1115.org

(1)
First, there was Steve Clemons at The Washington Note exploding the bombshell that there’s a “race currently underway between different flanks of the administration to determine the future course of US-Iran policy.” Clemons described a rogue government-within-the-government that is “Engaged in Insubordination Against President Bush“.

In one corner, there’s the “Pentagon and the intelligence establishment … providing support to … the diplomatic effort led by Condi Rice, her deputy John Negroponte, Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns, and Legal Adviser John Bellinger.” The supporting cast also includes Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and CIA Director Michael Hayden.

In the other corner, there’s “Vice President Cheney’s team and acolytes — who populate quite a wide swath throughout the American national security bureaucracy”.

Dick’s pricks haven’t just been quietly undermining Condi’s — the Bush administration’s — diplomatic efforts.

Multiple sources have reported that a senior aide on Vice President Cheney’s national security team has been meeting with policy hands of the American Enterprise Institute, one other think tank, and more than one national security consulting house and explicitly stating that Vice President Cheney does not support President Bush’s tack towards Condoleezza Rice’s diplomatic efforts and fears that the President is taking diplomacy with Iran too seriously.

This White House official has stated to several Washington insiders that Cheney is planning to deploy an “end run strategy” around the President if he and his team lose the policy argument.

Depending on your mood, you could describe this using any and all of the following words: high-handedness, insubordination, high crimes and misdemeanors, mutiny, treason. The phrase “conspiracy to commit” could also be prefixed at will.

In case you’re still wavering, here’s a little more:

The zinger of this information is the admission by this Cheney aide that Cheney himself is frustrated with President Bush and believes, much like Richard Perle, that Bush is making a disastrous mistake by aligning himself with the policy course that Condoleezza Rice, Bob Gates, Michael Hayden and McConnell have sculpted.

According to this official, Cheney believes that Bush can not be counted on to make the “right decision” when it comes to dealing with Iran and thus Cheney believes that he must tie the President’s hands.

Kind of makes you feel that Cheney would really love to have a Tower of London to consign Bush to, doesn’t it? I’m sure the phrase “Clap him in irons” springs unbidden into Cheney’s mind many a time on many a day.

There was already a pretty respectable bonfire before Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, came along with a full tank of gas:

“I wake every morning and see 100 Iraqis innocent civilians are dying,” he said. “I have no brief other than to make sure we don’t go into another war or that we go crazy into killing each other. You do not want to give additional argument to new crazies who say ‘let’s go and bomb Iran.’”

Asked who the “new crazies” were he replied: “Those who have extreme views and say the only solution is to impose your will by force.”

Condi Rice has stoutly denied there is any discord between her and Cheney on the subject of our Iran policy:

“The president of the United States has made it clear that we are on a course that is a diplomatic course,” Rice said here. “That policy is supported by all of the members of the Cabinet, and by the vice president of the United States.

Of course, this was at the same time as her senior aides were singing a very different song. Full-throatedly. And to the media:

Rice’s assurance came as senior officials at the State Department were expressing fury over reports that members of Vice President Dick Cheney’s staff have told others that Cheney believes the diplomatic track with Iran is pointless, and is looking for ways to persuade Bush to confront Iran militarily.

One key member of Cheney’s secretive staff who has been fingered publicly for his role in the Iran Mutiny-Treason Conspiracy is David Wurmser:

In interviews, people who have spoken with Cheney’s staff have confirmed the broad outlines of the reports, and said that some of the hawkish statements to outsiders had been made by David Wurmser, a former Pentagon official who is now the principal deputy assistant to Cheney for national security affairs. The accounts were provided by people who expressed alarm about the statements, but refused to be quoted by name.

Here’s a senior Bush administration official confirming denying all the speculation in the blogs and the press since Steve Clemons’ post appeared on May 24:

A senior Bush administration official separately denied that there was a deep divide between Rice and Cheney on Iran.

But, the official said, “The vice president is not necessarily responsible for every single thing that comes out of the mouth of every single member of his staff.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about any divide within the administration.

(Of course, everything his staff members say doesn’t necessarily come out of their mouths.)

(2)
So that’s the considered media position of Bush’s inner circle:
Cheney’s aides have indeed been saying everything they are rumored to have said. But when we burst into Cheney’s office, he wasn’t holding a gun. Or, if he was, there was certainly no smoke coming out of it. Besides, when we were able to persuade him to put it down, and we inspected it, the barrel wasn’t warm to the touch. No cordite fumes in the air, either. Nothing but a very strong odor of freshly sprayed room freshener.

(3)
I’m no rocket scientist, but if you give me a pair of twos and a calculator, I can add ‘em up and come up with four, most days.

Here’s what my calculator is saying: President Bush is furious. President Bush wants very much to fire Cheney. But President Bush won’t. Because President Bush can’t.

Once upon a time, boys and girls, the President of the United States was the leader of the free world. Really!

Now he is not only regarded as a liar without a conscience, and an international laughing stock, he doesn’t even have the power, the political strength, or maybe just the balls, to fire his own vice-president. Not even when he openly flaunts his insubordination, openly flouts Bush and mocks his policies. Not even when he openly revolts.

(4)
I’m reminded of one of the details that emerged about the War Czar, soon after the first stories about that brainwave had surfaced. The job description of the War Czar was that he “would brief Mr. Bush every morning on Iraq and Afghanistan, then prod cabinet secretaries into carrying out White House orders.”

You’re the President of the United States, and when your own cabinet secretaries don’t carry out your orders, your response is to place help wanted ads for a nanny.

So it’s really kind of hard to be surprised when people like Dick Cheney are encouraged to erupt into open revolt. Or when there’s no response whatsoever from the Wimp-in-Chief to the revolt.

Or let’s be fair to the man. We don’t know for sure that there was no response. Maybe he’s been crying himself to sleep every night since. Maybe he’s been wetting his bed too.