Ha Ha

If an eighth-grader habitually stalked the school playground punching, kicking and tormenting third-graders and then ran off to hide and shift the blame onto someone else-NPR might open a report on such a kid with Melissa Block saying "Since coming onto the playground this feisty eighth-grader has never backed away from a fight." And so in opening David Greene's homage to Cheney, Block tells us, "Since he took office in 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney has never backed down from a fight." Of course, this overlooks Fightin' Deferment Dick's attempts scuttle democratic oversight into his infamous "Energy Taskforce" (which, by the way, laid out plans for Iraq's oilfields long before 9/11).

Greene has the chutzpah to announce his threadbare report by claiming, "This is going to be one of those stories that Dick Cheney just doesn’t like. " On the contrary, Cheney couldn't have written a more dishonest, uninformative bit of blather himself.

Greene's story makes a big deal out of Cheney not running for President in 2008 and states "there are several reasons: age, a history of heart problems, very low poll ratings, and a media image that’s irresistible for late night comedians like Jon Stewart." THAT'S IT! Greene reduces the well-documented violence and sleaze of Cheney's life to heart problems and media image - nothing about his love of torture and his fondness for launching wars he doesn't have to be in.

Greene turns to Cheney's "long time adviser" Mary Madeline for input. She doesn't disappoint, snarling praise for Cheney. Greene also looks to academia, speaking to Professor Joel K. Goldstein, who when asked to sum up Cheney's vice presidency says, "What’s happened with the vice presidency beginning with Mondale is I think a very positive thing....” Unbelievable- except when you consider Cheney's Likudnik leanings and Goldstein writing an article called "Israel at 49: The Ultimate Democracy."

You know mainstream journalism has sunk pretty low when you have to turn to GQ for the most substantive reporting on Dick Cheney, but that is what it's come to. The GQ article by Wil S. Hylton is well worth reading - presenting the reasons for Cheney's impeachment replete with specific details and evidence.