What Makes Cheney Lie?

The former vice president may be running scared. Indictments aren't out of the question.

By Manifesto Joe

I really hoped that, once repudiated at the polls, the Republican right wing would give it a rest for a while. No such luck -- they are more vociferous than ever. And one of the lead attack dogs is none other than the former "vice president." We've seen more of that sneer in recent weeks than we had to for years during the Il Doofus administration.

Much of what Dick Cheney has been saying in speeches and interviews, appearances of unprecedented frequency for an ex-VP, is not squaring with the facts. Torture, CIA memos, Richard Clarke's repeated warnings about an imminent attack -- Cheney's accounts have consistently been pig manure. He seems to be a pupil of Joseph Goebbels -- you know, if you repeat the lie over and over ... Here's a link about this.

Not that adherence to the facts has ever been important to Cheney. He told countless whoppers during the run-up to the Iraq war. And once the war was on, he kept repeating the shameless canard about Saddam Hussein being connected in some way with 9-11. This man makes Machiavelli look like the hero of a Frank Capra movie.

He's also well-versed in the "Repub" Party's practice of defaming anyone associated with the "Democrat" Party. During his speech to the National Press Corps, Cheney, who was supposed to be talking about Al-Qaeda, referred to "Obama" (bin Laden) not being in good communication with the terrorist rank and file.

What is Cheney trying to do? My theory is: preemptive strikes. You know, the best defense is a good offense. I think that, ultimately, there's probably enough there for Cheney, "Fredo" Gonzales and several others to be indicted on war crimes charges. Cheney's thinking, most likely, is that getting the first punch in with brass knuckles will rid any antagonists of such thoughts. I think he's running scared, but his strategy is to be a lying bully so as not to show it. He's made that work enough times that he expects it to work again.

I pray to whatever gods may be that we don't let it happen this time.

Postscript: It was bitterly amusing to see the right wing's reaction to President Barack Obama taking his wife out on the town in New York. Since when have right wingers been concerned about rich people setting good examples for the struggling? After all the unbridled opulence and unregulated swinishness that we witnessed during the previous two presidential terms, it's moronic pettiness to talk about Obama taking Michelle out for one night on the town. How much time did Il Doofus spend on vacation in Crawford, and how much extra security and jet fuel did all that cost?

Manifesto Joe Is An Underground Writer Living In Texas.