The Heat Is On – Scandal Updates

Yes, the heat was turned up one notch this week with so much activity in the scandals surrounding the Bush Administration. If that weren’t enough, Vice President Dick Cheney drops another scandal right in our laps (I loved the image of Jon Stewart looking up and mouthing the words “Thank You”). So, let’s get an update on some of our White House scandals, shall we…


Dick Cheney – A Weapon of Imbecilic Destruction

Much of the focus of this scandal has been around the delay that occurred before the news of this incident reached the public, along with the method – leaked by Katharine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where this occurred, who is a private citizen. While it’s all well & good to criticize the Vice President for the delay & method, there are so many other facets to this story that bear scrutiny…

Why was Dick Cheney hunting farm-raised quail… from his car? Is there really any sport in that? Why was Cheney hunting without the proper certifications (he was absent of a special stamp to engage in hunting upland game)? Why was the Vice President drinking beer shortly before hunting? Was he intoxicated?

Why was the statement from Katharine Armstrong basically blaming the victim? Is it Harry Whittington’s fault that he looks like a bird?

Why did Dick Cheney, who is known to be in ill health with a bad ticker, gout, and circulatory problems in his legs, make a 180 degree turn and fire his weapon haphazardly? It appears that Cheney broke many of the cardinal rules of hunting. Then again, breaking the rules is par-for-the-course for Dick Cheney who essentially has always played by his own rules.

Why did Cheney originally misrepresent the facts of the incident to the President? First reports to President Bush were that there was a shooting involving the Vice President’s entourage while hunting – they didn’t originally inform the President, Chief of Staff Card, or Press Secretary McClellan that it was the Vice President who did the shooting.

Yes, this scandal is a microcosm of all that is evil in the Cheney Administration – lies, secrecy, spin, rich lobbyists who contributed heavily to Republican coffers, smearing the victim, blaming the liberal media – and that’s just for starters. As tidbits continue to leak out I think there are going to be more twists to this story.


Drove My Chevy To The Levee

The Katrina hurricane tragedy took another twist this week as a report was published announcing that all branches of government were at fault. As Gomer Pyle would say: “Surprise, Surprise!!” …like we didn’t know that before!

The difference now is that evidence shows the Bush Administration and Homeland security were informed of the breach of the levees very shortly after it happened, not a day later as they originally claimed. What does that matter you ask? Well, it unveils for certain that while Bush and Chertoff were attending conferences, birthday parties, and photo-ops, people were dying in the Gulf coast AND THEY KNEW IT! They knew the levees would breach on a hurricane greater than a category 3, they knew the result would be catastrophic, and they went along their business as if there were nothing pressing or urgent to bother with.

Yup, that’s leadership in a crisis... kind of like reading a children’s book for 20 minutes while the country is under attack.


More Abu Ghraib Pictures

I don’t want to beat this dead horse too much, but it’s worth mentioning. Brand new pictures surfaced this week about the abuses from Abu Ghraib, not long after the President and Secretary of State professed that we don’t torture. These same news agencies (Washington Post, etc.) have also said they have even more pictures that are too graphic to release. In addition, the Pentagon has already said that they’re not releasing a number of pictures because they didn’t want to incite more Islamic uprising.

Tell us again Mr. Bush, why is Iraq better off now than when Saddam was oppressing them?


You Don’t Know Jack?

Shortly after Jack Abramoff was indicted for all his wrong-doings, numerous as they may be, the White House started distancing themselves from Jack and his myriad of scandals. President Bush, ever the liar, said in so many words that he doesn’t even know Jack Abramoff.

No sooner did those words leave his lying lips did Jack Abramoff himself profess that he’s met with Bush on a dozen occasions. Pictures of them together have started to emerge, and the White House even said in so many words that they’re refusing to publish additional pictures of them together. I guess those pictures are classified because they’re a matter of national security.

We know that Jack Abramoff was using access to the President as leverage for manipulating Indian leaders. We know that Jack Abramoff was part of Bush’s 2000 transition team. We know that Jack Abramoff has contributed heavily to Bush’s candidacies – enough to be categorized as a ‘Pioneer’. And, we know that Jack Abramoff and Karl Rove’s relationship goes back at least 20 years to their college days.

I’m sorry Mr. Bush, but you DO know Jack!


Scooter Sings

This week saw the start of Scooter Libby testifying to the special prosecutor. This is what we’ve been waiting for. After all the investigations, all the hearings & testimonies, all the blogs, all the pictures, all the emails, all the media focus, and all the hype, the best Patrick Fitzgerald could come up with (thus far) was an indictment on the Vice President’s Chief of Staff for perjury. So far he hasn’t actually nailed anyone for actually outing an undercover CIA agent. He’s only managed to nail Scooter for lying ‘under oath’.

So, now Libby is in the hot seat, literally, and pointing his finger directly at the Vice President. Mr. Libby testified that he was (in so many words) “…ordered by ‘my superiors’ to disclose classified information…”. Although the media has been so wrapped up in CheneyGate, they haven’t latched on to the fact that Dick Cheney (Scooter’s Superior) was the one who ordered the outing of Valerie Plame. This is big. This is really big, because I read this as the Vice President of the United States has committed treason! Perhaps Dick shot his hunting pal just to divert attention away from the real heat. Either way, the heat is on, and it’s only going to get hotter.