The Political Chase

Dana Milbank on Cheney

Dana Milbank at the WP in thirteen words, aptly described Cheney and his remarks delivered yesterday to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

It was about as close as the vice president gets to a retraction.

In these passages, Milbank zooms in on Cheney’s demeanor which speaks volumes.

Cheney has retreated from public questioning and interviews, while Colin L. Powell’s former chief of staff accuses him of leading a "cabal" and longtime colleague Brent Scowcroft says he no longer knows his old friend.

If Cheney still has friends in Washington, they are to be found at the AEI, with which his wife, Lynne, is still affiliated. Norm Ornstein and the other AEI fellows in the first two rows led a standing ovation for Cheney when he entered. Introducing Cheney, AEI President Christopher DeMuth was lavish: "We have greatly admired and hereby heartily salute the leadership and fortitude of our esteemed former colleague, who is in the arena to America’s great good fortune."

Cheney had little time for such folderol. In his 19-minute speech — aides made clear there was not even the possibility of him taking questions — he doled out the bare necessity of thanks, then stuck closely to his written text, stealing only quick glances at his largely silent audience.

The AEI is a close as it gets to reflecting Cheney’s historical base. Being dismissive and snubbing this group is a clear sign the cheese has fallen off Cheney’s cracker. The AEI is not a group of hot dog stand owners. To mention a few:

Lee Raymond

Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobile Corp.

Harlan Crow

Chairman and CEO, Crow Holdings

Harvey Golub

Chairman and CEO (retired), American Express

Edward Rust, Jr.

Chairman and CEO, State Farm Insurance Companies

George L. Priest

John M. Olin Professor of Law and Economics

Yale Law School

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Novak Steamed

Apparently Bob Novak has not calmed down since he was canned at CNN.

From Wonkette:

Bob Novak receives scolding after a fight with a fellow first class passenger: "Some guy pushed me and I pushed him back.".

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Libby Building Another Dream Team

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Scooter Libby added San Francisco lawyer John Cline to his team of notable lawyers.  This comes from Jeralyn Merritt at TalkLeft:

Cline has been involved in several high-profile criminal cases whose outcomes turned in part on demands for the introduction of such government secrets at trial. These have included the criminal defense of Oliver North and the case of Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear scientist who had been accused of mishandling nuclear secrets. Reached in Washington on Monday, Cline confirmed that he had been retained by Libby, but he said he could not comment on the case.

The Chronicle’s assessment of why Cline was added to the team:

But Cline’s involvement suggests that a defense strategy may be to try to bring large volumes of classified information into the trial to demonstrate the many things Libby was dealing with as a senior national security adviser when he spoke with journalists and later testified to the grand jury.

If Libby’s defense can show his thinking might have been obscured by the many sensitive issues he was dealing with, it could potentially weaken the case against him.

DeLay’s Soiree

Are you supposed to admire Bush and Cheney for their unbelievable loyalty or pile on more justifiable criticism? Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend a major fundraiser for Tom DeLay (R-TX).

Vice President Cheney is scheduled to appear at a December 5, Houston fundraiser on DeLay’s behalf. Donors are being asked to contribute at least $500, according to an e-mail sent by the Fort Bend (Texas) Republican Party. Shannon Flaherty, DeLay’s spokeswoman, confirmed details of the fundraiser.

The Travis County (Austin), TX district attorney has indictments against DeLay. Furthermore, he is on the edge (in the middle?) of what could be the biggest criminal scandal to hit the Capitol in more than a hundred years. Michael Scanlon, who plead guilty yesterday to several criminal charges through a plea agreement, is required to provide information on everything and everybody he knows, which will include DeLay. I can’t say DeLay will face additional criminal charges, but there is ample opportunity for speculation. DeLay was a guest on the trip to Scotland, which is the basis for one of the criminal charges against Scanlon.

Moreover, Jack Abramoff is so closely intertwined they might as well all be a single piece of material.

I suppose Bush and Cheny can easily look at it this way. What do they have to lose? Bush’s poltical career is over whether his poll ratings are 10% or 90%. Cheney’s is over for a ton of reasons. Hey, just be like Alfred E. Neuman, “Why me worry?”

On a tangent, if you haven’t read the Scanlon plea agreement, you should. The US Attorney has him wound so tightly, if he gets a ticket for jay-walking his entire plea agreement is null and void.

Scanlon Plea Agreement

The Michael Scanlon plea agreement is available to download from the documents library.

Bush Signs Law to Raise Deficits

Yesterday President Bush signed a law that would drastically raise  the borrowing authority of the government’s flood insurance program to $18.5 billion from $3.5 billion to cover claims from Hurricane Katrina and other flood disasters.

More deficits. No announced plan to cover the debt. Nothing new.

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Big Day for DeLay

Today is a big day for Tom DeLay (R-TX).

DeLay was to appear in court today before a judge who will decide whether the criminal case should continue to trial. DeLay is charged with conspiracy and money laundering.

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Web Page - Jean Schmidt

Rep Jean Schmidt (R-OH) unjsutifiably lambasted Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) last week, inferring Murtha was a “cut and run coward.”, which almost literally started a brawl in the House chambers. Shortly after the Honorable Congresswoman’s verbal attack, the House Ethics Committee decided that wasn’t quite enough and began to threaten an investigation into some activities of Murtha and his brother’s lobbying firm (Roll Call – sub. req.).

The committee may need to add another another member of Congress to their investigative list. Much to my dismay and I’m sure yours as well, Jean Scmidtt may be in violation of campaign activity. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is quite specific when it comes to official indicia.

In reproducing such materials, the campaign must remove all official indicia, such as the official letterhead from a press release that the congressional office had issued, and any references to the address or telephone number of the congressional office. The name of any congressional staff contact that appeared in the material as issued originally must also be deleted. Subject to the same requirements, such materials may also be posted on the Member’s campaign Web site.

If you take a quick look at Congresswoman Schmidtt’s campaign Web site, you will notice the not so subtle  “Re-Elect Jean Schmidt for Congress” banner that adorns her front page and contact information as prohibited above. There are other items on Rep. Schmidtt’s site that are not in stark contrast to the Standards of Official Conduct..

Murther’s no runaway coward as Schmidtt alleged, but it looks like Schimdtt is a prime target for investigation of misconduct and violation of House ethics rules. Just another corrupt Republican…nothing new.

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The Bridges to Nowhere

A few days ago, I mentioned that Alaska lost funding for their bridge(s) to nowhere, which has been a controversial topic for months. If you’re interested, POGO has details on the matter.

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