Religions > Atheism > Pay No Mind to the Man Behind the Curtain: Bush Insists Cheney Rides Shotgun At Bush Deposition (and Tells Bush What To Say)
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Yang AthD \h.c.\ eacmole@AWOLGWBmail,com" |
| Date: |
03 Apr 2004 10:56:08 PM |
| Object: |
Pay No Mind to the Man Behind the Curtain: Bush Insists Cheney Rides Shotgun At Bush Deposition (and Tells Bush What To Say) |
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4653858/
This was the week the curtain got pulled back on the Bush presidency. In
exchange for allowing Condoleezza Rice to testify under oath, President Bush
gets to bring along his vice president when he appears privately before the
commission.
A top Republican strategist dubbed the legal document striking the unusual
deal "the Wizard of Oz letter" because it strips away the myth that Bush is
in charge. Until now, it's been all speculation about Vice President Cheney'
s influence. With the revelation of the tandem testimony, nobody with a
straight face can deny Cheney is a co-president or worse, the puppeteer who
pulls Bush's strings.
Aside from being fodder for the late-night comics, the arrangement confirms
Bush's inability to articulate anything without a script--or a tutor by his
side. There's a reason lawyers don't take testimony in groups. The whole
idea is to get individual recollections and then compare stories to uncover
contradictions. Try thinking about it this way: can anyone imagine Bush's
father in a similar situation bringing his vice president? (For those who
need a refresher course, the elder Bush was a rocket scientist compared to
his son, and the vice president was Dan Quayle.)
Even President Reagan testified alone on the Iran-contra scandal. He didn't
insist on having Vice President Bush sit beside him. Of course, Reagan
couldn't remember much of anything. His faculties were failing as a result
of Alzheimer's disease, which he later revealed. Still, Reagan permitted his
testimony to be videotaped.
This is a defining moment in the Bush presidency because it reveals weakness
at the top.
What Cheney and the tight circle around Bush are protecting is the myth they
have created since 9/11 of a war president astride the world stage. Anybody
who punctures that imagery is destroyed. Richard Clarke is only the latest
in a series of insiders who have pulled back the curtain. At the center is
an incurious president who is so inarticulate that he can't be left on his
own to make a sustained argument on behalf of his policies without falling
back on rehearsed talking points and sound bites...
--
Yang
a.a. #28
AthD (h.c.) conferred by the regents of the LCL
a.a. pastor #-273.15, the most frigid church of Celcius nee Kelvin
EAC Econometric Forecast and Socerey Division
Proudly plonked by Lani Girl and Crazyalec
The Bush 'balanced' budget: 1.2 trillion and worsening
The Bush 'economic' policy: -3 million jobs and counting
The Bush Iraq lie: -602 GIs, one friend's co-worker's son and mounting
Having Bush ***** up my country: Worthless
.
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