Cheney sets vacation record straight: "I came back four days early."

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

A heck of a job
Posted 9/12/05
By Roger Simon

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/050912/12simon.htm

If you want to know what went wrong with the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, just examine the following statement by Dick Cheney. When asked by a reporter why he did not return from his vacation earlier than last Thursday, three days after the hurricane hit, the vice president replied: "I came back four days early."

And you can see why Cheney is so testy. He had to miss four days of his vacation to help a bunch of people who probably had never voted Republican in their lives.

Bush's polls continue to nose-dive. ABC reported Monday that "more than six in 10 say the administration lacks a clear plan to handle the situation caused by the hurricane and subsequent flooding. The percentage of Americans who think there's no clear plan is somewhat higher now than it was in an ABC News/Washington Post poll on September 2 when 80 percent of New Orleans was under water."

In other words, even with the waters receding, even with the horror shows at the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Center over, the public's view of how Bush handles emergencies is going down. Further, "independents are about twice as likely to strongly disapprove as to strongly approve" of Bush's performance post-Katrina." As ABC's political newsletter, The Note, wryly observes, "That will be read with some concern among those GOPers whose names will be on ballots next November." Georgie, you're doing a heck of a job.

[Chipper Chat]

1. I just heard a stunning statement on the weather channel.

A reporter in North Carolina's outer banks said "Trucks are lined up and ready for any disaster" (in preparation for Hurricane Ophelia).
Uhhhhhhhh.....where were those trucks even AFTER Katrina?
Guess Bush is taking no chances with the white Repub voters on the Atlantic coast.

[Skink]

2. I don't understand the President and Vice President were on vacation

at the same time. What if there was a crisis?

[seemunkee]

4. In September? that never happens

[Geoff R. Casavant]

16. Your headline reminded me of Tom Lehrer

"Once all the Germans were warlike and mean
But that couldn't happen again.
We taught them a lesson in 1918
And they've hardly bothered us since then."

Peace.

[demnan]

5. There was

a city drowned.

[whistle]

6. That's why they both left town for five weeks....almost guarantees

...that there will be a crisis.

[gratuitous]

7. A crisis? Like what, a hurricane or something?

Oh, you libruls -- The party of pessimists and nay-sayers! Always ginning up a crisis where none exists, but ignoring the imminent threat of a mushroom cloud over a major American city.

[Justyce]

10. Well, we've seen that having

the trucks "lined up and ready" doesn't necessarily mean anything if they don't get the go-ahead... Wonder how many they pulled out of NO to send over there? Plenty of people to be rescued & work still to be done in NO.

[FreedomAngel82]

24. The only thing that means with the trucks

is they can claim they were ready and blame it on the local government.

[LiberalinNC]

11. Those trucks and FEMA were NO where to be found after Fran!

It sucks living in a red state. :mad:

[whistle]

3. Damn straight, Dick Cheney should be pissed...he was trying

...to decide which 10,000 sq ft mansion he and Lynn would be buying for their post-presidential retirement, the $2.5 million one or the $3.5 million one!:nopity:

Oh well, now they can also throw in a Gulf Coast Villa from the added bonuses that will come from the multi-billion dollar Halliburton no-bids contracts being hastily put together during Cheney's coitus-interuptus vacation. Fuck you Dick Cheney.

[holboz]

8. 9/11 and Katrina told world to attack us in August or early Sept.

Everyone's on vacation or slacking off because they've just returned from vacation. We all know how hard it is to get back in the groove after a 4 day weekend...can you imagine getting back to work after 31 days off???

Unbelievable. Most people in this country are lucky to get 2 weeks off in the year and these yokels get a month to go play pretend cowboy or shop for multi-million dollar homes.

[holboz]

9. 9/11 and Katrina told world to attack us on August or early Sept.

Everyone's on vacation or slacking off because they've just returned from vacation. We all know how hard it is to get back in the groove after a 4 day weekend...can you imagine getting back to work after 31 days off???

Unbelievable. Most people in this country are lucky to get 2 weeks off in the year and these yokels get a month to go play pretend cowboy or shop for multi-million dollar homes.

[calimary]

30. Yeah, that's a VERY troublesome pattern. They're always mewling

that we can't set a withdrawal timeline in Iraq - can't let the enemy know what our plans are.

Well, whatthefuck would you call this?

They're as regular as clockwork with their penchant to run off on vacation, and by now it's a well-proven and damn near institutionalized track record for being AWOL in August. And of course, when the boss is away, what do the underlings do? Precisely what you'd expect them to do - bail on their own (especially after five years when complacency sets in and they're getting just a little too comfy) or sleepwalk through their jobs, knowing that the petty, cold, snappish asshole they work for is halfway across the country and will not be back til Labor Day-ish. Unless there's another brain-dead woman in whose life we simply MUST interfere.

Look, POTUS and the veep aren't even supposed to be on the same airplanes together, okay? For security reasons, in case something unforeseen happens to one of them, the other is elsewhere and presumably safe. The point being - they're not both off-duty at the same time, and it's well-known that someone's hand will always be on the steering wheel, instead of everybody being way back out there sitting on the tailgate together.

Good Lord! We are SO not well-served. We are SO vulnerable and UNPROTECTED with these casual, cavalier, indifferent, disconnected assholes! ANYBODY who thinks we're safer with THIS bunch of selfish, arrogant, thoughtless thugs - is frankly somewhat brain damaged.

Oh yes, and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, mr. Go-Fuck-Yourself, for coming back from your precious almighty vacation FOUR WHOLE DAYS EARLY!!! WOW!!! Think of it - FOUR WHOLE DAYS!!!! SOOOOOOO gracious of you to put yourself out for us, the great unwashed, like that!!! We worthless money-sucking peons are SO grateful for the crumbs from your table!!!

[livetohike]

12. A serious question: Who was in charge if Bush and Cheney were

both on vacation and away from Washington, DC at the same time?

As a long time friend (but Republican) asked me: What did you want President Bush to do?

Incredulous at that question, I replied, "Get his @#$^ing ass back to Wash. DC on Sunday night August 28"."

[MODemocrat]

13. I hadn't even missed Mr. Cheney

so that's why it went unnoticed that he came back four days early, and for what reason? :shrug: :boring:

[0007]

34. This guy has dumbed on the citizens of this country for so long

I'm surprised that he's still in office.

[HughBeaumont]

14. Vice Commando Pull-Our-Cheney - the No-Comment Veep.

The thankful part of this secretive warlusting whackjob's way of conducting business and governing is that he'll NEVER be President, even with Diebold at the helm. The American people would never trust a guy who prefers to be anonymous and conniving.

Or would they?

[maxsolomon]

15. If the president is on vacation, shouldn't the veep be ON DUTY?

maybe its not such a good idea to have the top 2 officers of a corporation on vacation AT THE SAME TIME.

the adults are in charge my ass.

[snowbear]

17. That's what I was just wondering...

Who the hell was manning the fort? :rofl:

[Mad_Dem_X]

19. Well, we know it wasn't the Secretary of State

...she was out buying shoes.

[calimary]

31. Oh yes it was! Contradicta WAS minding the store: Ferragamo's.

Yes, she was VIGILANTLY on watch - for a size eleven in the navy blue... that cute one there with the nice bow on it and the medium heel...

:grr:

[SillyGoose]

18. What does he expect...a freaking medal? His ass should have been

in DC right away. I have no sympathy for these arrogant SOBs and their loss of precious vacation time. If they can't bother to show up for work while Americans died in the damn streets then they should just get the hell out and let someone else take over who values American lives over vacation time.

[calimary]

32. Probably WAS expecting a medal of some sort. That's what you get

from these people when you do a shitty job. As Bill Maher said the other night (directed at bush), "you've done such a bad job I'm surprised you didn't give YOURSELF a medal."

THREE MORE YEARS of these schmucks?

I DON'T THINK SO.

IMPEACHMENT!!!!!

NOW!!!!!

[FreeStateDemocrat]

20. Setting the record straight isn't the president's and vp's duty to answer

to the needs of our country whenever there is a crisis,24/7/365.They can't come back from vacation early. It is called answering to duty with personal sacrifice, if they want to have regular hours and scheduled vacations they are obviously in the wrong line of work and for all our sakes need get the fuck out immediately.

[MissMarple]

21. So George and Dick have guaranteed vacation time...in their contracts?

Ah huh. And Rice, as well.

Cheney came back "four days early" to do what? And, I suppose Rice didn't want to return to DC and facilitate foreign offers of assistance, and what ever else it is she does, because she didn't want to be there alone as the sole face of the administration? Well, memo to Rice...we know Ferragamo and Spamalot do take priority over the immediate welfare of the American people.

When did she get back, anyway? Did anyone notice after the New York shopping, dining, and Broadway show extravaganza and the birthday cake, guitar strumming, San Diego Padres field trip? Not to mention the Wyoming fly fishing, Maryland luxury estate purchasing expedition.

[rzemanfl]

22. Go fuck yourself Mr. Cheney! Go fuck yourself! n/t

[FreedomAngel82]

23. Nice article

And so truthful. It' so sad how they only help each other and even that's when they themselves get something from it such as a no-bid contract.

[Im_Your_Huckleberry]

25. poor thing, poor thing.

[riverwalker]

26. Rumsfeld at Baseball game

in San Diego on Monday the 29th. The very night people were drowning. Instead of gearing up the DoD and National Guard to rescue them, he was munching popcorn at a Padres game. All of America was glued to the TV images of the horror unfolding in front of them, except Rumsfeld.

[MissMarple]

27. Thank you, riverwalker!

Source, expansions? :)

[LiberalFighter]

28. If Cheney came back 4 days early...

what did HE do about the Katrina disater? Sit on his ass?

[calimary]

33. Well, there's this...

The same thing they did when they first busted into Iraq: Their first and only priority was protecting the oil flow - and NOT for the benefit of those who really needed it, either.

Article published Sep 11, 2005
Power crews diverted
Restoring pipeline came first

By Nikki Davis Maute Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, the White House ordered power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.
That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve Colonial Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to restore power to two rural hospitals and a number of water systems in the Pine Belt.

(snip)

White House call
Dan Jordan, manager of Southern Pines Electric Power Association, said Vice President Dick Cheney's office called and left voice mails twice shortly after the storm struck, saying the Collins substations needed power restored immediately.
Jordan dated the first call the night of Aug. 30 and the second call the morning of Aug. 31. Southern Pines supplies electricity to the substation that powers the Colonial pipeline.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050911/NEWS05/509110304&template=printart

TRULY, better and more appropriate words were NEVER said: "GO FUCK YOURSELF, mr. cheney. GO FUCK YOURSELF, ASSHOLE."

[bluedawg12]

29. Omigosh- Darth Petrofossil doth suffer so.. n/t