Many of us here probably know some of the details, but
Sydney Blumenthal (via Truthout) has a terrific encapsulation of how Dick Cheney has plotted for over 30 years to overthrow the democratic government of the United States of America.
Knowing Cheney's past makes understanding the present situation so much easier, and predicting the future likewise. To those who would wish for more "nuanced" readings, so would I. Dick Cheney's biography, however, is nuance-free. The man has ably demonstrated his contempt for the rule of law, and his hpyer-Nietzchean worship of power to, frankly, do evil. While it may be an open question whether he really thinks he's advancing America's interests, there can be no question whatever that he's prepared to see evil done to realize his goals.
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The hallmark of the Dick Cheney administration is its illegitimacy. Its essential method is bypassing established lines of authority; its goal is the concentration of unaccountable presidential power. When it matters, the regular operations of the CIA, Defense Department and State Department have been sidelined.
The defense to these charges? Straight denial, obfuscation and threats to those who would dare to say it aloud. Pretty much par for the course, and not a new innovation:
In May 1975, Seymour Hersh reported in the New York Times on how the CIA had sought to recover a sunken Soviet submarine with a deep-sea mining vessel called the Glomar Explorer, built by Howard Hughes. When Hersh's article appeared, Cheney wrote memos laying out options ranging from indicting Hersh or getting a search warrant for Hersh's apartment to suing the Times and pressuring its owners "to discourage the NYT and other publications from similar action." "In the end," writes James Mann, in his indispensable book, "Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet," "Cheney and the White House decided to back off after the intelligence community decided its work had not been significantly damaged."
Think the Office of Special Plans or WHIG are new ideas? Then you don't know about Team B:
The new CIA director was prompted to authorize an alternative unit outside the CIA to challenge the agency's intelligence on Soviet intentions. Bush was more compliant in the political winds than his predecessor. Consisting of a host of conservatives, the unit was called Team B. A young aide from the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Paul Wolfowitz, was selected to represent Rumsfeld's interest and served as coauthor of Team B's report. The report was single-minded in its conclusion about the Soviet buildup and cleansed of contrary intelligence. It was fundamentally a political tool in the struggle for control of the Republican Party, intended to destroy détente and aimed particularly at Kissinger. Both Ford and Kissinger took pains to dismiss Team B and its effort. (Later, Team B's report was revealed to be wildly off the mark about the scope and capability of the Soviet military.)
There's (unfortunately) so much more out there. In deference to both Truthout and Mr. Blumenthal, I urge you to head over there and read for yourself, or go straight to the original at Salon (subscription/ad).
The bottom line: this isn't about words but about deeds. Cheney's resumé is indisputable evidence that he cannot be trusted anywhere near the levers of power. In my opinion, the US will not recover its heritage unless he faces real charges and real jail time for his role in so many efforts to usurp the rightful power of the electorate. There must be more than just a repudiation of his ideas--there must be a clear repudiation of almost everything he has said and done in the last 30 years.