"Cheney will now be unchallenged." (Financial Times)

[kpete]

Cheney the survivor without challengers
By Andrew Ward and Edward Luce

Published: September 1 2007 03:00 | Last updated: September 1 2007 03:00

............

Yet far from being the increasingly isolated figure that he is often portrayed, Mr Cheney wields influence that has arguably never been greater. Among the close circle of trusted advisors that Mr Bush has relied on since coming to the White House, only Mr Cheney remains./b]

The others - the so-called "Texas mafia" that included Harriet Miers, the former counsel, Dan Barlett, director of communications, Karen Hughes, a senior advisor, Alberto Gonzales, the outgoing attorney-general and Mr Rove - have all left.

It was this informal coterie that would retreat with Mr Bush to his private quarters after formal White House meetings and take the hard decisions. "These were the people Bush trusted and where he could say anything," said a former Cheney aide. "Cheney will now be unchallenged."

.....................

Often they were chasing two different rabbits. It is Mr Cheney who looks farlikelier to accomplish his agenda. "There is no one left who can now out-argue the vice-president," says Jule-anna Glover, another former Cheney aide.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b44ff52-5823-11dc-8c65-0000779fd2ac.html

[Vincardog]

1. So jr will only have one puppet master? Can we expect coherent thinking and action now?

[Cha]

11. There's always the scenario

that rove will be pulling very long strings..or the dick of death better keep himself fit as fiddle or fucking buSHIT will implode from vacuity.

[Richard Steele]

2. As if he was ever challenged in the first place. recommended

[Fridays Child]

3. The author is right but for the wifely influence of...

...Condi. (She is still around, isn't she? :shrug:)

[Olney Blue]

4. Does anyone really think that the Texas "advisors" stopped Cheney

from EVER doing exactly what he wanted? :eyes:

[MADem]

5. Well, that Texas mafia was always subordinate to His Royal Slothness

Old Shooter now IS challenged--because there are a few Poppyites in the administration, where there weren't any that shared the Poppy worldview before.

The Texas Mafia was useful because they were all nitwits who would do as they were told.

[whistle]

6. No one left to challenge Cheney but Congress! So begin the impeachment...

:kick:

[napi21]

7. That's probably true, but I wonder just how much Shrub ever

agrees with Unka Dick? He knows Dick's publik popularity is even worse than his own, and I think Shrub is much too egotistical not to be concerned about his own image in history. VP's are listed in history but almost as low as a footnote.

I'm actually thinking Shrub is going to rely on Laura and Barney to help him make decisions.

[BeHereNow]

8. Be afraid.

Very.
:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:
BHN

[proud patriot]

9. where's Condi ?

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I sure would like to know that, too...

My husband and I have been discussing that now for a few weeks. Where the hell is Condi? Is the Dick holding her hostage somewhere?

[kimmerspixelated]

22. I believe she might be being groomed to be the VP

when Cheney resigns. That was a rumor of course, but what DeepModem Mom presented in her posts was hard to forget.

[salin]

13. shoe shopping

[enid602]

20. ?

cement shoes?

[salin]

29. during the Hurricane Katrina disaster - Condi was reportedly off in the exclusive

dept stores buying ferragamo (??) shoes. Shoes to condi, have become a joke in a similar but different way as they were a punch line for Imelda Marcos comments 20 years ago.

[Cha]

10. The Democrats should try

try fucking challenging him! :think: :scared: ?

[NMDemDist2]

14. I'd say Cheney has lots of challenges

like the fact he has no heart, no conscience and absolutely no ethical compass that doesn't include his pals getting richer...

unfortunately he's a dark force to be reckoned with .......

[BlooInBloo]

15. What-the-fuckin-EVER. Like he was OOOOOOH so challegened before....

.... They all made his life SUCH a hell. It was SOOOOOOO hard for him to get his way on ANYTHING.

Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit (to the author of the article).

[malaise]

18. Bingo n/t

[Hamlette]

24. Bloo is right. The question is why is the Financial Times sellinf THIS propagada? Who gains?

I have never read or heard one person say Rove or Karen or Gonzo challenged Cheney. Not even a hint. Powell did, O'Neill did and to a certain extent, Condi did but there is not one shred of evidence the others did.

It was Rummy, Wolfie and Cheney who wanted war wit Iraq. Those tough Texas Cowboys sure did a lot of good stopping them from that disaster.

So why do they now want us to think Cheney is unchecked? I see him as losing his main allies, Wolfie and Rummy and thus maybe not being as powerful now. Or is the author just an idiot? One of the "very serious people" who dream up our foreign policy in this country.

[liberal N proud]

16. So they are saying that Rove and Gonzo actually challenged Dick?

They want us to believe that Rove, Gonzo and others actually countered Cheney in controlling what bu$h says and does?

:banghead:

[Disturbed]

19. Rove may have influence over Busholini but Gonzo?

Gonzo was Busholini's little defender on the Legal er Illegal front.

[DFW]

17. Well, on the surface, anyway

Assuming Bush doesn't have Rove's cell phone handy is like assuming
people in France don't speak French.

[5X]

21. This may be the most important outcome of recent developments. k and r . n/t

[rocktivity]

23. Compared to what?

rocknation

[CGowen]

25. next stop, Iran ? n/t

[CGowen]

26. "People tend to forget that we do not have a parliamentary system..We have aseparation of powers" nt

[struggle4progress]

27. Karen Hughes is still around, masquerading as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy ..

.. and Public Affairs: her job is to demoralize the diplomatic corps as much as possible

[Vidar]

28. So Herman Goehring beat out Himmler & Martin Borman.

I'm sorry but I still think it's a great thing that Rove & Gonzo are gone, regardless of the effect on the big dick.

[Jim Lane]

30. An interesting detail in the story about Cheney's principal aim

The story stresses Cheney's desire to expand the powers of the Presidency, pitched as restoring powers lost after Watergate (which is partly true and partly spin, because Cheney has advocated for an imperial Presidency that would exceed the pre-Watergate office).

I wonder if that project will come to seem less appealing as the election draws closer, and Bushbots realize that they might be amassing power for a Democrat. I don't assume Hillary will be our nominee, but many Republicans seem to assume that, and the idea of augmenting Hillary's power should really give them the shakes.