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Jewish World Review Oct. 28, 2005 / 25 Tishrei, 5766 Why didn't Cheney correct the record? By Dick Morris
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It seems President Bush suffered political damage for two years while Vice President Dick Cheney kept a little secret from the public.
If The New York Times is correct (a big "if"), Cheney told his chief of staff, Scooter Libby, about Joe Wilson's wife and her possible role in his selection to go to Niger to verify the story about the sale of yellow cake to Iraq. While Cheney clammed up, Libby told the world, and possibly the grand jury, that he learned this from a journalist.
If Libby lied in public, it is unfortunate. If he did so before the grand jury, it could be criminal. Either way, the vice president knew that he was not telling the truth — yet did nothing in public, or presumably in private, to correct him.
When you work for the White House and your boss is silent while you are covering for him, the message from your boss is clear: Keep doing it so I can stay out of harm's way.
There is nothing criminal in Cheney or Libby finding out about Valerie Plame. They had security clearance and every right to know. What is wrong is for Cheney's staffer to mislead the public with the complicity of a silent veep.
Critics suspect Cheney orchestrated a campaign to discredit Wilson, and that this included the release of his wife's name, in violation of the law. The prosecutor should sort that out, but other questions should concern the public.
Why did the vice president choose to remain silent and keep his role from public view? Did Cheney tell the prosecutor he was the one who told Libby about Plame? Did he tell the president?
Assuming the Times has its facts right, the burden of proof shifts to Cheney. It is incumbent on him to explain why he let his chief of staff mislead the public — for two years, including the entire 2004 presidential campaign.
There may be an innocent explanation for the veep's silence, or the Times may be wrong. But Dick Cheney owes us all an explanation.
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© 2005, Dick Morris
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
