Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Cheney's Law (updated)

This is what the DK household will be watching tonight. PBS "Frontline" usually does a good job going behind the scenes providing a thoughtful unsensationalized program.

Will I just be torturing myself by watching this tonight, or is there some validity to witnessing the ongoing compilation of evidence that might some day end up in a criminal court trial (domestic or international, maybe even, dare I hope, both)?















PBS FRONTLINE
"CHENEY'S LAW"
Tonight, Oct 16th

PBS Press Release:
FRONTLINE'S SEASON PREMIERE INVESTIGATES CHENEY'S EFFORTS TO EXPAND THE POWER OF THE PRESIDENCYFRONTLINE presentsCHENEY'S LAW Tuesday, October 16, 2007, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS www.pbs.org/frontline/cheney

*********** UPDATE: just a few DK thoughts while watching Frontline :

First, if you missed it & are interested, it is worth seeing. Click on the PBS link above & you can see it online. If impeachment thoughts have ever receded, it will bring them rushing back into your forebrain.

The key to understanding Dick Cheney is his core belief in ensuring the President has unlimited powers as Commander in Chief. Thus, the Cheney legal team has gone about creating an unfettered presidency for GWB that allows him to ignore the law. Why does congress keep passing those pesky laws?

All crucial decisions during the GWB presidency take place in Cheney's office. Whatever will the next president do without the benefit of Cheney's "benevolent" guidance?


Cheney has been quoted as saying, immediately after 9/11, that now the country will be Ruled by Men, rather than Laws. By "now", he meant during the War on Terror, which we know will go on forever & therefore we are no longer a nation of laws. This is Cheney's Catch-22.

We've all heard the little coxswain crowing many times, "I'm a wartime president". It is vitally important to Cheney's agenda that this impression be emblazoned into the public's consciousness. Wartime powers, as interpreted by John Yoo & David Addington & other cheneywhores, mean that congress cannot limit the president's powers as commander in chief. In their minds, there is nothing congress can do to stop a wartime president. Many in the opposition party seem to have bought into this BS & that is why we are seeing so little done to stop the madness. Maybe they need to declare themselves a "wartime congress" so that they can exercise unlimited powers against the unlimited executive branch.

The program has a very good section about the Ashcroft hospital bed incident. What struck me was how, when the word got out that Gonzo & Andy Card were on their way to Ashcroft's sickbed, there was a mad rush by other Justice Dept people to intervene. Ashcroft was described as "ashen & near death", but he rallied enough to refuse to endorse expanding NSA surveillance & restated that Comey was Acting AG, not him. Of course, this didn't stop GWB from then authorizing the program on his own signature the very next morning (I wonder who gave him the idea he could do that). 30 Justice Dept people threatened to resign over that, incl Jack Goldsmith, James Comey & even Robert Muller, the FBI director. There was a brief side-shuffle while Cheney & Addington reworked the memo to pacify the Justice Dept. It remains a secret to this day what exactly was changed. Knowing the great leeway they've given themselves in the torture & spying business, don't you wonder what was so awful that they capitulated to Justice & removed it?

My final thought is that when Cheney swings into action, we better all grab onto our asses. The man is lethal. We have him & Addington to thank for the clever wording of all those signing stmnts, the ones that proclaim the Unitary Executive Branch will interpret whatever piece of legislation GWB just scrawled into law -- meaning the law isn't worth the paper it's written on. So, why are we wasting all those trees providing this congress with paper to write laws on?

******* OK, it's late, I'm tired & my back hurts. If you detect any crankiness in my thoughts here, it is no doubt a result of that & not to be interpreted as dissatisfaction with our wonderful leaders. Many others have raged about this in a much more entertaining fashion. ~~ D.K.

12 comments:

azgoddess said...

i'll wait for your commentary as i don't watch tv....hugs

Fran said...

Grandpa Mac recommends: Know thy enemy.
I think Grandpa is right on. Frontline does an excellent job of sticking with the facts. I'm sure parts of it will be hard to watch.... but so much has happened at such a rapid pace, it's hard to keep track of it all. I'm counting on Frontline to frame it. The strange thing about Cheney is his hiding behind the scenes in his *undisclosed location*. Kind of like a snake. I swear we hear more from Osama Bin Laden than we do our Vice President. Creepy!

Cartledge said...

I still can't work out which rock the VP crawled out from, and how he has been allowed to survive.
He makes old Spiro Agnew look like a choir boy.

Anon-Paranoid said...

I only hope and pray I'm still alive to watch them all stand trial in the Hague for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.

I want to be around to see them all walk to the same gallows that Hitler's Nazi's were all hung on and watch them all piss and shit their pants when the ropes are put around their necks.

One thing is for sure and that is Saddam Husein died more of a man than Bush and his Gestapo will. On the day they face Justice the Whole World will Rejoice and thank the Lord for seeing justice prevail.

God Bless.

enigma4ever said...

okay I confess I didn't watch...and I ALWAYS watch Frontline..I love it..( ugh even if Cheney is on..) but....I had to watch the Indians...wow..you are writing up a storm over here...I have to get caught up...phew...

Fran said...

Ok~ I subjected myself to this Frontline segment. It was interesting to see film clips of a younger Cheney, and how his face and eyes have changed. He has this cold steely look in his eyes now. What I found most disturbing was the first reaction post 9-11- they show Cheney saying #1, we need absolute power. Of course all the following info of the total erosion & corruption, cooking up ways to get around international & domestic laws. It was refreshing that one man in the justice system, resigned saying there is no way he could be a part of such gross abuse of the legal system.
So waht is the follow up? Last I know Cheney was in a standoff, saying he did not have to release documents to congress, and Cheney declaring he was NOT a part of the Executive Branch. Congress were to chat w the Dept of Justice about the topic? There was talk of playing he National Security card.... to be continued????

D.K. Raed said...

Thank you all for stopping by. I DVR'd Frontline & will put a few thoughts up on the post itself now.

Fran -- I don't know what the status is with Cheney's assertion he's not part of the Executive Branch. They sure do count on the short attn span of most people, don't they? And Enigma, you can watch it online, I'll put it in my post update now.

Thanks again, everyone, hope you had a good evening. I spent mine recovering from tweaking my back today while fall pruning. Ugh!

Anon-Paranoid said...

Here's the reason the Democrats won't impeach Der Fuhrer Bush or the Dark Lord Dick {Heinrich Himmler} Cheney.

Watch this short YouTube of Ralph Nader explaining why.

No Impeachment.

God Bless.

proudprogressive said...

I saw that show, and it confirmed what so many of us believe and want justice done by result. Frankly it scared the shit out me. There indeed was a coup in 2000. This IS fascism american style ..and oh boy ! Glad you posted on it DK - and yeah that Nader vid is gonna be up on my spot soon ..the dude is right, always has been right. and both sides of the one party hate him for it..and most distressingly the dems hate him the most. sad but true. Cause he pulled their covers.those in power hate that !

D.K. Raed said...

Anon-Para: Thank god for ralph, eh? Jeez, when he started talking about a cancelled 2008 election, my neck hairs must've spiked up an inch!

PProgressive: Watching how Cheney operates is just so painful, I swear I was twisted up in knots by the end of Frontline. Here's the diff between him & his brushclearingpuppet: if GWB and Cheney were both stripped of all power & friends, then plunked down in some 3rd world hellhole, I have no doubt bush would be dead by sunset; whereas Cheney would thrive, probably even be running the joint in 48-hrs.

Anonymous said...

Hey...you have a blog! That's awesome.

D.K. Raed said...

Oh Kvatch, seeing your little frogface here, that's what's awesome! Now that you've released yourself from Blog Bondage, I hope to see you hopping around more.