Thank You, Dick Cheney

Former VP Dick Cheney has been unleashed again, presumably without his meds. Now he thinks the Obama Administration should "thank" George W. Bush and Cheney for all the swell things they've done to make President Obama's life easier.

Here's a few of W.'s accomplishments:

* Allowing the largest domestic terror attack in the history of the country to happen despite repeated warnings from the State Dept. But W. had brush to clear at his Crawford ranch and couldn't be bothered to take action.

* Starting a war of choice and not necessity by attacking a nation that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks (that would be Iraq, for those keeping score at home). Bush's "easy" war where we would be "greeted as liberators and not conquerers" turned a stable if authortarian state into a seething cauldron of violence that is creating a whole new generation of terrorists. Saddam Hussein was a bad man, no doubt about it...but I really think setting off a civil war that STILL threatens to engulf the entire region is inarguably worse.

* By taking out Iraq, Bush helped make Iran a powerful agitator in the Gulf Region, which threatens to further destabilize the region for years to come.


Oh, yeah, there's a lot more after the break...



* Spending a trillion dollars on a war against a nation that had nothing to do with 9/11.

* Thousands of deaths of US service personnel as a result of that war of choice. Tens of thousands of permanently debilitating injuries.

* Over 100,000 civilian deaths as a result of this war of choice.

* Legalizing torture. We're supposed to be a nation that inspires other nations to be noble and good...but Bush and Cheney attempted to legalize torturing people, a technique that everyone within the intelligence community knows is INEFFECTIVE. And terribly immoral.

* Ignoring the rule of law by attempting to hold "enemy combatants" indefinitely without a proper trial. (And yet, the Bush Administration got over 300 convictions of suspected terrorists in fully legal jury trials. But Bush's biggest supporters accused Obama of being cowardly for wanting to follow the law.)

* Bush bravely telling the terrorists to "bring it on" from the safety of a press briefing 3,000 miles away. It's easy to say "Bring it on" when it's not your ass being shot at. Of course, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rush Limbaugh wouldn't know what real military service was all about--they were cowards and got deferments and preferential treatment when their nation asked them to serve in the Vietnam War. Getting shot at is for the little people.

* An Administration that held the Constitution and the rule of law in such contempt that they simply ignored it when it was inconvenient. Deciding that people do not have any legal rights--the Bush Administration advocated that anyone, not just those possible terrorists, but anyone, you, me, your friends, your family, could be declared a suspected terrorist or enemy combatant (without the government having to provide any proof of said accusation), kidnapped off the streets, held in indefinite detention, tortured, "disappeared," with no legal rights at all.

* Implementing a dragnet that spies on the communications of ordinary Americans at every juncture.

* Creating nightmare conditions in the Middle East that will create a whole new generation of terrorists whose only goal in life is to destroy the nation (that would be us) that attacked them. The mess Bush and Cheney created in Iraq is something that will haunt our nation for generations to come.

* Bush came into office with a huge budget surplus. He left office after squandering a trillion dollars on this foolish war, with the US deeply in debt and huge budget deficit.

* Enriching Cheney and Bush's friends in industry, from the military contractors like Blackwater and Wackenhut who provided "security" and often engaged in brutal attacks on civilians in Iraq to military contractors to Cheney's former company, Halliburton, which won billions of dollars in contracts for military support and rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure.

* The Bush Recession which would have turned into Great Depression II had it not been for the swift action of the Obama Administration.

* Enormous tax cuts for America's wealthiest citizens and corporations that played a large part in creating the huge deficits Obama must attempt to reign in.

* Creating and allowing the conditions that caused the mortgage meltdown and subsequent Wall Street and bank collapse that nearly destroyed the world's economy. Former NY Governor Elliott Spitzer was intent on investigating the banks' deceptive and illegal practices and he was shut down by the Bush Administration.

* Bailing out America's wealthiest corporations while allowing millions of ordinary Americans to lose everything they have in bankruptcies due to mortgage meltdowns and the ongoing crisis in American healthcare--did you know that a large percentage of bankruptcies in this country are due to medical bills? Do you know how many Canadians have to file bankruptcy because of medical bills? ZERO. That's because they have an affordable single-payer system where everyone is covered.

* Bush's policies have crippled this nation and we are on the verge of bankruptcy. If the Chinese ever stop buying up our gov't's debt, we are SCREWED.

* Empowering big mouthed morons like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Glen Beck, who speak big words about patriotism, bravery and courage while insulting anyone who dares to disagree with them.

But let's review some facts about these clowns:

Rush Limbaugh was an oxycontin addict and mocked Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Serial deferments for a vestigial tail (growth) when the military attempted to draft him.

Sean Hannity talks about his courage and even went so far to say that he would be water-boarded for charity to prove that it's not torture. The money was raised...the coward still has come nowhere near a waterboard.

Micheal Savage spews hate for a living while hiding behind a made-up on-air name. Maybe he's afraid of his given last name of Weiner because he is one.

Glenn Beck, birther, teabagger, cries on command, former on-air DJ who likes to dress up in military uniforms for book cover shoots but has never actually been anywhere near a real military uniform.

In most of American history, people like this were called "chickenhawks"--they love to talk about duty, honor and the nobility of serving the country by being in the military. But when it is time for them to put their own asses on the line, they cower in the shadows because they are cowards. They are not worthy of our contempt.

* Bringing this nation to the brink of fascism--encouraging discourse that labeled anyone opposed to Bush's policies a coward or a traitor while melding corporate power and gov't policy for militaristic purposes. (Which is the technical definition of fascism.)

I don't use the word evil lightly--but the Bush Administration was perhaps the single greatest gathering of pure, concentrated evil in recent American history. Let's remember some of the hall of shame: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Douglass Feith, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Karl Rove (Mr. Family Values who wants yet another divorce), Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Condoleeza Rice.

Gee Dick, thanks! We couldn't have done it without you!