Cheney's Revenge

A GOOD ANALYSIS
By Mike Whitney

"So, what does it all mean?

Well, as many of the political wags are finally admitting, the adults are stepping in and taking back their government. The establishment "old school" Republicans and country club plutocrats put-together a plan to sabotage the Cheney administration and put an end to the Iraq debacle. The scheme first became apparent when Bob Woodward, the establishment's number one scribe, released his book "State of Denial". That was followed by the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), Lancet's Iraqi casualty report, the Mark Foley page fiasco, and a steady barrage of ethics and corruption scandals.

The Democrats had nothing to do with the ferocious media-blitzkrieg which pummeled the Bush team day-in and day-out. It was all the handiwork of big-money Republicans who lost their place at the policy-table when Cheney and Rummy decided they would run the whole shebang by themselves.

The only way they could be certain of undermining the Sec-Def and the Veep's powers was by attacking their political base and destroying the "rubber stamp" congress. And, that is precisely what they did. It's a classic case of the parent killing its own offspring or, as Dostoyevsky said, "One reptile devouring the other."

The election simply proves that one should not expect to take the country away from the people who really own it. It's theirs, and the political parties are merely the temporary security guards who are paid to watch over their prized possession.

Betrayal

What's interesting in this case, is that Cheney was betrayed by Bush. It was Bush who fed Rummy to the crocodiles and replaced him with Gates, and it was Bush who broke his oath of loyalty to people who put him in office. Cheney doesn't like to be betrayed, in fact, Cheney hates to be betrayed. Loyalty is the only virtue among thieves, and Bush has violated that basic bond. That probably means big trouble for George W. Bush in the future.

Understandably, the country is breathing a sigh of relief after the midterm elections, but it may be a bit premature. Cheney may be down, but he's not out. And, unfortunately, nothing has really changed. Cheney hasn't abandoned his plan for global domination and he still has plenty of agents lurking in the shadows who will carry out his agenda. His problem now is how to get back "in the game" and settle scores with the people who screwed him over.

Ironically, his biggest obstacle is George Bush, the man who knifed him in the back and put the brakes on the global crusade. Bush is now under the influence his father's chief-advisors who are determined to get the troops out of Iraq, forestall any attack on Iran, and (probably) undermine the powers of the unitary executive.

So, how far will Cheney go to remove the obstacles for realizing his dark vision? Would he be willing to incite a war with Iran to restore himself to power?

William S. Lind, Director for the Center for Cultural Conservatism for the Free Congress Foundation, assures us in his latest article "Iraq Disaster Warning" that "something big'" will happen "between Nov 7 congressional election and Christmas. That could be the long-planned attack on Iran".

Dr. Elias Akleh supports this theory in his article "War on Iran" providing the worrisome details of the military build-up currently taking place in the Gulf beyond the knowledge of the American people.

Akleh states:

"The US and NATO countries had amassed the largest military armada in the Middle East. The US armada consists of carrier Strike Group 12 led by nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, Eisenhower Strike Group-another nuclear powered aircraft carrier with accompanied military vessels and submarines, Expeditionary Strike Group 5 with multiple attack vessels led by aircraft carrier USS Boxer, the Iowa Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, and the US Coast Guard. Canada has sent its anti-submarine HMCS Ottawa frigate to join the American Armada in the Persian Gulf. On October 1the USS Enterprise Striking Group has crossed the Suez Canal to join NATO armada at the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

The NATO force is composed of troops and naval vessels from several countries and is lead by Germany. It includes German command naval forces, Italian navy, 2 Spanish warships, 3 Danish warships, 10 Greek warships, 2 Netherlands warships, and French, Belgium, Turkish, and Bulgarian troops in South Lebanon."

Akleh adds ominously, "This is the largest massing of military power in the region, and it is gathering for a reason."

Indeed.

So, Iran is still very much on the table just as America is still in danger of deteriorating into a militarized police state. Cheney's dream of global hegemony and absolute rule continues to move forward regardless of the elections' results. He remains committed to his original plan whatever the cost to the country in terms of blood and treasure.

Do not underestimate Dick Cheney. He is a dogged "bare-knuckled" street-fighter with a will of tempered steel. He will stop at nothing. All he needs is a means of getting back into the seat of power. Do we need to remind ourselves that he is only a "heartbeat" away from the most powerful position in the world? That's something that should concern us all."