Well. Despite that fact that I'm starting to believe that the Bush administration is
manufacturing airline incidents to draw press attention away from the story about Bush and his administration subverting our rights and wiping their respective behinds with the Constitution, CNN showed tonight that it
can walk and chew gum.
After covering the (thankfully) safe landing of the Midwest Airlines jet with landing gear problems, they focused once again on warrantless spying. To that end, they gave us a lovely live clip of Dick Cheney's thoughts on the subject.
Read 'em and weep after the fold.
Thank goodness for DVR capabilities - I'm transcribing this from CNN's coverage - but you
have to read it it's so outrageous.
The fact is, the law is the law - the Constitution is there - it's been adhered to and followed in this case, and uh, you know, when you go to war, when you're attacked in your homeland, and when you lose 3,000 people in a couple of hours one morning, uh, and you're faced with the possibility that that same organization might try to attack the United States with an even deadlier weapon - perhaps a nuclear weapon if they can get their hands on it - or a biological agent - you have to actively and aggressively go after the terrorists.
Now, after 9/11, the 9/11 Commission criticized everybody in the government because you didn't connect the dots. Now we're connecting the dots, and they're still complaining. So, it seems to me you can't have it both ways.
I need a shower after having to watch that again and pause the DVR with that man's face on the screen while I typed. All items in bold are strictly my emphasis added...
The administration's plan of counter-attack seems to be pretty clear:
- Attack The New York Times.
- Threaten an investigation into the "leakers".
- Constantly assert that you are legally empowered to violate the Constitution.
- At the same time, be sure to praise the Constitution.
- Scare the shit out of as many people as possible.
Watching his brief remarks was sickeningly reminiscient of listening to him essentially tell Americans that they'd all be dead if they voted for Kerry in 2004. I don't understand, any longer, how he has the balls to even say such things. The only plausible explanation I could arrive at is that he had been on planes all day (they caught him in Pakistan), rushing back to case any tiebreaking votes as needed, and he hadn't seen nor heard the sheer saturation this story is getting in the news and the tone of the coverage.
Or he was watching Fox.
And as he ended his remarks - "and they're still complaining" - who are "they"?? Democrats in Congress? Republicans in Congress? Average American citizens, a tad miffed and not the least bit worried that they're living under Big Brother every day? How dare they complain. It's only the Constitution, after all [snort].
What an asshole this guy is. Just when I thought I couldn't be more pissed off about this, they roll this guy out.
