A picture is worth a thousand words: Cheney and Gonzales

[ProSense]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (L) and US Vice President Dick Cheney (R) watch as a federal judge takes his oath in Washington in 2006. Gonzales, a key but discreet figure in the Bush administration, is under increasing fire for zealously applying anti-terror laws and for his running of the Justice Department deemed to be too political.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)

Blast from the past:

Bush in jeopardy? Yes. The issue is torture, which George W. Bush authorized in a Feb. 7, 2002, memorandum in contravention both of the Geneva Accords and 18 U.S. Code 2441—the War Crimes Act that incorporates the Geneva provisions into the federal criminal code which was approved by a Republican-led Congress in 1996. Heeding the advice of Vice President Dick Cheney’s counsel, David Addington, then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, the president officially opened the door to torture in that memorandum. His remarks yesterday reflect the determination of Cheney and Bush to keep that door open and accuse those who would close it of being "soft on terrorists."

The administration released that damning memorandum in the spring of 2004 after the photos of torture at Abu Graib were published. It provided the basis for talking points that the president wanted “humane” treatment for captured al-Qaida and Taliban individuals. And—surprise, surprise— mainstream journalists like those of The New York Times swallowed the bait, clinging safely to the talking points and missing altogether Bush’s remarkable claim that “military necessity” trumps humane treatment. That assertion, over the president’s signature, provided the gaping loophole through which Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and then-CIA Director George Tenet drove the Mack truck of officially-sanctioned torture.

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Scrutiny causes Cheney's lips to move:

Cheney challenges 'anti-war' lawmakers

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer
18 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Anti-war lawmakers in Congress are "undermining" U.S. troops in Iraq by trying to limit President Bush's spending requests for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday.

Hitting out at lawmakers who profess to back the troops but oppose Bush's plans in Iraq, Cheney said proof of their commitment would come as they consider legislation to provide nearly $100 billion for the rest of this year's costs of the wars.

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Does Cheney consider this supporting troops? How about this: Halliburton provided contaminated water to Soldiers? (video)

Maybe Cheney's rhetoric is linked to the scrutiny of his meal ticket, Halliburton:

Texas-based Halliburton, which was led by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000, did not specify what, if any, tax implications the move might entail. It plans to list on a Middle East bourse once it moves to Dubai - a booming commercial center in the Gulf. The company said it was making the moves to position itself better to gain contracts in the oil-rich Middle East.

"This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years," said judiciary committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Is Alberto Gonzales the new Scooter Libby?

Amid a chorus of calls for the resignation of Alberto Gonzales, the White House admitted over the weekend that Karl Rove had a hand in the events that led to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys in December.

Snip…

Perino also told McClatchy that Rove told her that he didn't suggest that any of the eight U.S. attorneys actually be fired. Maybe that's right, but it's probably worth remembering here that Rove once told Scott McClellan that he wasn't involved in the outing of Valerie Plame. So far, at least, Scooter Libby is taking the fall for that one; is the hapless Alberto Gonzales taking the fall for this one?

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Question: How many liars and crooks are there in the administration?



Edited for clarity