Cheney On the Hot Seat

VP Dick Cheney is expected to be on the witness stand in the perjury trial of his former chief of staff, Scooter Libby. Veteran prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will do the cross-examination. The New York Times quoted George Bush’s former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson saying, “Fitzgerald is a remarkably thorough, meticulous and careful guy with a tremendous memory of the facts”. “This could be great theater,” Ohio State law professor Peter M. Shane said. Shane added that anything Cheney says for the defense becomes “fair game” and will be picked apart by the prosecution. A former federal prosecutor who spoke on condition of anonymity told the NYT, "If Cheney said anything that’s contradicted in the record, though I think that’s unlikely, Pat will slam him…he’ll (Fitzgerald) do it respectfully, but I have no doubt he’ll do it.” So, If Cheney tells the truth, it will be damaging to himself, Bush, Libby and the whole Bush administration. If he doesn’t tell the truth, it will be damaging to himself, Bush, Libby and the whole Bush administration. Recently, in an interview with Cheney on CNN, Wolf Blitzer told Cheney, “Some of your good Republican friends in the Senate and the House are now seriously questioning your credibility because of the blunders, of the failures.” Cheney said, “I don’t accept the premise of your question…I think it’s hogwash.” In other words, using Adam Savage’s line on “Mythbusters”, “I reject your reality and I substitute my own.” I think Cheney will get on the witness stand believing that no one can touch him, that no one will dare ask him hardball questions, and that, in any case, he is above the law. I believe Dick Cheney will be as arrogant to Fitzgerald as he was to Wolf Blitzer. I believe Dick Cheney has no comprehension that he is vulnerable and that his testimony will damage Libby, the Bush administration and himself. Cheney has had no experience that would allow him to think he can’t bullshit his way out of the Libby trial, intact and in total control. Peter Shane said Cheney’s testimony could be great theater. And it surely would be great if Cheney falls apart like Captain Queeg in “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial”, which he won’t. But it will be fun watching Vice President Dick Cheney do his Bush-is-in-charge act while letting it be known that Cheney is in charge and that Bush is a puppet. And at the same time, Cheney will have to tell lies that support Libby’s lies while indicating that Libby is an incompetent jerk who did things Cheney was not aware of, even though only Cheney has the power to do things on his own. However, Cheney never does bad things, only underlings do bad things on their own hook, at Cheney’s direction, of course, but not really. In any event, Cheney has to maintain the fiction that he is not in charge, Bush is in charge, even though Cheney’s subtext will be that Cheney is in charge. Oh yes indeedy, Cheney on the witness stand is going to be watchable.