Maureen Dowd's New York Times opinion piece yesterday was "Cheney and the Goat Devil." The mainstream media are reveling in the purported falling out between former President George Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney. Supposedly the two disagreed over granting Cheney's previous chief of staff, Scooter Libby, a pardon. Dowd joins in the fun:
There were clues in the last couple of years that W. and Condi were trying to sidle away from Cheney by using the forbidden strategy of diplomacy in dealing with Iran and North Korea, and by cutting loose Rummy.As one official who worked closely with both W. and Cheney told The New York Daily News’s Tom DeFrank the last week of the administration: “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard the president say, ‘Run that by the vice president’s office.’ You used to hear that all the time.”
The clearest sign of disaffection we have is Bush’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby, the man known as “Cheney’s Cheney,” despite Vice’s tense and emotional pleading. It was his final, too little, too late “You are not the boss of me” spurning of Dick Cheney.
It may seem pointless for W. to worry about his legacy at this juncture, but he clearly did not want to add a Marc Rich blot to all the other gigantic blots on the copybook.
Approximating the Marc Rich case to that of Scooter Libby is akin to comparing Barney Frank to John Wayne. They have almost nothing in common, something even Dowd may have noticed.
As Time Magazine reported soon after Bill Clinton pardoned Rich, who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List:
In 1983, Rich was indicted in federal court of evading more than $48 million in taxes. He was also charged with 51 counts of tax fraud and with running illegal oil deals with Iran during the hostage crisis.
Furthermore, Time noted, "Marc Rich's socialite ex-wife has donated an estimated $1 million to Democratic causes, including $70,000 to Hillary Clinton's successful Senate campaign and $450,000 to the Clinton presidential library fund."
In contrast, Scooter Libby greatest crime was at worst lying. The New York Times reported:
I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted today of lying to a grand jury and to F.B.I. agents investigating the leak of the identity of a C.I.A. operative in the summer of 2003 amid a fierce public dispute over the war in Iraq.
Senior U.S. News & World Report writer Michael Barone succinctly explained what had transpired in the Libby case:
Libby was a dedicated and hypercompetent public servant who was brought down by a prosecutor investigating a scandal that wasn't a scandal. The investigation purportedly was an attempt to discover who had told Robert Novak that Valerie Plame was a CIA "operative" (Novak's word). But prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald knew before the investigation began that the leaker was Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. It is astonishing that Armitage and his friend and boss Secretary of State Colin Powell didn't inform Bush of this and allowed two of his top aides, Libby and Karl Rove, to be harassed by Fitzgerald for months and years.
There is no comparison between Marc Rich and Scooter Libby. Still, had Bush done the unthinkable and actually pardoned Libby, no doubt we'd have heard about it incessantly from the mainstream media for years to come. You'd think that Scooter Libby had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.
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Let's bring in Gore's attorney on the Libby case
February 18, 2009 - 20:39 ET by Gary HallLet's bring in Gore's attorney in Bush v Gore, David Boies, on the Libby case. gary
David Boies on H_C on Fox – March 5th, 2007
I doubt if
February 18, 2009 - 20:39 ET by RD KingMaureen O Dowd even really cares, this is just another chance to slam GW and give Al Kider a coded message of our US top secret updates in the war on terror, oh I forgot it doesn't really exist. What it boils down to is Richard Armitage and those who collobrated with him should face a firing squad for the subversive way they let them prosecute and persecute an innocent man.
could she have been any less specific?!?
February 18, 2009 - 20:39 ET by clinging to my guns and my religion"There were clues..." "As one official ..."
what clues, which official? do these people ever have any real facts or real sources?!? but why should they, when they can invent everything they need?
integrity? not so much!
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke
Unnamed sources, baseless suppositions,
February 18, 2009 - 20:54 ET by IamTinmanUnnamed sources, baseless suppositions, isn't the public getting tired of all these guttersnipes who sit in their plush offices and generate this trash, instead of doing real reporting.
There's only one man who knows the truth of this story and he's in Dallas measuring the drapes. Dowd just wanted an easy column that didn't require any work. Too typical of most of todays media.
Palin Leaks
February 19, 2009 - 08:43 ET by allanfIsn't this evocative of the Palin leaks by anonymous McCain staffers a few weeks ago?
I'm surprised she didn't
February 18, 2009 - 20:56 ET by BlazerI'm surprised she didn't say he added an FLNA blot with the commutations of Ramos and Compean.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Maureen Dowd must have written this up waiting at the salon
February 18, 2009 - 21:05 ET by R D Helm...as she clearly had nothing better to do with her time.
Heck, she probably over-wrote the file of her previously written "Bush Pardons Most Dangerous Scoundrel in America!" column she never got to see published, but had all edited, spell-checked and loaded up in the hopper, just in case.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Dowd is Dowd...I don't even
February 18, 2009 - 21:37 ET by bigtimerDowd is Dowd...I don't even click on her columns anymore like I used to.
I will just give my opinion here though about all of this...I was disappointed President Bush didn't Pardon Libby...at least he did the Border Guards, still, this was all BS with Scooter, and Fitz knew from way back when that is was Armitage and kept it up with the prosecution instead of dropping the charges....along with the panting from the msm, especially msnbc with Matthews as the head cheerleader.
As far as I am concerned, they destroyed this man and his career with glee.
I agree that the msm would have went on incessantly about this for years... but what the heck , we have heard nothing but disdain, hatred towards President Bush for eight or more years now, and we will continue to hear it for more years to come yet, that should not have have made a difference whatsoever....not the way I see things anyway.
bt, he didn't pardon Ramos
February 18, 2009 - 21:42 ET by Blazerbt, he didn't pardon Ramos and Compean. He commuted their sentences, there is a big difference there. They are still convicted criminals, only they do not have to serve out their full sentences.
Yea, makes me sick too, even worse than the Libby affair.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Hi Blaze... Right you
February 18, 2009 - 21:57 ET by bigtimerHi Blaze...
Right you are...I knew that too, easy to forget that fact.
Thanks for the much needed correction.
yes, bush should have pardoned scooter!
February 18, 2009 - 21:45 ET by clinging to my guns and my religionafter all, in contrast we should look at the hoodlums obama has rewarded with cabinet positions! everything that goes wrong from here until eternity will be blamed on bush anyway, so what would have been the added harm?
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke
Dowdy Dowd is a Fool
February 18, 2009 - 22:02 ET by Lakewood BobI consider dowdy Dowd as a liberal fool, who loves to criticize any Republican. That's alright, though, anybody with intelligence understands her shallow and partisan motives. What is despicable, however, is that Bush was and is such a wimp. He would not stand up for anybody in his administration while at the same time he let that reprobate Chuckie Schumer lead him around by the nose! I hope Cheney and Libby never again have anything to do with him.
It's Burris vs Libby
February 18, 2009 - 22:05 ET by slickwillie2001A more relevant comparison is, or will be, Fitzgerald's treatment of Lewis Libby's forgetfulness with Fitzgerald's treatment of Senator Roland Burris's apparent perjury.
if not for the tapes of all his testimony...
February 18, 2009 - 22:08 ET by clinging to my guns and my religion...burris would, of course, go completely unscathed. thank goodness, however, that even though he lies, the tapes do not!
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke
Well, I do think that John
February 18, 2009 - 22:47 ET by eaglewingz08Well, I do think that John Wayne and Barney Frank have about the same gait. So they do have something in common.
"in common", maybe
February 18, 2009 - 22:59 ET by clinging to my guns and my religionbut probably not for the same reason, lol!
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke
Only John Wayne
February 18, 2009 - 23:06 ET by cocodrieOnly John Wayne could have gotten away with that walk.
Jesus Loves You
howdy pudner
February 18, 2009 - 23:55 ET by WesenThey both walk that way due to football injury. Wayne played the game, Frank can't get past the hike.
Wesen... Now that was
February 19, 2009 - 00:00 ET by bigtimerWesen...
Now that was funny...hilarious in fact.
The Banking Queen would be miffed...hehehee
Are y'all saying
February 19, 2009 - 00:13 ET by cocodrieAre y'all saying the queen always went for the long count? Jesus Loves You
coco.. You got me
February 19, 2009 - 00:28 ET by bigtimercoco..
You got me laughing too!
Just got done with a few chores, come back and you added that...thanks I need that.
Dowdyness
February 18, 2009 - 22:57 ET by DoktorFrankenMoDo is getting MoreDumb with each and every column.
Just noticing...
February 18, 2009 - 23:46 ET by AZTech2020Seems like the leftholes are perfectly comfortable with referring to former President GW Bush simply as "W." Since we're on to middle names/initials, I suppose it would be perfectly appropriate to refer to the Dear Leader simply as "Hussein". They'd know what we're talking about just like we know what "W." stands for....no? So from now on, I'm just calling him Hussein!
ignore Dowd
February 19, 2009 - 00:02 ET by RousseIgnore Dowd---she is a complete idiot.
Bush asked for two things from his people---honesty and loyality. Libby was NOT guilty, but he lied nevertheless. That is the ONLY reason Bush could not---would not---pardon him.
It was never proven that
February 19, 2009 - 00:41 ET by fitzfongIt was never proven that Scooter Libby "lied". The perjury convictions were an absolute joke, as the most that could possibly be proven was that Libby's recollections were different than those of Tim Russert and another journalist...all who had equal motivation to lie. And when you consider the fact that the judge wouldn't allow the defense to enter legitimate evidence that would have called Russert's credibility into question, Libby did not get anything resembling a fair trial. The whole case was a prime example of prosecutorial misconduct run amok.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Dizzy Dowd
February 19, 2009 - 19:24 ET by Sergeant ROCKWhat's being implied here is that Bush's decision not to pardon Libby because he didn't want there to be a Marc Rich comparisson, is the same thing as pardoning a Marc Rich. So there! Bush is just as bad as Klinton.
Liberals are such idiots.
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
Bolton/KEYES 2012
Why should we be astounded
February 19, 2009 - 00:31 ET by maggieqpublicWhy should we be astounded by a Bush/Cheney disagreement?
Oh that’s right…. G.W. Bush always followed Cheney around like a trained seal. Isn’t that what brilliant columnists like Maureen have always told us?
I see this as a disagreement between two honest men. Personally, I agree with Cheney’s assessment of the situation, but I think Bush takes a more serious view of the near-sanctity of jury verdicts. (Remember, Governor Bush honored the jury system when he did not interfere with the execution of Karla Faye Tucker.)
Are George Bush and Dick Cheney still friends? I’ll bet they are, and I suspect they still respect one another. At least that’s how I see it.
Sorry in advance, but I have lots of thoughts on this subject
February 19, 2009 - 04:46 ET by thebutlerdidit1) Dowd needs to update her pic, it is at least 7 yrs old, or more, heavily air-brushed, and she doesn't look anywhere near this good.
2) Libby wasn't pardoned because he told Pres. Bush he didn't want to be pardoned. Why, I don't know.
3) As Fitz, and others have said, we all know this was a non-case, but it was still persued. Personally, I wonder just how well the case against Blago will end up going. Fitz is way too political. He didn't do the right thing in the Plame case, and by shutting down surveilance when he did on Blago, he made sure no higher up the food chain pols got in the net. His going on T.V. and doing the dramatic reading of the transcripts of the Blago tapes seemed unprofessional, and like a ego trip, IMO. Put up, or shut up.
4) I am pretty sure I read where the Cheney's were supposed to be some of the Bush's first house guests at their new pad. Seems like it is not too big of a riff.
5) May not be true, but Rove was on Fox, and said this was totally not true, and that Bush and Cheney are still tight.
6) "Unnamed sources" needs to be taken out back and shot. If they do indeed exist, grow some, and put your real name out there. Otherwise, you don't exist in my book.
All a Democrat needs is the upper-story window of public attention and the chamber pot of rhetoric. How else to explain the rise of Joe Biden? P.J. O' Rourke
One more thing: I remembered after reading Dave's post
February 19, 2009 - 04:50 ET by thebutlerdiditwhere Ace, of Ace of Spades HQ, had done a riff on Dowd's formula writing, a few years back. I think it still applies. Possibly bad language.
http://ace-o-spades.blogspot.com/2004_04_11_ace-o-spades_archive.html#108205461275113571
All a Democrat needs is the upper-story window of public attention and the chamber pot of rhetoric. How else to explain the rise of Joe Biden? P.J. O' Rourke
Thanks. I enjoyed that
February 19, 2009 - 12:23 ET by maggieqpublicThanks. I enjoyed that link.
One more thought... time for Maureen to sink her canines into another topic.
Hey, howdy doody, I have a
February 19, 2009 - 06:41 ET by jdhawkHey, howdy doody, I have a question for you.
Q. What costs more, the NYT Sunday edition or a share of the NYT?
A. The bird cage liner of a newspaper! lol
All this from a rag that hired and supported Jayson Blair?
February 19, 2009 - 09:01 ET by Lord ErondSorry Maureen...you have ZERO, I repeat, ZERO credibility. You could tell me white is white and 2+2=4, and I wouldn't believe you, that's how far gone your credibility is, ok? Why don't you go play in traffic or something.
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
Things must be bad for Obama
February 19, 2009 - 09:55 ET by exLibThings must be bad for Obama if you have to reach back and pull the old, Bush vs Cheney to remind people that they supposedly voted for an empty suit because Bush/Cheney was so bad.
We are going to see this as a regular side-show throughout the next four years.
Everytime Obama or someone in his administration screws up or does something stupid you can bet the usual suspects will start with the Bush bashing.
→ Team of Rivals
February 19, 2009 - 10:08 ET by Cool ArrowCan't you just see the animated discussions around Obama's table?
~Cool
February 19, 2009 - 12:32 ET by choselife3xNow that's funny, I don't care who y'are.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Excelent!
February 19, 2009 - 12:35 ET by CobraMan"Clinton - "You guys are a bunch of pansies"
Excelent! I'll be smiling about that one all day long.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities
of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Re that picture
February 19, 2009 - 13:57 ET by slickwillie2001Note to MoDo: stop plucking your eyebrows, they look like they belong to a 14-year old high school girl. Either that or be more careful with the BBQ lighter fluid.