Cheney: I Would ‘Probably Not’ Testify Before Congress, Even If Subpoenaed
Cheney: I Would ‘Probably Not’ Testify Before Congress, Even If Subpoenaed
This morning on ABC, George Stephanopoulos asked Vice President Cheney if he would testify before Congress if he was subpoenaed. Cheney said “probably not in the sense at that vice president and president and constitutional officers don’t appear before the Congress.”
Stephanopoulos noted that President Gerald Ford testified before Congress. Watch it:
Transcript:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve talked a lot about the consequences of the Democrats taking over congress in the last week. Nancy Pelosi said this: “we win, speaking of the democrat, we get subpoena power.” If you’re subpoenaed by the Democrats, would you go?
CHENEY: I have no idea that i’m going to be subpoenaed. Obviously, we’d sit down and look at it at the time. But probably not in the sense at that Vice President and President and constitutional officers don’t appear before the Congress.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s your view of executive power? You’re not going to go up and testify.
CHENEY: I think that’s been the tradition. I can’t remember the last time a President did appear before the Congress. Or a Vice President.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Gerald Ford, I think.
CHENEY: That’s right. But not on a subpoena, he did it on his own.
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I’m ok with this… arrest the SOB instead…
November 5th, 2006 at 9:48 amWasn’t Clinton forced to testify to Congress?
November 5th, 2006 at 9:48 amSee Cheney admits he is above the law > he must be impeached ASAP!
November 5th, 2006 at 9:54 amSeems he’s got only 3 choices:
Quit now, go to jail after the investigations, or take the midnight train to slab city when that pacemaker gives out.
Very soon he’ll learn he’s NOT above the law.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:56 amAhhh, the imperial presidency! Dick the Prick is resisting any accountability. So what else is new?
November 5th, 2006 at 9:57 amPersonally, I would like to see him shackled and perp-walked into Congress for a grilling if he refuses to respond to a supoena. Here’s the first question to be asked: “Dickie, did you read the 1999 report from the Pentagon that concluded Iraq could likely not be stabilized even if the invading force was 400,000 troops and the borders were effectively sealed?”
GDumbya and Dick the Prick should be fired, not impeached! They are totally and utterly incompetent.
Thankfully, the power in Congress will shift on Tuesday and we will finally have one major branch of government that will be acting in the interest of the country.
The transcript is wrong! It’s Cheney who noted that For had appeared, not Stephanopoulos.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:58 am
He’s right… He won’t testify before Congress.
He might be asked to, but he can always plead the fifth in his impeachment hearings…
Z.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:01 amSeize his passport.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:01 amwell, it seems the shooter has something to hide?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:04 amI wonder if he talks like this because he really believes he is king? or is it that he knows the vote is rigged well enough that he won’t have to appear?
let’s put it this way, if he doesn’t have to testify, we won’t have a country
Talking to the working-class peasants is just so beneath the Prince of Death.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:07 amMaybe they all have a suicide pact. It’s the only explanation for their Jihad-like attitude.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:10 amTranscript is correct. It’s just the audio that’s a little screwed up. George is the one who brought up Ford.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:12 amANYONE with as much power as Dickhead who refuses to follow the rule of law time and time again, DOES NOT BELONG IN POLITICAL OFFICE.
Every single motive is based on his own self interests and benefit.
When our government seeks the truth, it is in our Nations best interest to cooperate.
By snubbing his impending subpoena, he once again gives the finger the every citizen in this Country, and to the Country itself.
Defenders of freedom MY ASS.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:15 am@Indypendant: No he testified to a grand jury.
The scary part is in the second bit he speaks about himself as if he were president and then pauses for a second and adds vice president.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:16 amOK if Cheney refuses to testify before Congress then let’s just wait for the Ango-American War Crimes Trial of 2010 at The Hague under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Scenes We’d Like to See
November 5th, 2006 at 10:19 amhttp://billmon.org/archives/001864.html
[...] if the Dems win control of Congress, he “probably” won’t comply with subpoenas. Permalink| [...]
November 5th, 2006 at 10:19 amIf the word accountability still has any meaning left in today’s society, then Cheney and Bush and the rest of the cabal must be charged with crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. Justice, against the Iraqis and Americans who have been needlessly killed, demand that this be carried out.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:22 amSubpoenas are sooo pre-9/11. What you liberals don’t get, is we are fighting them over there so we can stay the course, and not be weak on national security, or some such bs.
My question; if Cheney does refuse a subpoena from congress, what’s next? Jail time? fines? impeachment? What can congress do?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:25 amWhy do I always hear “The Imperial March” from Star Wars everytime I see this guy’s mug?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:31 amOff subject, but, has anyone thought about the scenario that the GOP holds onto its majority?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:31 amWhat will we do then?
Cheney actually has a reasonable legal argument, but if you are the House of Representatives, you can make the administration’s life pretty miserable. Withold funding for certain programs, etc.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:31 amWest Virginia Hillbilly – that question keeps me awake nights.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:35 amThe reason Cheney et. al don’t care about breaking the law?
They can just get pardoned the second before Bush leaves office. All of them.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:35 amIf Dick ever got close to having to testify his buddies in the shadow gov would do another false flag thingie and then his puppet would declare martial law and the camps would be open for business……
You really think the recent laws removing Americans’ rights had any other purpose? Duh.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:39 amAfter the Dems take control of congress, the Cheney/Rove and puppet bush gang will work as hard as they can to avoid any investigation into their closed door dealings. Based on what they have done already, there will be a renewed push to extend the authority of the president over congress in all matters relating to government oversight, especially while we are at war! We can expect that they will fight every attempt to gain access to records through numerous court filings since this would reveal the inner workings of this high efficient mis-administration during “war time conditions.” It will be two years of blocking every attempt to uncover the truth.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:43 amThe sheet ARROGANCE of Cheney and this “Administration”!! They think that they are above the law.
they dont have a conscience.
they DO NOT care about their constituants that put them in power in the first place.
they are interested in only MONEY and POWER. their goal is to at least have an imperial goverment in which the AMERICAN PEOPLE have NO RIGHTS (Think HABEAUS CORPUS)
no matter what Republican pundits say, this administration has already either paid them off, or fooled them entirely.
they would rather “STAY THE COURSE” rather than admit mistakes in reference to this Sham of a War! where THOUSANDS of soldiers have died for an UNJUST cause.
they WILL NOT get away with this. they WILL pay.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:44 amToTheCenter.com Of course he won’t… he’s above that.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:44 amHe can testify at his impeachment hearing or not. I could care less.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:45 amCheney keeps saying that we have to ’succeed’ in Iraq. Succeed has a definition, but he refuses to use the one that’s in the dictionary. It must be a definition that he’s simply made up.
Success for Cheney means this: It means we must use our entire treasury and put your children and grandchildren in impossible-to-service debt. It means that even if the country is opposed to the war, or if it divides us as a nation, we will continue to fight it. It means that we can rack up as many deaths as necessary to be ‘right’. It means we’ll be in the midst of a civil war, despite the fact that we have no business fighting someone’s civil war. It means…
IT MEANS WHATEVER CHENEY DECIDES IT MEANS. But it certainly has nothing to do with what the rest of us know as the definition of the word success.
I’m watching this taped, right now. Cheney is the President. It’s not possible that Bush could actually be the Prezidunce simply because Cheney uses actual complete sentences. Bush does not. He speaks a regional version of English only.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:48 amA subpoena is a legal form, it is mandatory that you appear and/or make arrangements to appear at a certain date, time, and place, usually before a certified court reporter and attorneys. Not complying to such legal request, you may be a subject for arrest upon approval by a judge, and possible jail time. I don’t think it would go that far, but who knows, plus Chenny has powerful attorney power, and there is also the 5th.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:51 amI don’t hear it the same way most do I guess. Is it just me, or does anyone else hear it like this: ?
…we’d sit down and look at it at the time. But probably. Not in the sense at that Vice President and President and constitutional officers don’t…
If you agree, then this thread appears to be a bit disingenuous. I think the Cheney quote from 1991 is more interesting.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:02 amI have no idea that i’m going to be subpoenaed.
For misleading the country into a needless invasion, perhaps? No?
Vice President and President and constitutional officers don’t appear before the Congress.
Not surprisingly, VP Cheney thinks Pres Bush and himself are above the law.
They refuse to take responsibility, and be held accountable for the mess their administration has been.
Party of values and personal responsibility indeed.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:04 amWho was it that said: ‘ I’m not a crook?’…..and ‘If the president does it,it’s not against the law?’….now who was that…hmmmm.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:05 amDick Cheney being put under oath would be like a vampire being put in a tanning bed. If this guy had to string two consistent sentences together his head would explode. Unfortunately for people like him reality has a liberal bias.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:08 amCheney will not abide by the law? Fine. Let him be impeached and removed from office. That way we can have real leadership.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:12 amIf Cheney was called before Congress, he would say exactly the same thing — whether he was subpoenaed, sworn in, or not.
The ONLY thing that is important to Cheney is his own agenda. Absolutely everything else is expendable.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:13 amWho does he think he is saying he would defy a court order? Laws apply to all citizens including those who think they are above the rest of us. They have their attorneys already setting the stage to keep Bush&Co from any type of prosecution, but it is my hope that in the end, our democracy will still prevail, despite the criminals at the top.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:23 amI’d love to see him hauled off in contempt of court.
Then, I’d love to see him and the rest of Bush&Co on trial for their war crimes.
sometimes we do things, we should do things we don’t have to do. Gerry Ford, we used to laugh at him. He looks pretty good now, eh?
November 5th, 2006 at 11:26 amAbraham Lincoln submitted himself to Congressional questioning. Cheney thinks he’s above Lincoln?
November 5th, 2006 at 11:30 amThe best way to keep the Dick Cheney in check is to vote Democrat. Sad but true. At the very least, the HR must be won and controlled by the Democratic Party. If another mandate is handed to a rubber stamp GOP controlled congress – we can be guarateed incompetence and corruption. There is no alternative.
Just Vote Democrat…
November 5th, 2006 at 11:37 amDick doesn’t have time to testify. You people are so demanding!
What with having at least two governments to run – Bush’s “government” and the Cheney/Rumsfeld shadow government – and spending all that quality time with his friends at FOX “news” and Rush Limbaugh…
November 5th, 2006 at 11:40 amThe only honorable thing for Dick to do it fall on his f**king sword. But then did Dick ever do anything honorable?
November 5th, 2006 at 11:45 amEchoing the Pete Bogs comment:
Yes, arrest them. Why the military hasn’t removed them — along with a passel of the complicit Congress — is an interesting question.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:48 amBecause of the separation of powers doctrine there has been an historical reluctance on the part of Congress to subpoena members of the Executive Branch. There have been rare instances of testimony before Congress, but usually not under subpoena. Neither party wants to establish a precedent which would then be used against themselves when it’s their turn to hold the Presidency.
So, the odds of Congress forcing Cheney or Bush to testify is about nil. And the odds of either of them giving testimony under oath is probably less than that.
The question remains, however, will they testify in their own defense in an Impeachment proceeding?
November 5th, 2006 at 11:48 amDate: 8 November 2006
Time: 0835 hrs
Location: Vice Presidents Mansion
(Cheney kicking and screaming, and grabbing his heart)
I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT, YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!!!!!
I AM THE LAW!!!
I’m SICK!!!
BUSH DID IT!!! BUSH DID IT!!! BUSH DI I beeeeeeeeeeeepppppppp!!!
RIP
SGT Stephen R Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (Stryker)
3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
Died because Saddam Hussein had in his focus the “Preparation of Nuclear Weapons”
Or as the President of The Divided States of America so thoughtfully thinks of as comma # 1492
Burn In Hell All of you
November 5th, 2006 at 12:04 pmGo ahead dickhead, refuse a summons from Congress.
November 5th, 2006 at 12:05 pmthe Constitution, Article II, Section 4, “The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.â€
I would say we have lots of high Crimes, but isn’t failure to appear a misdemeanor>?
Too bad it requires two thirds of the Senate to convict.
dickie boy does the name Spiro Agnew mean anything to you???
November 5th, 2006 at 12:09 pmCheck out CommonDreams.org article WAR CRIMINALS, BEWARE.
November 5th, 2006 at 12:09 pmIf there is any justice he will do serious time and die in prison. What an evil pig.
November 5th, 2006 at 12:13 pmCheney knows he won’t ever testify, because by then we will be under martial law and the congress will be moot.
November 5th, 2006 at 12:38 pmI say skip the supoena and just waterboard him. Then have the new interrogation expert come in and finish up. Mr. Haggert… commence to speed boning this fat pigs ass.
November 5th, 2006 at 12:38 pmDie in prison?
November 5th, 2006 at 1:02 pmLike Sadam a rope would be better. I believe the senator from virginia has the rope needed.
If he is allowed to get to prison it is likely he would pull a hitler and stick his finger in an electrical socket sending his defibulator all kinds of wonderful vibes.
“The charges against me are, if you’ll pardon the expression,
damned lies. I am innocent of these charges. If indicted, I will
-not- resign.” — Spiro Agnew, September, 1973.
Agnew also argued that a Vice-President could not be indicted, but Nixon’s Solicitor General said otherwise.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:16 pmHa Ha Ha!!!
November 5th, 2006 at 1:23 pmRemember when the GOP was trying to justify their domestic spying program? Their mantra was “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about”. I wonder what Dickie boy is worried about???
“Sieze his passport”
???
What country would take Dick Cheney? Christ, the US is the only safe harbor for him and he’s still only got 18% approval ratings here with a nation that is roughly 50% republican.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:24 pmWhat country would take Dick Cheney? Christ, the US is the only safe harbor for him and he’s still only got 18% approval ratings here with a nation that is roughly 50% republican.
Comment by ffakrnull — November 5, 2006 @ 1:24 pm
Texas
November 5th, 2006 at 1:29 pmWe’ll see after he is arrested…
November 5th, 2006 at 1:30 pmCheney is one of those frightening characters that turn up from time to time in history: an insensitive liar, selfish and greedy to the point of being a danger to his fellow man, an arrogant authoritarian who would not hesitate to subjugate those in opposition to his points of view. Cheney IS the model for the word “tyrant.” Cheney (and Bush, and the other neocons) are the likes of which James Madison had in mind when he said: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.†These are our most dangerous times, thanks to Cheney and those like him in power.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:35 pmThis man is obviously the Antichrist.He will be dealt with by one who is Omnipitent,even over Cheney and Bush.He may decieve a bunch of lame brained hypocrits but there is definately a Higher Power.The Scripture tells that “he will decieve even the very elect”,If this dosent describe Bush and Cheney I dont know who else could come closer.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:35 pmThere are several countries that would help with his rendition. To name a few, Afganistan, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, North Korea,China, Russia,Libya, Zimbabwai, Mexico, Canada,South Korea, Vietnam, and a few others. There would actually be plenty of help in this world to loose this creep to whatever fate.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:37 pm“I am in my last throes, if you will.” – Darth Cheney
November 5th, 2006 at 1:46 pmIs there any doubt that Cheney is, and will remain, the executive officer of the American branch of the world plutocratic conglomeration? Is there any doubt that he has overseen the hostile takeover of our democracy I.E. the privatization of the electoral process, and the deception of those of faith through equivocation , intimidation, and deceit?
November 5th, 2006 at 1:50 pmIs there any doubt that he and his benefactors “namely halliburton and all the other global plutocrats with bloody hands” will benefit financially buy this war of choice, you know, the one that is grinding up Americas most idealistic and brave young people. What is the sum total of all of our loss? the loss of our sovereignty as a nation, our freedom from fear, the exportation of the American dream, the loss of our self-respect in a society that rewards selfishness, greed, and the ability to deceive and control others? Doubt not, this executive officer will never face his sins on this earth, “barring a paradigm shift in power” as long as he continues to deliver our collective ass’ to the world plutocracy he will remain our invisible king. Remember all it takes is 50.1% for business as usual. 2+2=5 proletariat, protest at your own risk. If a world plutocracy can conspire to control the world population, then could not the world population conspire to control the world plutocracy? I submit it must. In this dog eat dog world that the current powers that be have created, we must remember, it is eat or be eaten. Stand, and be counted, or bow, and submit.
Cheney is engaging in dangerous brinksmanship with our democracy. Cheney is sending a signal to all those voters intending to vote for Democratic candidates precisely because they believe a Democratically controlled House or Senate will demand BushCheney answer for their incompentent and [arguably] criminal admistration. The message is that any oversight by Congress will be met with extreme resistence. In other words, do not vote for a Democrat unless you want the BushCheney administration to exercise its “nuclear” option resisting any and every subpoena.
Cheney is playing on voters’ fear of a constitutional crisis for the same reason that Republicans have stoked voters’ fear of a terrorist threat, namely, in order to scare people into submitting to unrestrained Republican rule.
Nobody wants a constitutional crisis, but Cheney’s threats make clear that we have one. This crisis will not disappear if we pretend it does not exist. If the Democrats gain control of either the House or the Senate, Cheney’s statement should be repeated as evidence of the need to begin investegatory oversight immedieately. Challenging Cheney’s position will be an important first step in reestablishing our constitutional order.
Along the same lines, if it appears on Wednesday that control of the House or Senate has been stolen by voter suppression or by electronic voter fraud, we need to fight the wrongful results as if our country’s existence depends upon it. Because it does.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:51 pmWell, at least the little Dick isn’t going to disappoint me by suddenly acting like a real man.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:51 pmAt some point Americans that voted for Bush/Cheney in 2000 and 2004 have to take responsibility for their choice. We are where we are as a nation due to voter incompetence. When we look at the cost in lives and treasure that the Iraq debacle has cost us, there has to be a flicker of recognition that it wouldn’t have happened but for the voters’ support of Bush/Cheney. When we decry the erosion of Constitutional freedoms under this administration, who do we accuse? Well, who voted for the incompetents that have misled us over the past six years?
November 5th, 2006 at 1:53 pmYes, by all means let him keep his passport. We must encourage him to travel to other countries. His colleagues, too.
Because even if we can’t arrest him and prosecute him for war crimes HERE, under the principle of jus cogens any other nation may arrest him and ship his smirking ass off to the Hague.
Let’s keep his passport up to date and chain it to his waist.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:55 pm“What country would take Dick Cheney?”
George Bush recently purchased 98,000 acres in northern Paraguay and the Paraguay government has passed a law saying they can protect people within their borders from the World Court.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:57 pmPlease remember time lag between election and inauguration. No matter who wins election, people in power are still in power.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:02 pmMarshall: “At some point Americans that voted for Bush/Cheney in 2000 and 2004 have to take responsibility for their choice.”
I agree, but remember: at some point our media will have to answer for the pictures they painted. Remember. Bush was authentic, Gore was a phony and a liar. Bush was a hero. Kerry was a creep. These were the scripts of the last two elections. We need to do something about our corporate media.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:03 pmCheney should consult a few of his right wing Christian fundamentalist fascistic supporters, those who are not caught up in a public display of their perversions, and ask them about the following scripture:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap†Galatians 6:7, and, ” …be sure your sin will find you out …” Numbers 32:23.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:09 pmWe are going to be a police state headed by Dictators/crooks .
Bush moves toward martial law, revises Insurrection Act with Public Law 109-364
http://miami.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/6319.php
None of them will have anything to worry about they will be in control one way or another.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:15 pmHold on there you blood thirsty citizens. Before any of this impeach stuff can happen, you first have to win the house and senate. Plain and simple, no win, no impeach. Plain and simple. no paper trail, no win. Plain and simple, Republicans count the votes! No count, no win. All this campaign talk, negative or positive, sorry. The real voters can’t hear any of this stuff, they are machines! Remember 2004, all that talk about impeachment! Back then we tried to hide the cheating. Now, we don’t even have to hide it any more cause everyone is too stupid to do anything about it. Pay no attention to the poles, they’re not even close. Does Mr Bush look worried? No! There you go! And Mr Rove, in case you were wondering, you can fool us once, then fool us again, and then again. And, can be fooled still again! Makes me wonder why we bother with the mess of it all?
November 5th, 2006 at 2:19 pmIf he is subpoena-ed and refuses to testify, then he must be held in contempt and incarcerated. He obviously is trying to hide from his high crimes and misdemeanors and is willing to turn his back on the electorate to protect his own flabby, diseased ass.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:30 pmMr. Cheney is a prime example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
History will not be kind to either Dick Cheney or George W. Bush.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:56 pmDems don’t have to subpoena Darth. Just throw him in a hole in Gitmo until he sings like a canary. It’s legal now.
November 5th, 2006 at 3:02 pmBush, Cheny and the neocon administration shouldn’t be tried here. They should be marched into the Hague befoer the War Crimes Tribunal. then if they aren’t senticed to death(or life imprisonment) for their crimes, that’s when they should be shipped back to the states to answer on charges of treason against the United States of America. Bush took an oath before hundreds of millions that he would “uphold and defned the Constitution of the United States” He probably added in his mind, “as long as it suits my needs.”
November 5th, 2006 at 3:03 pmCHENEY IS A KILLER.
AND THE OTHERS ARE IN ONE HUGE CIRCLE JERK.
November 5th, 2006 at 3:05 pmCHENEY IS A KILLER.
THE OTHERS ARE IN ONE HUGE CIRCLE JERKORAMA.
November 5th, 2006 at 3:08 pmI am so comforted by the knowledge that our true “leader,” Oberfuhrer Cheney exemplifies the truth and fairness doctrines of our nation. That he would not answer a subpoena, proves he has nothing to hide; he is so heroic and courageous that I can’t wait for him to run for president/dictator, and I believe he will, because he is so popular with folks who love to kill and profit from it.
November 5th, 2006 at 3:12 pmBut first, we need to hone the axe of contrition for him and Unterfuhrer, Bush. Doctor Guillotine would love to participate.
make cheney spend life in prison with his wife as his room mate.
November 5th, 2006 at 3:18 pmhe would probably hang himself if this happened.
Hardly a surprise, Cheney also said that it doesn’t matter what congress or the public thinks, it’s ‘full speed ahead’ with the bush ‘plan’ on Iraq whatever the results of the election turn out to be. Who cares if Dick testifies or not, we indict and convict criminals everyday without thier testimony. The only possible benefit in Cheney testifying before congress or anywhere else would be the addition of the inevitable perjury charge(s) that would follow. Although the additional charges would be nice – the more the merrier we’ve got enough on him already.
November 5th, 2006 at 4:11 pmCan congress go after Chaney when he leaves office?
November 5th, 2006 at 4:18 pmWhat an arrogant ass. He doesn’t care what the “public” thinks.
November 5th, 2006 at 4:19 pmWe voted him into his office to represent us.
He works for the “Public of the United States”
Didn’t Nixon get impeached for something along those lines? Not respecting Congressional subpoenas?
November 5th, 2006 at 4:20 pmOpen letter to Vice President Cheney
Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcerer’s ways, Lord Cheney.
Your sad devotion to that ancient religion neoconism has not helped you
conjure up a victory in Iraq, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the
Rebel’s hidden fort…
November 5th, 2006 at 4:21 pm>>Off subject, but, has anyone thought about the scenario that the GOP >>holds onto its majority? What will we do then?
Oh that’s easy:
http://www.californiasecession.org/
November 5th, 2006 at 4:21 pmKaneh bosm!!!!!!!
November 5th, 2006 at 4:43 pmThis is a perfect example of where these assholes think they are above the law. If the new Congress subpoenas you, you damn well better go!!!! These guys are the biggest crooks that ever walked this planet!!!! If they do get him,they’d better make sure it is under oath too!!!!!! If Congress allows Dick Cheney to call his own shots as to if he shows up or not, they are powerless!!!!!!!
November 5th, 2006 at 4:57 pm[...] Dick the Dick says veeps don’t respond to congressional subpoenas. [...]
November 5th, 2006 at 5:07 pmChoke on that fat tongue of yours, Dick…everyone else has had to.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:18 pmGeorge Bush, Dick Cheney, & Karl Rove are predicting victory for the GOP, only because they want to minimize the Nov. 7th Tidal Wave that America needs. Watching Bush stump for a variety of ethically and morally challenged candidates from his party only reinforces America’s anger. The Bush Team’s incompetent mismanagement in Iraq further reinforces the need for change. The last six years of total Republican control of Legislative and Executive branches have been a disaster for our beloved country. Please consider it your patriotic duty to vote the Republicans out on Tuesday. We cannot afford to allow the national GOP to do any more damage than they have already done.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:23 pmCheney: I wll not adhere to any US laws or any laws imposed on me. I will shoot anyone I wish without question or consequence. I will meet with anyone and detain them and waterboard them to my heart’s desire. I will eat as many hamburgers as possible and screw Death. I will shoot Death in the face when I meet him. And then I will go to Heaven and Hell and shoot God and the Devil too. I will become ruler of the entire universe and all of space and time. You will all bow down to me, Emperor Dick.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:29 pmWhy would he be so openly defiant? Doesn’t he realize that he can be arrested for violations of conflict of interest laws? Look: According to the Vice President’s Federal Financial Disclosure forms, he holds the following Halliburton stock options:
November 5th, 2006 at 5:31 pm* 100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire 12-03-07
* 33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire 12-02-08
* 300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire 12-02-09
Why doesn’t he divest?
Anybody else going to be imbibing come Tuesday night.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:40 pmBring on the good times…..
and the hearings nonstop.
#95; You’re talking about conflict of interest laws? John, this Nazi bastard is a MAJOR WAR CRIMINAL!!! He should be hung as such, like his predecessors at Nuremberg.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:53 pm#88; If the GOP remains in control, then we are truely f*cked.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:55 pmWell, if any of you have ever read the constitution, you’ll see that the President and the other Executive officers are not required to comply to a subpeona by the legislative branch. For people with such strong views on our government, you really don’t have a clue how it works.
November 5th, 2006 at 6:18 pmcheney just knows more than you stupid hippies do, thats why he got to be the vice president. You idiots act like this man is trying to ruin the country or something. Hes knows a million times more about what goes on in this country behind the scenes than any of you do, and the decisions he makes are in our best interest whether you think they are or not
November 5th, 2006 at 6:36 pmI am simply astounded at the sheer lack of basic knowledge on the part of most commenting here. Does your blind hate cause your brain to seize? Obnviously the separation of powers doctrine of our government prevents the Congress from simply calling the presnet and or vice-president to testify under oath and attempting to “fry” them. Otherwise wise men like John Conyers and Alcee Hastings would be running the show and we would be in REAL trouble.
November 5th, 2006 at 6:37 pm#87- I find your lack of faith disturbing.
November 5th, 2006 at 6:38 pm#100 – Dad? Is that you?
November 5th, 2006 at 6:46 pmSend him to Iraq!
November 5th, 2006 at 7:05 pmDAVID>>”and the decisions he makes are in our best interest” The rest of the world hates his guts too!!
We’ve had enough of people like this guy representing us in washington.
November 5th, 2006 at 7:36 pmImpeachment comes first.
November 5th, 2006 at 7:39 pmOnly confirms what has been implied 6 years now. If the Supreme Court allows it, that’s the end of this nation. Wasn’t it worth it to make the rich richer?
November 5th, 2006 at 8:15 pm[...] So what if that is a lie? Justice for some is more like it. See story here [...]
November 5th, 2006 at 8:23 pmDavid; to paraphrase Robert Jackson, the chief prosecuter(Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court) at the Nurmeberg trials, ” They are not on trial for losing the war, but for starting it”.
November 5th, 2006 at 8:29 pmYou know, a lot of you people are idiots. Of course he’s not going to testify before Congress under a subpoena. It’s called separation of powers, jerkwads. I’m so conservative I make Trent Lott look like Karl Marx but I wouldn’t have wanted Bubba Clinton to testify before Congress either.
This is a non-story. Lefties who have zero in the way of a clue are trying to make it sound like a big deal. It just isn’t. It’s a very traditional understanding of the roles of the executive and the legislature.
November 5th, 2006 at 8:53 pmWhat’s an amazing anomaly today is that lower middle-class and poor whites consider themselves to be republicans. That’s political ignorance in one its purest forms. The NRC doesn’t give a shit for anyone unless they contribute large amounts of cash to the party.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:23 pmHaving three or four junk cars in your yard does not constitute “wealth” in republican circles.
hey #99 how many of the nutballs pushing Bush on the rest of us understand the subtle nuances of things like habeas corpus or separation of powers? I’m not sure what you’re implying but if your claiming the lefties are ignorant compared to the osama = saddam, “god made us out of mud 6000 years ago” crowd… well.. thats just silly.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:29 pmI think George asked the question because of Ken Starr’s subpoena of President Clinton and Clinton’s response.
I seriously doubt the House would subpoena Cheney himself, but any evidence related to the leak investigation, war profiteering, mass warrantless invasion of privacy, torture, and starting an illegal war is fair game. That would explain the shredder truck parked outside of his home not too long ago as well as the rush to pass the Military Commisions Act before the elections.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:48 pmThese power mad Repug scumballs are going to learn this country has a Constitution even they have to adhere to, in addition to the Geneva accords. See ya in your orange jumpsuits, George, Dick, Donny, Condom.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:03 pmMaybe we should invade Paraguay?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:34 pmMaybe we should invade Paraguay? preemptive like george does.
November 5th, 2006 at 10:34 pmSend a nicely armed Platoon of the 82nd Airborne with it’s parent Brigade STANDING BY, to COLLECT FAT ass in Chains and I’m Certain he WILL Testify especially if they DOUBLE TIME his ASS up to the HILL…Dead or Alive !
AIRBORNE !
November 5th, 2006 at 10:50 pmWoah, did Cheney just refer to himself as the president…and then correct himself?
November 5th, 2006 at 11:04 pmEvery day these scum remain out of jail is another day the USA’s moral authority goes down the toilet. Living outside the USA, I have made the conscious decision to avoid buying as many American-owned products as possible. I didn’t buy South African things when arpartheid was in force, not do I buy Israeli products (unless it’s from an Israeli friend who does not support the genocidal policy of the Israeli government).
Why, therefore, should I suppport a “world policeman” that doesn’t even recognize the World Criminal Court, a “defender of liberty” that runs gulags, and a “maintainer of peace” that spends more on killing machines than the rest of the world combined?
And on that note, it’s only a matter of time before the Asian nations start to break the charmed circle that’s keeping the dollar afloat, refusing to buy any more of the worthless T-bills based on unprecendented debt.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:13 pmRemember when President Ford took office and said “our national nightmare is over”? That’s what I want to hear someone say on Wednesday. America is waking up.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:17 pmThis chicken hawk draft dodger “Dick” has been terrorizing the american people for years. When are people gonna open their eyes! Dick didn’t learn shit from Nixon and what this administration has done by hijacking americans feelings after 911 to take us on a rollercoaster ride from hell is dispicable…WE THE PEOPLE rule this country Dick all your old PNAC boys are jumping ship and I suggest you do the same. There’s this ethical thing called conflict of interest that you’ve had going on with Halliburton. Not to mention your personal hypocracy as a leader who “had other priorities in the 60’s” yeah like trying to stay out of Vietnam…yet you’re such a great leader with such great courage…give me a break. I suggest you leave before WE THE PEOPLE speak loud and clear, because I don’t think your chickenhawk heart can take it. Sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind baby.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:48 amoh man, the ccountability!
November 6th, 2006 at 5:04 amoh man, the accountability!
November 6th, 2006 at 5:04 am“A fundamental premise of politics is: We can make this work if people just never figure it out.” Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) makes an incredible admission:
November 6th, 2006 at 5:36 amIt would be much better tv if Mrs. Cheney were called to testify re: pornographic literature and her attempt in the 80’s to be a porn queen.
November 6th, 2006 at 7:11 amAnyone still keeping score?
Saddam: In the clubhouse at 128. Next week: “the Noose”
November 6th, 2006 at 7:33 amG.W. 650,000 and still on the course. Next week: “Gets to Walk”
Should Dick Cheney be Waterboarded?
It’s a No-Brainer!
November 6th, 2006 at 8:47 amget out and vote… it may be your last chance…. my kids are democrats, i offered them a victory dinner after tuesday—- admission “bring your I VOTED stub”
they make up their own mind in the voting booth, BUT I TAKE CARE TO HELP GET THEM THERE!!!
step up tomorrow and BRING A FRIEND
November 6th, 2006 at 9:57 amLock his wrinkled ass up for contempt – the one quality he has an endless supply of….
November 6th, 2006 at 11:52 amWhy not tie him to a water board and see if he will testify then. He seems to be OK with the use of it on others, see how he likes it and what he has to say then.
November 6th, 2006 at 12:04 pm[...] Update, 11/6/2006: And because he thinks he’s above the law. [...]
November 6th, 2006 at 12:18 pmOh, he can testify. In chains at the Hague in his war crimes trial. And it is coming, folks, no matter who wins this election.
November 6th, 2006 at 12:22 pm[...] Think Progress » Cheney: I Would ‘Probably Not’ Testify Before Congress, Even If Subpoenaed And I don’t think anyone is surprised. Can’t afford to, or just obeying his mum (if you can’t say anything nice…)? Nahhh, he’s just really not wanting reality and the resulting jail time to hit. (tags: america usa president vicepresident cheney law) [...]
November 6th, 2006 at 12:48 pmShortly after this question, he started to turn kind of red and started wheezing. It resembled an anxiety attack.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:07 pmLet’s get Dick the job as ambassador to Iraq.
He’d be received with flowers and candy!!!!
November 6th, 2006 at 3:59 pmI like the waterboarding thing, yeah. Then jail (general population, please). Then seize all his assets and put them into something good, like healthcare (e.g. morning after pill and STEM CELL RESEARCH) or education. But, for some reason, I would really get off on slapping him across the face and right out of his chair with a half rancid trout. I dreamt about it and it made me smile.
November 6th, 2006 at 4:33 pmThanks for the info on the bush purchase of Northern Paraquay. (98,000 acres is damn near the entire country). I’ve always known that they would have a spot picked out, preparing for the flee. And, that’s truly what I have been expecting all along. I just didn’t know where. No doubt they can continue to rule the world from there, and safely.
So, they have roughly two more years, (because they are indeed still in power) to rip off as much as they possibly can in Iraq and around the Middle East, (that would be the OIL) and when the time draws near, they will be gone, taking all of that which they have stolen…with them.
November 6th, 2006 at 5:30 pmCheney’s disregard for the separation of powers comes as no surprise. The following link talks about the admins regard for the rule of law:
http://library.law.pace.edu/blogs/jib/2006/10/when_lawyers_are_war_criminals.html
It is a speech by Scott Horton speaking at the ASIL Centennial Conference on The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, Bowling Green, OH Oct 7, 2006. The comparison between Hitler’s call for his lawyers to come up with a means to “disappear” people, the “Night and Fog Decree” (Nacht- und Nebelerlass), and secret renditions under Bush is striking. The Military Tribunals Act essentially granting immunity to the Bush lawyers that wrote the legal opinions justifying torture, secret renditions, detainee policy is such a slap in the face to what the prosecutors at Nuremberg learned, and how they sentenced Hitler lawyers to years in prison for the same or similar opinions found today in Addington’s, Gonzales’s, and Yu’s writings.
November 6th, 2006 at 5:53 pmIt is a shame that our public officials act the way they do in front of people ..usually these people are prepped before they are exposed to the public.. especially when psyciatric care is needed and not used..
November 6th, 2006 at 6:25 pmIF there are any psychologists out there willing to attempt the interpretation of how our president and vice president have shredded the constitution, demoralized the offices they took from the public..
please step forward ..
They need your help
Lest we forget that dumb nuts BUSH deserted his post in time of war, And got away with it! Lest we forget, CHENEY had five deferments during the war in Vietnam and had the audacity to say, I had other priorities.
November 6th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
the president already has all those war time powers he wants.
November 6th, 2006 at 9:30 pmhe would ignore a democratic congress, and until it went thru the court system(which it wouldnt) he would get away with it. this is the true bush doctorine. a democratic congress would spend AT LEAST 2 years just undoing the laws that gave the executive branch all its power, and by then it would be too late. bush leaves office in 2008, and after that would he be charged with crimes? war crimes? probably not, its unprecedented.
Wait for the next Presidential election, the new democratic president can use the power that chimpy gave him and declare bush and cheney enemy combatants. We will never here from them again. Maybe they can experience some of that non torture we hear so much about
November 6th, 2006 at 11:31 pmWhy wait until 2008. Just arrest Cheney now. Waterboard him and make him talk about 9-11 and the real (PNAC) reason we went to war in Iraq.
November 6th, 2006 at 11:50 pmRe:110
“Separation of powers” does not mean “immunity from subpoena”.
President Clinton was required to testify in the Paula Jones sexual harrassment case. He tried to resist the subpoena, but was smacked down by the Supreme Court. I seem to recall everybody “so conservative to make Trent Lott look like Karl Marx” was howling in derision back then at Clinton’s chutzpah for trying to resist a subpoena.
The President and Vice President are no more immune to Congressional subpoenas than Congresspeople are immune to being arrested by the FBI. (Except, curiously enough, if they are en route to work, but that exception is explicit in the Constitution.)
November 7th, 2006 at 10:20 amA late comment, but I’m compelled to say that while President Clinton was not “forced” to testify, can you imagine the reaction from the media if he had not done so?
There will be no comparable reaction if Bush and Cheney refuse to testify. And that’s the whole story. People on the left truly underestimate the power of TV news.
November 7th, 2006 at 1:59 pm[...] Cheney: I Would Probably Not Testify Before Congress, Even If Subpoenaed [...]
November 7th, 2006 at 10:00 pm[...] Give Dick a chance to flex, too. [...]
November 8th, 2006 at 12:34 amSince so many GOPers lost their a—- uh, seats in the November 7th sweep of both houses of Congress by the Dems, it seems obvious to me that a sizeable majority of the nation has seen that the vaunted Republinazi agenda for what it is, a complete and utter failure.
The PATRIOT Act was a giant step toward fascism, as was the Torture Act signed just weeks ago. The Reeps who were just handed their head on a plate, lameduck though they are, should start NOW to repeal both of the so called ‘Good for America’ travesties of representative democracy.
The repeal of those two acts should then pave the way to hold Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfewitcz et al accountable for the high crimes and misdemeanors that they perpetrated on the US Citizenry (i.e. the country). Impeach all of them. Convict all of them in Senate. Remove all of them from office. (Okay, Bush already symbolically lopped off Rummy’s head as a sacrificial scapegoat.) Then try all of them in Federal court for treason. Convict them, and send them to prison. And do all this while affording these jackels the rights and privileges that defendants in the US are supposed to have, but don’t be foolish, confiscate their passports. If they flee anyway, try and convict them in absentia, then issue a worldwide warrant for their arrests and extraditions.
Do all this to send a message to ANY future president be he/she Reep, Dem, Libr, or GDI, that treason will not be tolerated (period).
Do all this, but not to satisfy a desire to seek vengeance, but instead to bring those criminals to real (not Reep-style) justice.
November 12th, 2006 at 2:02 am[...] Vice President Dick Cheney — willing to testify to save the skin of his crony, but not under any other circumstances. [...]
December 19th, 2006 at 3:27 pm