Cheney Shooting Story Providing Cover....For Cheney

The Cheney shooting was a godsend for the Republican party because it provided a diversion from everything else that is going wrong. The Saddam tapes on ABC News that were hyped by Drudge and conservative news networks all day as holding some kind of smoking gun about WMDs in Iraq, and Saddam’s discussion of a terrorist attack on Washington, proved to be just more spin. The most damaging quote by Saddam did predict a terrorist attack on US soil but not from Iraq.
It stands to reason that if there really were WMDs in Iraq, we would have found out – not by searching for them – but by torturing the scientists involved. That had to be job #1 for the CIA after we went in. Imagine the officer who got to say, “I’ve found them, Mr. President. You’re off the hook.” I tracked this latest Saddam-tape story through conservative media sources today, and they don’t seem to mind a story collapsing later if they can reap a few hours of spin.
The other story that would be red hot in less oppressive times, is about Cheney, but not this ridiculous hunting accident. Scooter Libby’s leaked testimony that he was ordered by Cheney to go after Plame and to leak other classified information in the name of starting the Iraq War, has led to more developments. Libby also mentions other high White House officials, and it has already been leaked that some of Cheney’s and Bush’s emails have been deleted or destroyed.
Now comes word that Gonzalez is refusing to turn over emails from his bosses in the White House to the Special Prosecutor on security grounds. Most of Washington believes that the emails directly implicate Cheney in the Valerie Plame affair and other leaks of classified information to try and sell a phony need for war. If the media was undistracted they might even be on the hunt for a real story right now.
In short, by shooting his hunting buddy, Cheney the reckless hunter, has taken the spotlight off Cheney the indictable criminal. Cheny is providing cover for himself. At least for now. Say, you don’t think that Karl Rove would orchestrate something like…….nah. No way.