Thursday, August 20, 2009

Cheney's Angst & Other Bushie Issues

About a week ago (as a way of generating pre-book publication mouth wagging), former VP DICK Cheney stated that Gee Dubya Bushie got soft on him in the former President's second term. He apparently was giving in to public pressure on issues such as the two wars, the Guantanamo prisoners, etc. DICK felt as if he were alone in making tough decisions.

Awwww. Poor little DICK. He didn't get his way, and now he decides to cry about it. You gotta feel sorry for him....Really...He was so well liked. I mean, his 13% approval rating [at the end of his term] just goes to show that everybody loves DICK.

...And now he actually thinks that someone will listen to his rants about the worst President in our history. Sounds to me more like DICK is crying wolf, and nobody's listening anymore.

-enough about DICK-

As more time passes we are hearing tidit after tidbit about various GEE Dubya Bushie items and the running of his Administration. We already knew about the reports of Bushie's complete disinterest at Cabinet meetings; his NINE vacations a year; his flat out lies about bringing to justice anyone involved in the Valerie Plame CIA name leak case (ummm...if you'll recall the Libby pardon, as well as allowing Karl Rove to flaunt the law and refuse to appear before a Federal Grand Jury, etc); and his pell mell destruction of Natural Resources for the sole benefit of corporate big wigs; among many, many, many other issues.

Now we are hearing that Karl Rove actually endorsed the firing Federal Judges in a blatant trampling of the Separation of Powers. Of course, Rove still denies any knowledge of the issue, and he continues to throw lawyers and legaleze in front of him as a means of insulating himself from the continued investigation of the Federal Grand Jury.
If you ask me, the fact that he refuses the Grand Jury summons tells me he knows far more than he's willing to admit. Maybe he just wants to stay retired on the lecture circuit and make his $115,000 per appearance fee. Or, maybe he just wants to stay out of prison. In either case, Rove continues on with the delusional idea that he is actually above the law.


Next, Bushies beloved creation, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to abuse the very broad definitions of its scope of powers at our nation's ports of entry. Technically, the TSA is supposed to look for weapons, drugs, and and threats coming into the country. Well, they are doing that, and more. Now the TSA is assessing purported odd behaviors of law-abiding citizens leaving the country on business or pleasure trips. Reports of racial profiling are coming to light, as well as unnecessary body searches, detainment without notification, etc.

Congress is really to blame. They allowed GEE Dubya to ramrod a non-specific creation bill through both houses of Congress because of fear. They allowed Bushie to indefinitely extend the provisions of the Patriot Act in 2005 because he made Congress fearful about the security of the United States. Now the TSA is continuing to abuse the letter and spirit of its charter in keeping the United States safe. Where (or when) does it end?



Finally, Today Tom Ridge, former TSA Director stated that the Bushie Administration pressured him to elevate the "Terror Alert Level" prior to the 2004 Presidential Election. True, there was increased chatter and threats against the US, but (from what I've read) nothing out of the ordinary as far as rhetoric and real, assessable threat value. Makes me wonder if the President wanted the Alert Level raised as a way to remind the American public of everything he had done, and that they were safer with him than with another man in the White House. Hmmmm.....

I'm sure we will see even more tidbits come out as time passes. I look forward to reading them.