July 02, 2004
WILD CHENEY MUST BE STOPPED
"Nothing will persuade the president to drop his mentor from the team," thunders The Guardian, "not even an explosion of expletives."
That’s the line above a stunning piece by Sidney Blumenthal, who seems to think Dick Cheney’s commonplace putdown is evidence of a psychotic collapse:
In Washington, political identities cultivated over decades can crumble in a minute ... The self-control that had served [Dick Cheney] so long broke down in public on June 22 on the floor of the Senate during a photo session. As Cheney was posing with members, Senator Patrick Leahy ambled over. Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the judiciary committee, had recently been critical, along with other Democrats, of no-bid contracts in Iraq granted to Halliburton, the company Cheney had run and in which he still holds stock options and receives deferred compensation (despite his prior claims to the contrary). "Go fuck yourself," the vice president greeted him ... Even before his outburst, Cheney had come to stand for special interests, secrecy and political coercion. Under the stress of Bush's falling polls, he cracked.
What will mad Cheney do next? Boil orphans for soup live on the internet? Further on, Blumenthal condemns a recent Republican campaign ad:
Bush still strains to project optimism and cast the Democrats as demagogic pessimists. His campaign this week produced a commercial, "John Kerry's coalition of the wild-eyed", that featured snippets of Al Gore, Howard Dean, Michael Moore and Kerry criticising Bush. Interspersed among the Democrats was a frothing and saluting Adolf Hitler.
Take a look at the ad. That Hitler image Blumenthal complains about? It’s from a MoveOn.org commercial attacking George W. Bush.
(Via contributor J. F. Beck. The "F" does not stand for anything unpleasant.)
Posted by Tim Blair at July 2, 2004 03:46 AMI don't what al-Guardian is complaining about, considering the exchange between Leahy and Cheney was a lot more pleasant and courteous than a typical debate in the British House of Commons.
/C-Span addict
Posted by: Spiny Norman at July 2, 2004 at 04:02 AMHonestly, haven't we all wanted to tell "Leaky"
Leahy to eff off at one time or another?
Well, editorial frothiness aside, Cheney's earthy put-down will probably sell well among the good ol' boys and gals in the U.S.'s flyover land. We've all been known to use that particular phrase ourselves, when irritated to the core by nit-wits.
Posted by: Rebecca at July 2, 2004 at 04:07 AMBlumenthal?! The hatchet man for the Clintons?!
What's really revolting is that Leahy thought he could buddy up to Cheney after accusing him of sending Americans to their deaths to line his pockets. I would have decked the lying weasel and pissed on him, personally. Cheney let him off easy.
Posted by: R C Dean at July 2, 2004 at 04:07 AM"Go fuck yourself", offensive?
And these Guardian jessies say Ashcroft is precious. Hell, Truman or LBJ would say that to a dozen politicos a day. JKF would do it to a half dozen.
Foul language=mental breakup. Nice Nixonian gambit but, as Clinton might say on one of his less kinky days: "close, but no cigar."
Posted by: CurrencyLad at July 2, 2004 at 04:08 AMfunny, when kerry said "bush fucked up" or cursed at a secret service agent, etc., the press treated it as a private, off-the-record statement and wouldn't print anything about it. but cheney tells leahy to go fuck himself in a private conversation and cheney is pilloried.
good thing there's no press bias, yessirre bob.
Posted by: Mr. Bingley at July 2, 2004 at 04:14 AMthe ad was pretty cool, but the end was corny as hell. they need to get rid of that soft piano music and add some led zeppelin or something
Posted by: Oktober at July 2, 2004 at 04:32 AMI just want to say that i am certain that Tim blair does not condone the use of the word "fuck" in any context. Moreover, nor would most Australians. I am confident that Tim Blair would not approave of premarital sex or drinking under the legal age at any time.
As for that brazen hussy Harris, i can make no such assurances.
/turns off Blumenthal-esque laughable faux moral indignity while simultaneously regretting besmearing Andrea harris' virtue, as he is certain she was a virgin till her wedding night or something.
In my eyes, Dick Cheney's sexiness quotient rose when I heard he told Pat Leahy to go eff yourself (or something like that). I would have lost respect for VP Cheney if I had found out that he had played nice with the senator after Pat Leahy had accused him of lining his pockets off of the death of soldiers.
Posted by: Polly at July 2, 2004 at 04:44 AMfunny, when kerry said "bush fucked up" or cursed at a secret service agent, etc., the press treated it as a private, off-the-record statement and wouldn't print anything about it.
that was in the rolling stone interview, correct? thats a pretty public forum if you ask me. im not criticizing, just pointing out.
Posted by: mattmonnin at July 2, 2004 at 04:51 AMWhat it takes for right-minded people to call someone crazy is for someone to speak passionately and with conviction against George Bush.
Posted by: thx-1138 at July 2, 2004 at 05:09 AM"Cheney's earthy put-down will probably sell well among the good ol' boys and gals in the U.S.'s flyover land."
Cheney forgot the amplificatory phrase "...and the horse you rode in on."
That would have really raised the roof here in Flyover Country, y'all. Hollah!
Posted by: Steve in Houston at July 2, 2004 at 05:13 AMSidney Blumenthal, who seems to think Dick Cheney’s commonplace putdown is evidence of a psychotic collapse
I'm no Sigmund Freud, but I think that's called projection.
Posted by: Roger Bournival at July 2, 2004 at 05:20 AMI would give Tim Blair's right nut for the opportunity to tell Leahy to f-off.
Posted by: Stacy at July 2, 2004 at 05:30 AMMy point being a would really , really, really like to to tell Leahy to f-off.
Posted by: Stacy at July 2, 2004 at 05:33 AMactual physical nuts, no, but metaphorical nuts yes.
nuff said.
Posted by: Stacys at July 2, 2004 at 05:35 AMThe "Hitler image" was not from a "Moveon commercial attacking George Bush." The Hitler image was from one of thouasands of /entries/ posted to an online Moveon ad contest. One which was withdrawn from the contest when the manufactured controversy started.
It's amazing how far the "Moveon ran a commercial comparing to Bush to Hitler" myth has spread among the blogsphere despite ready access to the facts directly refuting it.
So Jason, are you saying the right ignores facts when it goes against their message? I find that hard to believe....
Posted by: thx-1138 at July 2, 2004 at 06:12 AMJason,
And I'm sure you're aware that Moveon placed that ad prominetly on their web site for several days. No, no, ofcourse they didn't endorse or create it they just provided a venue so it could be seen by thousands. What hypocrites.
Posted by: Stacy at July 2, 2004 at 06:14 AMCheney's a wimp! He boils the orphans in order to make stew. Whereas Dubya, as an ad in "the Nation" magazine depicts, actually eats the heads off babies, straight off.
http://www.pleasevote.com/
Posted by: Dean at July 2, 2004 at 06:36 AMSo, thx-1138, are you saying the left ignores facts when it goes against their message? I find that hard to believe....
Posted by: The Real JeffS at July 2, 2004 at 06:57 AMJason -- to put it another way, the claim that those ads just happened to appear on their site the way our comments are being posted to Tim's is an absolute falsehood. All ads, including the two Hitler ads, were vetted by MoveOn staff before they were placed on the site.
Posted by: Otter at July 2, 2004 at 06:59 AMThis is tame behavior for the US Senate. Were it one hundred fifty years ago, Cheney would have clubbed Leahy down with a cane.
Frankly, Blumenthal is a major league asshole. Big time.
Posted by: Eric Jablow at July 2, 2004 at 07:05 AM"Go fuck yourself," the vice president greeted him
This is a lie. After Leahy ambled over and trie to pretend there was nothing wrong between them, Cheney told Leahy (by way of greeting, perhaps) that he didn't appreciate Leahy's accusing him of corruption; Leahy then brought up an unrelated issue to throw into Cheney's face. It was at that moment that the Vice Presidential order was issued.
Not "greeted." "Responded to some of the usual bullshit."
Posted by: Brian Jones at July 2, 2004 at 07:05 AMWell, Sid "Grassy Knoll" Blumenthal certainly would know a psychotic when he saw one--since I'm sure he owns a mirror.
Posted by: M. Scott Eiland at July 2, 2004 at 07:13 AMHey rod, like the song says, "those words of love, so soft and tender, won't get a girl's heart anymore." Unclefucker!
Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 2, 2004 at 08:01 AM"Boil orphans for soup live on the internet?"
Hmmmm.... orphan soup [drool].
Posted by: Homer Cheney at July 2, 2004 at 08:07 AM"Were it one hundred fifty years ago, Cheney would have clubbed Leahy down with a cane."
If it were 200 years ago, Cheney wouldn't have used a cane, the discussion would have involved more than expletives. In fact, it's almost 200 years to the day. Huh!
I suppose telling a moonbat senator to "go f*** yourself" in lieu of choosing a dueling pistol is progress of sorts.
Posted by: The Real JeffS at July 2, 2004 at 09:16 AMThe Real Jeffs,
Thats right! Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled to the death (Hamiliton's that is). Now that's nuts!
Posted by: Stacy at July 2, 2004 at 09:46 AMI don't know about it being nuts, Stacy. I just said it could be progress of sorts, Cheney telling Leahy to go fuck himself instead of shooting him.
On the other hand, we have a US Senator vilely insulting the Vice President of the United States, with the same US Senator expecting everything to be warm and fuzzy during a photo op.
Now, that's nuts!
Posted by: The Real JeffS at July 2, 2004 at 09:55 AMI believe there were two early 19th century Senators from the same state (Arkansas) who got into a tussle and one smote the other with his walking stick which resulted in the smote-ee being in critical condition for a while. He survived but his health was never the same.
Personally, I'd love to crouch down low behind Leahy while the Vice President pushed him hard from the front, causing the Vermonter to topple over.
That one worked in the fourth grade.
Posted by: JDB at July 2, 2004 at 01:02 PMJDB, that's what I was referring to. But, it was Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner who was clubbed down by South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks in 1856 after Sumner denounced Brooks uncle, S.C. Senator Andrew Butler, in Sumner's “The Crime Against Kansas” speech.
I hope Austrailian MPs behave better.
Dick Cheney's sexiness quotient
Four words that were never meant to be together. It's the woodshed for you, young lady!
Posted by: Angie Schultz at July 3, 2004 at 02:41 AMAmusing how the left has explicitly adopted lying as the strategy to defeat a president that they claim is ... a liar. Blumenthal is an old example, but more examples being Michael Moore and Jason here.
Posted by: Robin Roberts at July 3, 2004 at 02:52 AMStacey writes:
>And I'm sure you're aware that Moveon placed
>that ad prominetly on their web site for several
>days.
Stacey, that isn't correct either. It was actually buried deep in the pages featuring the contest. Moveon's own site statistics say only 200 people had seen that entry before it was noticed by a diligent researcher from a Republican party affiliated organisation and given wider exposure.
>Jason -- to put it another way, the claim that >those ads just happened to appear on their site >the way our comments are being posted to Tim's >is an absolute falsehood. All ads, including the >two Hitler ads, were vetted by MoveOn staff >before they were placed on the site.
The fact remains that these ads were two of 1,100 entries that were posted in the ad entry section. Yes, they slipped through the vetting process. But it is simply not factually correct to say that those were Moveon ads. They were relatively obscure entries in a contest to become Moveon ads. Mr. Blair is wrong.
Posted by: Jason Stokes at July 4, 2004 at 06:20 AMThey were so obscure that the Bush campaign got hold of them. Hardly noticeable at all!
Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 4, 2004 at 06:35 AM