What Might Have Been

We are all going to wonder, for a very long time, what really might have happened if Clinton-era fiscal responsibility would have continued and paying down the debt was a matter of policy so that credit became more and more available (in responsible ways) as treasuries were permanently retired (that is, they were no longer rolled over, as they are now), and that money could have flowed freely into a vibrant economy.

Instead, Bush started an unnecessary war in Iraq and we lost the ground we'd gained. I hope my children are around to see what an era of extended debt retirement actually looks like.

The Dark and Treacherous Dick and His Bizarro World of Truth

Scott Horton's interesting and informative analysis of the CIA Tape Destruction Scandal links to two very important pieces about the cover up of the destruction of the tapes and its possible ramifications. Who may be at the end of this dastardly trail of obfuscation and vicious abrogation of the law is a matter of connecting dots and additional investigation. However, one fact that I was not aware of, or that maybe I overlooked, is that retired CIA agent John Kiriakou is linked to the Scooter Libby case:

According to a declassified document filed with the court after the Libby trial and obtained by Mother Jones, Kiriakou authored a June 10, 2003, email sent to several CIA officials. The message apparently was written in response to intense efforts at that time by the vice president's office to learn how Plame's husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had been selected to go on a CIA-sponsored fact-finding mission to Niger. The email makes clear that senior CIA officials, including Kiriakou's boss and the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, did not know who Valerie Wilson was at the time. Prodded by Cheney's office, they were seeking information on her role at the agency prior to a scheduled conversation with Libby the next day.

Is the real issue here that Kiriakou links, not only the Plame outing, but the destruction of these tapes to the Vice President's Office? Cheney's current Chief of Staff David Addington is one of those named as a member of a group of four White House staffers involved in discussions about the propriety of destroying the tapes.

It has emerged that at least four White House staff were approached for advice about the tapes, including David Addington, a senior aide to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, but none has admitted to recommending their destruction.

The web woven by the Vice President is indeed one of treachery, secrecy, and deceit, not seen on this scale since the reign of Nixon. Recall that Cheney served as Chief of Staff for then President Gerald Ford, the man who pardoned Nixon. Cheney has spent 32 of the last 35 years advocating a return to the days of the Imperial Presidency.

Bait and Bitch

Bill Clinton gives the Republicans a Swift Kick in the nuts.

Republicans are good for small bid'ness

Proof that Republicans do support small business. Take THAT all you Liberals and Democrats! I guess the R's might still be upset because Clinton got his for free. Tut tut kiddies.