Cheney Winning the Inside Battles Again (Steve Clemons)

[kpete]

Cheney Winning the Inside Battles Again
By Steve Clemons - June 9, 2008, 10:36PM

.................

More recently, however, in the last six to eight weeks, many of my sources in the State Department, the White House, and the intelligence community tell me that the losers last summer and fall are winning again.

David Addington, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, is winning on virtually every battle he is fighting -- from not moving forward on new legal protocols that would be more internationally palatable on combat detainee rights to shelving the Law of the Seas Treaty ratification. But they say that the level of tension in the White House over Iran is also growing -- and the diplomatic game plan that before was dominant seems to have deteriorated significantly -- particularly since the departure of former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns and the firing of Admiral William Fallon.

I'm not saying that war or conflict with Iran is imminent. In fact, I don't think America, even under Bush, will strike Iran first -- but I do think that there is an increasing chance of a trigger event driving a fast escalation of higher and higher consequence military options. This trigger could be a mistaken signal, a ship collision, an event engineered by the Israelis, or by the IRGC Al Quds force, or by some other splinter terrorist operation wanting to exploit regional tensions and the current fragility of affairs.

.......................

Whereas David Wurmser allegedly (though he does deny it) said that Vice President Cheney felt it important to "tie the President's hands" when it came to Iran and to generate an event that would undermine the diplomatic track -- the worry now is that the crowd in power is really talking about tying the next President's hands. . .tying perhaps Barack Obama's hands.

-- Steve Clemons
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/09/iran/

[G_j]

1. meanwhile, let's dis DK for the "distraction"

of putting Bushco crimes into the Congressional record.
:shrug:

[lonestarnot]

2. Is that crap or what! I tell you, people are stupid!

[Raster]

4. Perhaps some are stupid, and then some seem to know exactly what they're doing.

On several threads last night, one poster had all the anti-impeachment rethuglican talking points down, and I mean to the point of fluency.

[AuntPatsy]

3. Exactly, how sad is that?

KR

[formercia]

5. "Cheney felt it important to "tie the President's hands""

Another GLADIO type operation like 9/11, just in time for Obama's inauguration. Leaving one big turd on his doorstep on the way out.