Time article: Cheney ran the whole show, Bush was just a puppet figurehead

[Herman Munster]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1597226,00.html

And what a time it was. Back in the days of Bush's first term, aides to Cheney loved to regale journalists with tidbits about the scope of the Vice President's influence and the intensity of his commitment to protecting the U.S. from a terrorist attack. He was so driven and hands-on, the aides would say, that he and Libby would routinely ask to see raw intelligence rather than the processed analysis put together by the cia and other agencies. "He's a voracious consumer of intelligence," said an admiring aide to the Vice President. "Sometimes he asks for raw intelligence to make his own judgment. He wants it all."

He may have come across as deferential to the President in public, but friends and advisers in the fall of 2002 described Cheney as nothing less than the engine of the Administration. "There's no way in which he is not driving the train on this," said one, referring to Cheney's role in pushing Bush and the Administration inexorably toward an invasion of Iraq. "Analysis, advocacy — it's all done by Cheney or his prot�g�s or his former mentor . It's about context. It's reflective not so much of Cheney's direct influence on the President as it is of his influence on — his dominance of — the decision-making process. It's about providing the facts and analysis to the decision maker that the decision maker needs. Bush is making the decision, but the Veep is directing the process toward the decision that he thinks is the right one." In other words, Cheney had so rigged the process that important decisions were foregone conclusions, ones that had been reached by the Vice President well in advance.

[orwell]

1. What a surprise!

...I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!

[Cabcere]

2. In other news, the Pope is Catholic...

;) (Not snarking you here, Herman Munster. Thanks for posting this...good to know Time magazine has finally figured out how this administration works. :P ) Peace.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. And maybe, just maybe, this Libby trial opened the psycho's eyes. Maybe NOW he sees he's not REALLY

the one in charge? It could happen.:) Maybe, just maybe, the psycho will be so pissed off about the Libby crap that HE WON'T PARDON HIM. It could happen.:)

[peacetalksforall]

11. Don't you think he started realizing it a while back and it's the

reason he puts his foot down about other things than involve revenge for disloyalty - to him or perceived disloyalty TO HIM? I think maybe he suffers Cheney on the big stuff, but demands his way and his way is the revenge way.

[robinlynne]

20. pissed off how about 'the libby crap'?

[regnaD kciN]

4. In other news...

Sun determined to most likely rise in east and set in west

Vatican observers describe Pope as "probably Catholic"

Evidence suggests bears defecate in woods -- Environmental Experts

:eyes:

[Art_from_Ark]

5. So, TIME, tell us something we don't already know

What I really can't understand is how anyone could think that some boob with an IQ smaller than his waist size could actually be allowed to control the reins of government.

[NJCher]

6. American news media, what a joke

I'd be embarrassed to print a story like that.



Cher

[Graybeard]

7. The Chimp-In- Chief...

...put before the public to do his chimp dance and read the blue cards...oblivious and unquestioning.

[paulk]

8. we've all known this for years

still, it's a good thing to see it in a mag like "Time", which is kind of right wing. If Time is saying this, the wheels are really coming off...

[conscious evolution]

13. I absolutely agree

Many people of all stripes see Time as a trustworthy news source.(I know.I know.Remember,most Americans are not nearly as up to date as we DUer's are on what is going on.)Time saying this could be just the thing to get the undecideds and maybe even a significant number of average joe republicans to see bushco and cheney for what they really are.
The fact that Time may lean to the right on issues gives them more creedance than many other publications would get.

This is a good thing.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

9. Finally, taking the mask off POTUS 'Bush' revealing dark-hearted Cheney.

This is good, I think. George comes off as such a sincere and caring guy (which, hell, he's so ignorant,...he may very well be,...but that doesn't excuse his abject failure as a potus). Revealing the greed/power-mongering Cheney as the one who's actually controlled all U.S. policy gives the American people, regardless of political party, a window towards both truth and unification against what's happening, here.

Does that make sense?

[IChing]

10. Photo here!!!!!!

[hang a left]

12. I see so it's ALL Cheney's fault....right.....

Folks this is a set-up. The country is being set up so that when Cheney steps down, EVERYTHING will be blamed on him. Bush was just the puppet, he didn't mean any harm.

Don't buy what they are selling.

[Subdivisions]

14. Bush won't get off the hook. He was complicit in lying us into

a war that has killed possibly up to a 1/4 million US soldiers and Iraqi citizens. So is Powell and the rest of the neocons and PNACers.

[Cerridwen]

22. I'm with you there...part way...

I'm also glad to see the information coming to light in the "mainstream."

I'm not quite sure how many in the U.S. will respond to a (p)Resident who is unable to steer his own ship. Some of the jurors in the libby trial said they felt that he was just the fall guy. I wonder if Americans would do the same with regard to cheney?

[SpiralHawk]

15. "Just because I am a Connecticut preppy cheerleader deserter, does not mean

you can be mean and pick on me. So stop saying mean things."

- Commander AWOL

[City Lights]

16. But the chimp has "POTUS" embroidered on all his clothes!

He must be the one in charge!

[TahitiNut]

17. "He didn't want a Vice President who preened before the cameras."

Take careful note of this understatement. Junior is a pathological narcissist. He shares the 'stage' with NOBODY. It's gotta be about HIM. Whenever you see Sneer and Smirk together, it's like Edgar Bergen and Mortimer Snerd - and Edgar is far less eye-catching. A good ventriloquist knows how to direct attention to the puppet. A good narcissistic enabler does NOT attract attention when the psychopath is around. For anyone speculating about any likely replacement for Cheney, this is absolutely critical.

(Cue the picture of McCain hugging Our Leader.)

[glitch]

18. They may not be so interested in coddling * now, they may be more interested

in positioning the heir apparent. In which case, pnacchio's ego is about to bruised. If they put up McCain then Jeb'll be the VP.
I am still watching Hagel.

[TahitiNut]

19. Jeb has plenty of experience enabling Smirk.

He'd be an interesting choice to succeed Cheney. I doubt Rice would get the nod.

[KoKo]

24. If they go so far as to install Jeb then for sure we folks better find a way to leave the country

because such a power play would mean THE END. I can't imagine them being that bold...but then they get away with everything. McCain is more Bushies style. A fawning sychophant who will not make the Chimp look bad... But, who knows.

[suziedemocrat]

25. Exactly!!! Bring in McCain so he's primed for 2008.

Maybe I'm too cynical, but I don't take anything at face value anymore.

[lutefisk]

21. There is only room for one "Dick-tator" in this Regime!

And it isn't Junior.

[KoKo]

23. Ah...poor little Chimp ...taken advantage of by Poppy's Big Dick...and we all knew it but

Time and Poppy's team are doing their best to pull the little chimp out of harms way.

Kind of sad...but it's hard to have sympathy for this given the death and destruction his son has caused and how he manipulated two elections to serve the Bush Empire and Crime Family.

[Disturbed]

26. Cheney, the new Fall Guy.

Yeah, Busholini is just a nice guy, like Libby, who was bullied into committing crimes by that evil VP. Sure, Darth and Rumsfailed are evil Sociopaths but Busholini is a willing puppet to them.

[knight_of_the_star]

27. This is good and bad

It's good that Time is finally waking up to what's going on and letting the people know. It's bad because that makes it easy for the administration to do a cleanup job, just eject Sneer and they can say, "See we fixed it!"

[GeorgeGist]

28. Covering for Shrub...

and Rover? Stay tuned