Today's Washington Post asks if Dick Cheney's never-ending media tour to defend torture helps or hurts the Republican Party. My answer: who cares? But there are a few nuggets in the article worth looking at.
Let's start with a couple of bits from Daddy's little girl, Liz Cheney:
This isn't about partisan politics, it's about what's right for the country. Every American, whether you're a Republican, Democrat or independent, would agree that before critical decisions are made about national security of the nation, we ought to have a full and fair debate.
Unless I missed the full and fair debate we had before the Bush administration implemented their torture policies and warrantless wiretapping program, I'm not sure how she can say this with a straight face. If only there had been a reporter present to challenger her ridiculous assertion.
To be fair, it should be noted that Liz Cheney points out that people support her father on this:
He's got hundreds of people coming to him saying, 'Please keep doing what you're doing.'
Did you hear that? Hundreds! And when 21% of the country identifies with your party, that's practically a mandate.
And from former Cheney spokeswoman Mary Matalin, we get this:
If Barack Obama had come in and done what he said he was going to do and look at the stuff and see what is working, then Cheney would have continued to do what he was doing -- working on memoirs, finishing his house. He's got a good life. He's got stuff going on. He doesn't care about being on TV. There's no more politics there. He's not settling any scores. He just wants people to understand.
We'll call this the damn-you-Barack=Obama-its-all-your-fault defense.
And finally, the burning question:
What drives a man who stayed out of the spotlight as vice president, who passed up an opportunity to run for the White House in his own right in 2008, to emerge in such a prominent role after the election?
Principles? Concern for our country? Avoiding "three hots and a cot"? You make the call.