Just Exactly Who Is In Charge? Bush Takes "Orders" From Cheney

ABC News: Cheney Controversy Persists:

"Questions about why Vice President Dick Cheney did not tell the public that he had accidentally shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington during a quail hunting outing in Texas on Saturday continue to persist. Now the White House is under fire for not releasing information on the Cheney shooting quickly enough. Sources told ABC News that the vice president's team had debated issuing a statement early Sunday morning per the White House's request. But sources said Cheney's team decided it would be more credible to allow ranch owner and witness Katharine Armstrong to make the information public.

Experts say the incident shows how powerful and independent the vice president is. He handled the shooting the way he saw fit -- and his decision continues to feed the ever-growing political fire."

While there have been rumors and joles about Bush being a puppet for Cheney, there is now no doubt that Cheney calls the shots and Bush serves at the pleasure of the vice president... or at least that is the way it seems. Cheney has had unprecedented involvement in the day-to-day operations of the White House and in making/executing policy. He has been the force behind so many Bush administration initiatives that it does give us cause to pause. Cheney is also an accomplished arm-twister when it comes to getting things done over on Capitol Hill. I don't think old George W. would fare as well with congress if the Dick wasn't in... er, I mean if Dick Cheney wasn't in.

"Armstrong is the daughter of a former Halliburton official who hired Cheney as CEO."

Are we still talking about "Quail Gate" or have we moved to the Halliburton scandal? Given the propensity for this administration to defer to Halliburton, it only makes sense that it would defer to friends from Halliburton.

"'The refusal of this administration to level with the American people on matters large and small is very disturbing,' said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. Clinton and other top Democrats say that this is indicative of the Bush administration's tendency to not level with the American people. For them, the shooting has become a metaphor for larger problems within the administration."

While I seldom find anything Hillary has to say credible because she is usually trying to develop a political identity, I have to agree with her assessment that the way this administration hides things, lies, misleads and operates deep behind the scenes with disdain for any oversight is VERY DISTURBING. The Bush administration works so deep behind the scenes that in comparison "Deep Throat" from the Watergate scandal was way out in the open. George W. Bush makes me long for the tactics and attitudes of the Nixon administration.