Eugene Robinson: Cheney Goes Farther Off the Rails

[bigtree]

Wednesday, December 30, 2009


WASHINGTON — It’s pathetic to break a New Year’s resolution before we even get to New Year’s Day, but here I go. I had promised myself that I would do a better job of ignoring Dick Cheney’s corrosive and nonsensical outbursts — that I would treat them, more or less, like the pearls of wisdom one hears from homeless people sitting in bus shelters.

But he is a former vice president, which gives him a big stage for his histrionic Rottweiler-in-Winter act. It is never a good idea to let widely disseminated lies and distortions go unchallenged. And the shrill screed that Cheney unloosed Wednesday is so full of outright mendacity that, well, my resolution will have to wait.

In a statement he gave to Politico, Cheney seemed to be trying to provide talking points for opponents of the Obama administration who — incredibly — would exploit the Christmas Day terrorist attack for political gain. Cheney’s broadside opens with a big lie, which he then repeats throughout. It is as if he believes that saying something over and over again, in a loud enough voice, magically makes it so.

“As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war,” Cheney begins.

Flat-out untrue . . .

read more: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091230/OPINION04/712309769

[EmeraldCityGrl]

1. CNN is covering this now.

[OregonBlue]

3. What are they saying?

[EmeraldCityGrl]

5. The discussion is centered on whether Obama

should have left Hawaii and returned to DC to handle the crisis. In defense of Obama
(not sure of his name) the guy said the White House goes where Obama goes. He can
get on Air Force 1 and return if it were necessary. Then they compared Obama to Bush.
and remarked on the shit Bush got for being on vacation.

[Zoeisright]

6. The difference is, Bush went on vacation pretty much constantly.

And IGNORED intelligence, when he wasn't making it up. And IGNORED problems like Katrina and the build-up to 9/11.

[saltpoint]

2. One of the most memorable scenes in GOLDFINGER was when Goldfinger

got sucked through that tiny bullet hole in the airplane.

Damn but that had to be pretty painful.

Just sayin'.

[spanone]

4. cheney is a traitor

constructive criticism is one thing...cheney is another