Telepolis has a run-down of the Plamegate indictment that was made public on Friday:
Seit Freitagmittag Washingtoner Ortszeit ist es heraus: Der Top-Berater von Vizepräsident Dick Cheney und einer der Neokonservativen im inneren Zirkel der Macht in Washington, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, wird
angeklagt. Die vom US-Justizministerium bestellte Grand Jury erhob in fünf Punkten Anklage - Falschaussage, Rechtsbehinderung, Meineid
The indictment document provides some clues to the role played by Vice President Cheney in the affair. We've know since earlier in the week that Libby was originally told of Plame's identity as a CIA agent by his boss, Dick Cheney. Now it would appear that Libby openly discussed his plans to smear Plame's husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, with Cheney. No doubt Cheney was Libby's coach and mentor throughout the process. All that is lacking is the evidence, and that can only be provided by Libby himself. Will Libby be content to spend years in prison (a possibility) just to protect his boss? Whether or not the evidence is produced, Cheney has disgraced the office of Vice President. In today's New York TImes columnist Nicholas Kristof, who in past columns had ridiculed the CIA leak investigation, calls for Cheney's resignation (subscription required}.
Since Mr. Libby is joined at the hip to Mr. Cheney, it's reasonable to ask: What did Mr. Cheney know and when did he know it? Did the vice president have any grasp of the criminal behavior allegedly happening in his office? We shouldn't assume the worst, but Mr. Cheney needs to give us a full account.
Instead, Mr. Cheney said in a written statement: "Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding."
Balderdash. If Mr. Cheney can't address the questions about his conduct, if he can't be forthcoming about the activities in his office that gave rise to the investigation, then he should resign. And if he won't resign, Mr. Bush should demand his resignation.
Can there be anything worse than a Vice President who participates in damaging national security to silence a critic of his false justifications for the Iraq invasion? Well, yes. How about a vice president who insists on the right to torture prisoners? As the Washington Post wrote this week in its devastating editorial "Vice President for Torture", Cheney has betrayed American values:
The vice president has been a prime mover behind the Bush administration's decision to violate the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention Against Torture and to break with decades of past practice by the U.S. military. These decisions at the top have led to hundreds of documented cases of abuse, torture and homicide in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Cheney's counsel, David S. Addington, was reportedly one of the principal authors of a legal memo justifying the torture of suspects. This summer Mr. Cheney told several Republican senators that President Bush would veto the annual defense spending bill if it contained language prohibiting the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by any U.S. personnel.
One thing still puzzles me: why does Vice President Cheney have such deep contempt for the US Constitution?
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