey, Mr. Dick-face Cheney. Go F...yourself. ....n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

12. And that trouble is spelled F-i-t-z-g-e-r-a-l-d!

:-)

[H2O Man]

15. We are getting closer

to the Libby trial.

[radfringe]

16. They will find Cheney a tough hombre

Mr Lott warns them not to over-reach: “The Republicans found that when they impeached President Bill Clinton. They will find Cheney a tough hombre.”

big difference between Clinton and Cheney:

Clinton's job approval rating surpassed 70% despite his impeachment - the "overreaching" Lott is talking about is that the PEOPLE were with Clinton.

Nixon's approval rating at time of resignation: 25%

Cheney's approval rating: 20-30% depending on poll.

bush approval average: 36.7%

[Eurobabe]

18. So why did they hang Saddam again? eom

[jazzjunkysue]

19. At the risk of incurring another of Vice-President Cheney’s special

season’s greetings, I ask: ‘Where did all the money go?’ ”
Hysterical.

Go get the greedy pig. Go Leahy. Go for the jugular. And if that doesn't work, here's a silver stake and some garlic.

[spanone]

20. Cheney will end up in the Caymans or somewhere else with Ken Lay.