How will Darth Vader Cheney explain this prize video catch from Grand Theft Country?
In a 1994 interview with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), after the first Gulf war, Desert Storm, Cheney said invading Iraq would have led to a quagmire and killing Saddam Hussein was not worth killing more than the 146 soldiers that died in Desert Storm.
I’m sure the unitary executive had nothing to do with this blatant attempt to implement damage control. As of this post, the video has been viewed 266,185 times since it was posted on August 10. According to Grand Theft Country, ”As of 6:17 EDT on Sunday, Aug 12th, YouTube removed this video from the Today lists [ie. most viewed, most discussed, top rated, top favorites].”
CNN reported this evening they contacted Darth Vader’s office about the video but received no comment. Imagine that.
Transcript:
AEI: Do you think the U.S. or U.N. forces should have moved into Baghdad?
CHENEY: No.
AEI: Why not?
CHENEY: Because if we would have gone into Baghdad, we would’ve been all alone, there would not have been anybody else with us, there would have been a U.S. occupation of Iraq, none of the Arab forces that were willing to fight with us in Kuwait were willing to invade Iraq. Once you got to Iraq and took it over, and took down Saddam Hussein’s government, then what are you going to put in its place?
That’s a very volatile part of the world and if you take down the central government of Iraq you can easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off. Part of it, the Syrians would like to have the west. Part of eastern Iraq, the Iranians would like to claim - fought ‘em for over eight years. In the north, you’ve got the Kurds. if the Kurds spin loose and join with the Kurds in Turkey then you’ve threatened the territorial integrity of Turkey. It’s a quagmire. If you go that far [cross talk].
The other thing was casualties. Everyone was impressed with the fact that we were able to do our job with as few casualties as we had, but for the 146 Americans killed in action and for their families it wasn’t a cheap war. And the question for the president, in terms of whether or not we went on to Baghdad, and took additional casualties in an effort to get Saddam Hussein, was how many additional dead Americans was Saddam worth? And our judgment was not very many and I think we got it right.
Karl Rove’s resignation today will certainly increase the political debate in the coming days and considerable attention will be on two questions: why and what are the implications. Unless there is an unexpected revelation, answering precisely why is virtually impossible, however, focusing on the controversy surrounding Rove and the implications of his resignation may narrow the scope of why.
So, Rove is out of the White House and there may be a propensity for many to breathe a sigh of relief, but in reality there may be little relief. First, let’s take a look at the most important fact. Bush’s Brain, his infamous “Turd Blossom,” may not be on the official White House payroll, but it means absolutely nothing in terms of Rove’s influence if we can rightly assume Rove is still in the good graces of the president. Rove’s primary role was to counsel Bush and that role can continue regardless of his official status. Geography and other responsibilities do not preclude a continuing substantial relationship that dates back directly or indirectly to 1973. Hence, let’s not be too quick to presume the slimeball is not a dominant participant in shaping White House policy and strategy.
While I have nothing to unequivocally substantiate this, the timing of Rove’s departure is anything but insignificant or coincidence. There are two key elements to consider: (1) the 2008 campaigns will go into high gear after Labor Day, which is a mere three days after his official resignation, and (2) Congress will return at the same time with a heated investigation agenda, especially the Constitutional showdown between the White House and Congress. My sense is the latter has far more to do with Rove’s resignation than the former, however we should not lose sight of the fact that the more intense and revealing the investigations, the greater the potential negative impact on Republicans overall in their 2008 campaign efforts. Consequently, there could have been some background quid pro quo maneuvering by Republican leaders to oust Rove. In other words, “Mr. President the more Rove is a threat to my/our reelection chances, the less GOP support you will receive during congressional investigations.”
A very simple review places Karl Rove at the center, albeit untouchable at this point, of every Bush administration scandal as well as several GOP congressional scandals, past and present. And there is no doubt Congress has Rove in their cross-hairs.
There may be some speculation that Rove was booted out for failing to meet one of Rove’s two primary objectives that spanned the past eight years: (1) elect and reelect George Bush, and (2) establish a permanent Republican majority in Congress. Obviously Rove failed to meet the incredibly anti-constitutional and undemocratic goal of a permanent Republican majority. However, if you review Bush’s historical actions, it’s downright laughable to think George Bush thumped Rove because he failed to meet the second objective. Any disagreement with that posit is rebuked by Alberto Gonzales’ survival.
Rove’s demise in the White House, if it can accurately be termed as such, logically is related to the anticipated outcomes of congressional investigations, which may ultimately lead to the fall of Bush and Cheney. Make no mistake about it; the possibility of impeachment investigations of both is rapidly rising and it is not solely a partisan led consideration. Several notable and respected Republicans, such as Bruce Fein, the former deputy attorney general in Ronald Reagan’s administration, are calling for Congress to immediately begin impeachment investigations.
Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson dropped out of the race for the GOP 2008 presidential nomination yesterday after coming in sixth place in Saturday’s Iowa Straw Poll. Thompson, also the former Secretary of Health and Human Services during the first term of Bush’s administration, received 1,039 votes (7.3 percent) in the straw poll.
Since announcing his campaign, Thompson remained in the bottom tier of the field of GOP candidates, and rarely, if ever, rose above the margin of error in any national polls.
At long last, Bush’s brain, Karl Rove, has resigned. Rove cited “family reasons” as his reason for resigning. We all know this goes beyond simple family reasons. There may be some speculation that this may remove some of the obstacles Congress faces in getting Rove to testify, but I don’t believe so, at least initially. Point in case: Harriet Miers.
So, what are the real reasons for Rove’s resignation?
Our country faces substantial problems well beyond the normal “ups and downs.” In order to better understand these issues and analyze them properly I decided a mini-sabbatical was paramount. It is easy to recognize we are in the midst of a foreign policy and constitutional crisis, however, recognizing the issues and perceived obvious causes is not enough. Commentary and analysis are only as good as the level of research and understanding behind them. Furthermore, doing extensive research has its price. In this case, and regrettably, a hiatus in posting was the cost of doing the necessary extensive research.
So, I offer my apologies for the brief absence, however I know the short- and long-term benefits will outweigh the cost.
You are currently browsing the The Political Chase weblog archives for the day Monday, August 13th, 2007.
Karl Rove’s resignation today will certainly increase the political debate in the coming days and considerable attention will be on two questions: why and what are the implications. Unless there is an unexpected revelation, answering precisely why is virtually impossible, however, focusing on the controversy surrounding Rove and the implications of his resignation may narrow the scope of why. 
Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson dropped out of the race for the GOP 2008 presidential nomination yesterday after coming in sixth place in Saturday’s Iowa Straw Poll. Thompson, also the former Secretary of Health and Human Services during the first term of Bush’s administration, 
