Wilkerson Has The Goods On Cheney-He Has The Memos, Emails, Files & Briefs

July 12, 2006
Wilkerson: Cheney's Office Cultivated a Pro-Torture Environment

....................

Cheney promoted a monarchy that spat at constraints and the other branches of government. He promoted a pugnacious, fear-mongering nationalism whose clarion call to other nations was that they would either assimilate with the U.S. or be annihilated. He shed rules of engagement with and capture of enemies that have been part of the most sacredly held military ethic. And many were indeed tortured and died because of Cheney upending not only a legal environment in which accused and detained individuals had rights but a system of norms that had always served as ethical benchmarks for the bulk of our military forces.

Cheney and his team argued that the horror ot 9/11 terrorism and the uniqueness of America's place in the world allowed America to strip itself out of legal norms and routines that had been fashioned for centuries and which were part of America's sense of self.

Wilkerson has the goods on Cheney. He has the memos, emails, files, and other briefs that show that the environment Cheney & Co. created produced horrible behaviors that popped up in many different parts of the military mission. This was a systemic problem -- not a bunch of coincidental, isolated incidents.

TWN again applauds the honesty and candor of Col. Wilkerson who is making sure that the history of what happened inside the Bush administration is told relatively squarely and that when the political pendulum swings that accountability can be fixed on those that crippled America's position in the world.

more at:
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001524.php

done and hold him accountable!!

fly

something along those lines......

'tis enough, 'twill serve.

I have lots of extra 2-liter soda battles around, empty and cleaned.

His implants are very subtle.

Emphasis on the word 'vice'.

Indeed, Cheney is vice president, operative word being "vice."

sometimes has one of his "trademark changes of heart." I've never known of Big Dick being anything but evil.

I was reading this and thinking the same thing. Cheney is just like the Borg: "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

OMG. That graphic is perfect. :rofl:

"Resisterance is nubile!" :rofl:

and should be discontinued.

Thats a great graphic, really funny subject header with it

best laugh all day- thanks!
:rofl:

I didn't PhotoShop that big black cross.

That's actually the REAL backround in the original
pic of B*sh that I used for that:


On the PLUS side, though, the Borg treatment actually improved
Rumsfeld's skin tone a bit!

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1620292&mesg_id=1620292

:hi:

beating louder and louder.

People are starting to really throw them under the bus - rightfully so - K&R!

thanks for the link...

here is hoping for a BETTER world...

How long has it been since Col. Wilkerson initially came out and spilled some of the beans?

Why didn't he mention any of the "memos, emails, files, and other briefs" previously, or did he, and I missed it?

This drip, drip, drip of truth is driving me absolutely nuts!

The good poppy bush's boy (in a nice insulated bubble with his family consigiere at the WH/DOJ) must be distanced, it would seem.

Bush himself "too aloof, too distant from the details", you see.

For all of that, though, it's rather tragic for the world that the good Colonal didn't act on the courage of his convictions about both the pre-war intel that he knew was being manipulated and the torture policies being drafted-- at the time when it would have mattered the most to thousands of now dead Americans and thousands upon more thousands dead, dismembered or otherwise torured men, women and child Iraqis.

Instead, he chose the safety of silence, chose career government and bureaucracy.

He chose to save "the goods" until now.

------------------------------
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2005
(AP) Former Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff says President Bush was "too aloof, too distant from the details" of post-war planning, allowing underlings to exploit Mr. Bush's detachment and make bad decisions.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/29/politics/main1085057.shtml

and Wilkerson should understand that Bush knows that idiocy is his best talent.

if he didn't before. I haven't researched Wilkerson's background yet -- not enough research time in my days! But I also have a couple of ideas about just why he didn't raise the hue and cry, protesting louder than he did the inclusion of outright LIES in Powell's UN speech that sold so many on the need for the Iraq invasion.

For one thing, who among us, the public, had even heard the name "Wilkerson" or had a clue who he was before his first opening the doors, sometime after the fact, to the secretive process that drove the march to war in Iraq? Would anyone have paid him any heed? We all knew Colin Powell -- or thought we did -- of course; to this day I still blame Powell almost more than those he served because I believe he understood he was selling LIES to us all about Saddam's capabilities and intentions. Selling us by exploiting his own good name and the trust he knew most Americans had in him.

And remember the mood of the country back then? Not just "after 9/11," as Dubya likes to remind us all the time, but after months of relentless drumbeating and lying accusations supporting a rabid drive to war on Saddam. A rather large majority of Americans seemed to be buying it all without question, and those who did question the truth of the administration's assertions about Saddam were being shouted down (at best) and vilified and mocked and condemned at worst -- or was that the worst? I wonder now what other horrors occurred unbeknownst to most of us? How many who might have feasibly LED a strong opposition to the war before it began were "disappeared," for instance? We'll probably never know, just suspect.

In a climate such as that, Wilkerson probably knew he would have to muster every ounce of courage he ever dreamed of having in order to go against the flow and turn the accusations on our leader.

Beyond that, Wilkerson also had his own long history, his past record of serving his country, proudly, no doubt, by following the orders given to him -- not defying them. Not "turning on" his military superiors. It's not an easy transition for a career military man to make, I'm certain!

Whatever his reasons for taking this long to bring forth his revelations, I'm just glad that he's doing what he's doing now. And I'm somewhat nervous about his safety, even now, yes. But not nearly as much since his name has become a household word to a great many who want to see the truth in full come out for ALL to examine and ponder.

What amazes me -- as a bit of a break from topic here, but still on point in a sense -- is seeing the deterioration in the bravado that has been previously presented by Cheney and Bush. Their confidence in their snow-job on us all is clearly evaporating, and I can see it in their body language and hear it in their voices.

Just this morning, watching a muted TV image of Dubya speaking in Germany, I was floored to see how downright TIMID and WORRIED he appeared as he leaned close to the microphone and voiced his stammering words softly! I do believe the overwhelming evidence of his failure and his lying duplicity is getting to him and shaking his world. This is NOT the same arrogant SOB who laughed and joked as he plotted the deaths of many thousands; not the same over-confident asshole who did what he pleased, believing he was absolutely and forever untouchable.

I do think the wall is cracking, and cracking in a big way. It's that old drip, drip, drip, as many have pointed out. In this case, it's the drip of the truth, and of evidence; and it will wear down even the most supercilious powerful ruler when it JUST ... NEVER ... STOPS!

The writing is on the wall, and even the dummy who can hardly read or talk like an adult can read it!

There would have been a tiny flash in the general confusion and very few would have noticed.

Wilkerson and Powell, according to Wilkerson, himself, are pretty much permanent mortal enemies at this point, even though Powell has come out in shame for his participation.

This country is slow to move to a new paradigm and is especially slow to give up emotional stances for pragmatic, well reasoned ones.

As much as we have chafed at the powerlessness and ineffectiveness that have been thrust upon us, things are changing, slowly, ponderously, but changing. Perhaps Mr. Wilkerson would have been effective if his epiphany had occurred and he had acted on it at an earlier time, but it is, without doubt, proving effective at this time.

Maybe the roar that is becoming an overwhelming shout will help in making a difference at this time and, in that light, I commend him for his honesty and assiduousness in this endeavor.

The American mafia must be cast out of the republican party and this country be returned to its rightful governance--the people--us.

are now mortal enemies? This is interesting--please elaborate.

He indicated that Powell was now refusing to even speak to him and had refused to return his calls. I don't recall the exact occasion, but I heard it and there was some comment on DU.

His reaction was sorrow that he was being ignored and a bit of defiant determination to continue to bring light into the discussion of Bush's miscalculations and Powell's lack of principled leadership.

get the same drift from his general demeanor when asked about Powell as you relate his saying here.

What seems most strange of all is that Powell himself, even though he has admitted his shame at participating in the scamming of the American people, has not been forthcoming with anything more in our behalf! Just hardens my feelings toward him even further. He began his career as a young officer in Vietnam when he wrote the first after-action report on My Lai, beginning the cover-up of that massacre and proving himself a "team player." I've never really trusted him since then.

Again it's just my guess, but I have a feeling Powell may regret so bitterly the terrible "smudges" on his good name during the last part of his official career when he served the Bush Cabal that he simply wants to hear -- and speak -- no more about it. Therefore he would logically resent his former trusted friend, Wilkerson, for his persistence in telling the American people the TRUTH in all its ugliness.

IMO, what Powell should do is to follow Wilkerson's courageous example and confirm what his former aide is saying, perhaps thereby redeeming himself and his precious reputation with Americans. I think the general has shown his true colors and chosen the wrong path yet again, ever since he decided to accept Dubya's "invitation" to join his mal-administration as Secretary of State in 2000. Maybe he thought he could moderate the behavior of that criminal buffoon, or perhaps the appeal of such a position was just too strong for him to refuse. I got the impression that he was awfully disappointed in the role he found himself playing in that office.

It's hard to know because he's not talking about it; but I don't think he's doing himself any favors with his silence ... OR his resentment of Wilkerson who is doing the right thing.

I remember when I saw Wilkerson in a rather lengthy interview at about the time he was first getting some attention from the media, I was so impressed with him. I remain so, and in fact I'm proud as hell of him for his courage in the face of such powerful enemies!

mafia is that the objectionable, squirrel brained antics that we learn about only represent a tiny fraction of their ethical lapses. Because the moral failings of each of them, in service to their gods, are far better known amongst themselves than by us hoi-polloi, there is a pact of fear and coverup between them that transcends all other allegiances.

Powell probably lives in mortal fear of the cover slipping off his role (cover up courtesy pappy boosh) in the Iran-Contra affair. I do not doubt that Powell is pretty limited in his leadership abilities and makes up for it by immense pride in being a staunch company man-a team player.

This makes for a deadly combination, from the standpoint of illumination and integrity in government. Powell's military rank was a direct result of his willingness to be a tool of the darker excesses of both the Reagan and Bush-one administrations, so I would not expect him. even under the whip of an annoying conscience, to break form, admit culpability and provide any light on the organized crime brotherhood running this country into the ground.

we don't learn about and will never learn about which our shadow government's deployed minions have been committing -- harming not only Americans but peoples around the world.

When I sit back a bit and look at all that's been revealed just in the past year, I can't help but think, "Man, and that's no doubt just the teeny tiny TIP of the iceberg!"

A lot of DUers have been diligent about researching the plotting and string-pulling going on behind the scenes and then enlightening the rest of us, so as a group we here at DU probably know far more than most citizens do about what the Rapture Cultists in the WH and the PNACkers who constantly push their agenda forward have really been doing. Yet even we surely have no clue about probably 98 percent of their activities!

If we can see "this much" (the scandals and indictments of Repugs, the election fraud revealed, the smearing of good people made obvious to all in retrospect, the abandonment of victims of Katrina evident even as it happens, the coverups uncovered such as the Cheney hunting accident), then how much more are we doubtless missing? It's unnerving to even think about!

And thanks for reminding me about Powell's role in Iran-Contra -- I'd almost forgotten about that! :argh:

Surely his career was "enhanced" by his loyal performance then. And I think you're right in your assessment of his leadership skills and reasons for being such a good team player.

Nope, we're not likely to see the General EVER truly spill his guts about secret evildoings he knows about -- even though at some level of his conscience he must realize we have a right to know them.

I don't like to use the word "evil" in any form because it sounds too much like the Chimperor and his fundie friends talking; but sometimes it's just so hard to avoid, it sums up certain deeds so well.

"Organized crime brotherhood," you said -- boy, you hit the nail on the head there, too! Couldn't have expressed it better! If the average hard-working American could only see behind the curtain how the "great and powerful OZ" is manipulating the knobs and levers and sending smoke out the pipes in precise timing so they're blinded and confused, maybe things would change in a huge hurry in this country I've loved so well all my life. Short of such a mind-blowing, eye-opening enlightenment of most citizens who are busy trying to keep body and soul together and still actually enjoy their lives a little bit, I'm afraid the organized crime brotherhood currently in charge will keep getting away with their dirty tricks largely unimpeded. :cry:

But at least a few, a rare precious few sincere souls like Wilkerson who are also "in the know" because of their past participation, are trying to make things right by revealing what they know! Wouldn't it be nice if we could cast a spell or something that would compel all sneaky, greedy, war-profiteering, civilization-strangling manipulators who've been screwing us little guys for YEARS to experience crises of conscience that would force them to break down and tell the world about every evil deed they ever did?

Try to imagine it.... :D

and respect to one's superiors is bred into one--I think that is a big part of why he may not have felt free to speak until now. For that matter, I always held out the hope that it was loyalty to the C-i-C that held Powell back from speaking freely. And yet the duty of the Secretary of State would be to advise, and I don't know that in the environment of the current administration, he felt free to advise--or, if given the latitude, was able to break through Cheney's influence to advise. I most of all agree with your statement: "We all knew Colin Powell--or thought we did." In the early years of this administration, I thought he would be a meliorating influence, the voice of experience having "seen the elephant" as it were. A military man able to advise the congenital civilians.

I think because Colin Powell was not listened to then, is why we must hear out Wilkerson, who was there, now, because I believe Mr. Powell may well feel duty-bound to say nothing, out of respect, perhaps. What I also think, is that when we see Bush and to a lesser degree, Cheney (because Cheney's committment is, I tend to believe, of the "article of faith" variety) seem less certain, is is a breath-taking admission of the reality of what's going on. If even they are concerned--let's just say we should be even more so.

Vixengrl, but it's great to know that someone else has seen many of the same things in Powell's behavior that I have.

I also hoped, when Dubya selected Powell as Secretary of State, that in spite of his previous failure of moral courage (namely, My Lai), he might have a positive influence on the CiC-without-a-clue. I liked what Powell did during the few years after he retired the first time from military and political life. That "America's Promise" thing, an organization he began that was aimed at mentoring the nation's children -- especially those considered "at risk" -- in the hope he could improve America's future that way.

Maybe that's what he has returned to, I don't know. In a way, I was glad to see him resign as Secretary of State after Chimpy's first term, just because of the statement that seemed to make. On the other hand, look what we got as his replacement! Arghhh!

I totally agree with what you said about Bush and Cheney, too, btw. Hard times a'comin' for those two, methinks....

He gets it.

Until after November? Until after the NEXT Presidential election?

Until the whole entire Middle East is nothing but the smell of napalmed human flesh?

What are you still saving "the goods" for, Colonal??

When's a good time?

time and make sure your assets are covered - nobody wants to wind up on a small plane to nowhere.

Those guys play for keeps. And a man's career, or life, or the lives of his family mean nothing to them.

so you might be a little more generous with those who try, however haltingly, to do the right thing.

by drawing all fire away from him. By telling us again what only, by his own admission in the article, had already been put out there in the public domain, by the media, by the ACLU, by military whistleblowers, by the-



What did you learn in his latest article that you didn't already know about the offices and excreble products and policies of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld?

And where, for the sake of accuracy, in the article does he say he has the emails, files, documents, briefs and intends to use them? He doesn't say it: That is Clemons' own special editorial ping to make all this sound more revelatory than it is. There is no reason why in his role he wouldn't have them, hasn't always had them, even while the list of the abused and the tortured in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanimo, the reports of deaths, and the reports of the overseas extraordinary renditions grew and grew.

I don't question from his vehemence that he would testify honorably and quite negatively against Cheney and/or Rumsfeld if ever called into court, if there was one. That is good, though even then he says "There is, in my view, insufficient evidence to walk into an American courtroom and win a legal case (though an international courtroom for war crimes might feel differently)."

It is good to see him "Dogging The Torture Memos" even if he chose wait to do his part in "the dogging" until only as recently as October of O5, which is when, from what I glean from other pieces, he made his first debut. Until well after others risked all in their own respective ways and paved his way for a couple good years first.

It is good to see him add his weight. It is good to see him publicly pile on Cheney and Rumsfeld when the pile is finally quite high. But it doesn't make him a hero to me. And his effort to rehabilitate the increasingly tanished image of the rank and file military by sorting appples, whch is what his latest piece ALSO attempts to do, doesn't make him a hero to me either. That's his job and his vocation.

I can't celebrate him. Or his personal loyalty to the father and the son. I can't celebrate the Nixonian legacy politics of his party, which he never denounces, once. Nor the Reagonesque defenses of an exploited Bush junior, ("sonnivabitch tried to kill my daddy") whose only crime, we're to believe, was not paying good attention.


I'll celebrate him a little more, maybe when he says a little something about how much he personally didn't like it when junior- and nobody but junior- put pen to paper on over 500+ signing statements and wiped his ass with The Constitution of the United States, and then handed it over to his subordinates to do the same.



In the meantime, these are Americans I can celebrate and be more than generous to. They had lives, they had careers, they had families, they had fears, some of them greater than others', and none of them waited until Bush's poll numbers and Bush's sinking ship were already below the water level horizon in the toilet:

http://www.nswbc.org/membership_list.htm

he is the Borg

good post kpete

:dem:

the goods...

can't wait to see that!!!

:woohoo:

Thank you, Col. Wilkerson.

"...--tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

(:

But it is funny how the mind works. I read that poem last in 1969, and it was the first thing to enter my mind when I read this thread.

:kick:

Remember, it's not important that we tortured those people, the important thing is that we are not the kind of people who would do such a thing"
Jon Stewart

PM me if you're looking for a moonlight job. seriously.

and make the new law retroactive to the date cheney first started shitting all over the constitution?

That's what they're working on right now with respect to Guantanamo detainees, right?

/cynical

http://www.grandtheftelectionohio.com/060710.htm

"Dicks: Nixonians Pt XII"

Wow, that is really and truly f@#%ed up. Organ failure is the point where the pain stops.

This is devastating. Wilkerson is doing the heavy lifting for all of us and I, for one, am most gratful, profoundly so. He's an honest man with a sense of duty to his country and honor in his profession. He is/was also a Republican. This is non partisan. The horror show, yet to be unveiled, is one that will shock and awe the entire world. Wilkerson can't be intimidated. Why? Because if he could, they'd have done by now. You can be sure they've already taken their best shots.

K&R Thank ou kpete

Definitely. Go Wilks!

:)