Adding One More Voice Against Asshole Cheney

As seen at Balta, the Angry Arab News Service, and probably countless other places. I'll add a link to TIME as well. It notes at least one instance where a paper trail--or, in this case, the email equivalent--ties Dick the veep to a big-time Halliburton deal:

Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.

The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the contract "contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP's [Vice President's] office." Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids. TIME located the e-mail among documents provided by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.

Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems says the Vice President "has played no role whatsoever in government-contract decisions involving Halliburton" since 2000. A Pentagon spokesman says the e-mail means merely that "in anticipation of controversy over the award of a sole-source contract to Halliburton, we wanted to give the Vice President's staff a heads-up."

Cheney is linked to his old firm in at least one other way. His recently filed 2003 financial-disclosure form reveals that Halliburton last year invoked an insurance policy to indemnify Cheney for what could be steep legal bills "arising from his service" at the company. Past and present Halliburton execs face an array of potentially costly litigation, including multibillion-dollar asbestos claims.

Kevin Kellems, if you ask me, is lying. If you ask him, I'm sure he'd say that his statement was accurate. In an exceedlingly narrow sense, it is. I'm sure Halliburton gave Cheney a "heads-up," but I'm equally sure Dick went right to the nominal "boss" and proceeded to explain the "necessity" of the contract. Evidence indicates Cheney spends extensive amounts of time with Bush. What the hell else do they discuss after the formalities of denouncing Saddam yet again--or, more likely, what is Cheney TELLING the president?

"Got rid of Saddam, George. Good. Now, there's the matter of how we'll...

Restore Iraqi Oil. Or Move "sailboat fuel" around. Oh, and then there's a small matter regarding food service contracts. I think a fine might be appropriate."