Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I have no link, only a source. There is a new, high ranking committee investigating former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that consists of three Republicans and two Democrats. It involves malfeasance by the two men before and during their time in office, and also involves the first President Bush, who isn't necessarily considered a target and culpable, but some things happened on his watch. I realize this all sounds somewhat unusual coming from me, since I'm no investigative journalist, but I heard about this from someone in the military who has already been questioned by this committee. He was asked specific questions about Iraq and Afghanistan. After he was done being questioned, he was told by his superiors why he was called and who they were after. As one of his superiors said, "If they didn't want some word to get out they wouldn't have told me and then said it was okay to tell you." This person is a family friend who's been in the service for over 20 years. He has the type of job where we go years and years without hearing from him and not knowing if he's even alive. He'll pop up without notice, and then leave just as quick. Again, I know this sounds like some made up cloak and dagger crap, but it's what I was told. I also asked if it was okay to post generically about it as I've done here, telling him briefly about WE, and he said it was okay, giving the quote in the previous paragraph. Make of it what you will. I thought it interesting to pass along. He said he's not aware of any timetable at all for this to go public and charges being brought. It could two months, two years or too bad.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Couple of points of clarification- I chose the thread title I did because our friend said from what they were asking him, he thinks they must already have him dead to rights, him being Cheney. He also stressed he could be wrong. He did say what the general subject was about, which has to do with them personally profiting from their activities, no surprise. However, it isn't all Halliburton, as one would suspect.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Wow. We all know how you feel about Cheney and Rumsfeld, but we also should know you're not the kind of person who would post something like this if it wasn't true. Nor would I put something corrupt past Cheney for a second, and probably not Rumsfeld either. I'm only surprised I haven't heard of this committee of 5, as it's hard to keep something like that quiet, but if they've only been talking to military people so far, that would make it easier. Wow.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Up to now, we're not supposed to have heard of this committee, apparently. This guy is not someone that says things just to hear himself. I can say he used to be a Seal, but since he's lost parts of an arm and leg, he's been attached to another assignment, one which is pretty cool, and one that he won't confirm, but it's obvious what it is when he tells us where he's been. Believe me, I feel weird posting about it but apparently it's okay. I did a bit of googling and could only come up with old Halliburton stuff, but this is all new, he says.
Originally Posted By ecdc Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. Here's hoping something comes of this.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "I call B.S. on this my cousnins,brothers,nurse told me story." I really don't care what you think about it.
Originally Posted By mele I totally trust SPP on this. Looks like things are going to get interesting.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Could this be Cheney's motive for being so vocal in the public arena lately? Trying to clear his name before the s**t hits the fan?
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/11/cheney.surveillance/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITI...dex.html</a> Ahem.
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> The June 26 letter characterizes Panetta as testifying that the CIA "concealed significant actions from all members of Congress, and misled members for a number of years from 2001 to this week." << And once again, the GOP finds itself on the wrong side of an issue that they themselves created. Except you'll never get them to admit what's glaringly obvious to everyone else. Most of you may recall a few months back, when the GOP was bashing Nancy Pelosi for saying that "the CIA misleads congress all the time". Bohner and Gingrich and plenty of others were calling for her resignation over her comments. Except she was right - the CIA actually does withhold information from congress and had been doing it for years. It was conclusively proven AT THE TIME due to copious notetaking by another congressman attending the same briefing. And here we have the CIA fessing up that they failed to report critical actions they were engaging in. AND they were doing it at the behest of the republican white house, specifically the vice president, who coincidentally is also the head of the senate. But you won't here a peep out of the usual suspects now. Even though this is malfeasance on a grand scale, suddenly they're no longer concerned. Just who is it who votes for and supports these weasels? Republicans? How about taking some ownership for the actions of your own party? Fat chance of that, huh. And for added irony, these are people who consider themselves "values voters" - to this day.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 SPP didn't quote the link, and I know sometimes if I just see a link without comments I'll pass it by... so it's worth quoting here: "The CIA withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress during the Bush administration on direct orders from then-Vice President Dick Cheney, current CIA director Leon Panetta told members of Congress, a knowledgeable source confirmed to CNN." So we learned earlier in the week that the CIA definitively withheld info from Congress from 2001 on... now we learn it was on direct orders from Cheney. Considering that keeping Congress informed is mandatory, and withholding such information is, AFAIK, illegal... here's yet another thing Cheney SHOULD be held accountable for. But will he be? McCain was on Meet the Press today (talking about torture specifically, but it could apply here as well) and he said we should be "looking forward" and not airing our dirty laundry. Gregory asked him "what about accountability?" and McCain responded that everybody already knows torture was going on (despite some continuing to deny it), and the individuals involved have already lost any reputation they might have had, and that was basically enough. I don't think so. Sure, Cheney's reputation is already toast with everyone but the hardcore true believers, but it says something about us as a country if we DON'T prosecute blatant wrongdoing like this at the very top of our government.
Originally Posted By ecdc And you'll hear the usual suspects say, "Well who cares? They were fighting terrorists!" But can you imagine the outcry if Vice-President Al Gore had ordered a secret program kept hidden from then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich? The accusations would be absurd. Hey, we'd probably hear that the program was designed to cover up the murder of Vince Foster. And it's because Republicans (you've gotta hand it to 'em) over the years have somehow convinced some Americans that they're the ones we can trust to protect the country. Forget that they completely ignore (as this latest story evidences) our balance of power and our Constitution, they're the ones you can trust. Somehow, they've convinced their supporters, who swallow this nonsense hook, line, and sinker, that Democrats like President Obama aren't really interested in fighting terrorism or our enemies. They conjure up phantom images of liberals who secretly hate American and support terrorists because they somehow feel sorry for them. And the most naive actually believe this crap. They've divided our country over an issue that doesn't even exist. The real division is whether we believe America is a great country based on truth, or based on fiction. I believe America is great because of our rule of law, because of our Constitution, because of our balance of power, and because of our moral example on the world stage. Others believe America is the greatest in spite of these things, and they invent out of whole cloth non-existent "truths" - like America is great because it's a Christian nation, or America is great...just because. Then they use this divine mandate to justify *any* behavior, no matter how immoral or wrong. The upside-down bizarro world people like Gingrich have invented is as un-American as you can get.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Douglas - are you out there? Where are you when we need you? I'd like to know what the GOP spin on all of this is. Doesn't mean it'll have a shred of credibility, but they have to say SOMETHING. Probably more of what McCain was saying - looking forward, moving along, let's not revisit old business, yada yada. I mean, what else can they say? This is so glaring of conspiracy and corruption that it's indefensible. And if there are no further investigations and prosecutions, that's corruption of our government and our laws and our basic integrity. I voted for change, and I'm starting to get impatient.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Here is what is going to happen, they will look at it, and then decide to not pursue it further...why? Because every Administration does shady stuff, EVERY....and President Obama is not going to risk the next Administration looking deep into his dealings... So he will have a token look at Cheney's and Bush's dealings and then move on to other issues....
Originally Posted By mele <<the individuals involved have already lost any reputation they might have had, and that was basically enough.>> Sure, dirtbags hate it when they lose their reputations.
Originally Posted By pecos bill The really sad thing is that we have become so jaded to this type of behavior, it has almost become the accepted norm. My guess is that it will be swept under the rug. I swear, when I see people who still have a passionate support for these spiders, I look at them in the same light as I would a paranoid schizophrenic.
