The Chicken Little style of national leadership on display
The Chicken Little gene apparently runs very strong in the Cheney family’s DNA.
After proving his toughness to everybody in Vietnam, Dick Cheney spent much of the post-9/11 era hiding in undetermined locations and bunkers, where the sky couldn’t fall on him. Now out of office, Cheney remains concerned that so many of his fellow Americans aren’t as terrified by al Qaida as he is. Together with his daughter Liz, he is always trying to turn that terror dial all the way up to 11. The Republican establishment, sadly, seems content to follow their lead on such issues, echoing the Cheney line at every opportunity.
Daughter Liz has also joined with another prominent Chicken Little, Bill Kristol, to form a group called “Keep America Paranoid Safe.” The group recently released a new TV ad condemning the response of President Obama to the recent attempted suicide bombing of Northwest Flight 253, suggesting the president was insufficiently panicked.
For comparison’s sake, Steve Benen at Washington Monthly has compiled a timeline of the response from President George W. Bush to the Richard Reid shoe-bombing in 2002, which as Benen points out was nearly identical to the Flight 253 attack — “(the same chemical, the same target, the same intended consequence, in same month of the year, with the same twisted ideology).”
Dec. 22: Reid’s attempt fails.
Dec. 28: Bush hosts a press conference from his Texas ranch. In his opening statement, the president makes no reference to the terrorist attempt. Reporters ask Bush 15 questions, zero about the Reid incident. The president references the failed attack anyway, saying a total of 89 words on the subject.
Dec. 29: The president reads his weekly radio address. He makes no reference to the attempted terrorism.
Dec. 31: Bush again chats with reporters at a media availability in Crawford. Reporters ask Bush 10 questions, zero about the Reid incident. Again, Bush referenced the matter briefly, saying 53 words on the subject.
Jan. 4: Karen Hughes hosts a briefing for reporters. There were no questions about the Reid incident, and the subject wasn’t addressed.
Jan. 5: The president reads another weekly radio address, and makes no reference to the attempted terrorism. Later that day, Bush appears at two public events, one in California, the other in Oregon. The shoe-bombing incident doesn’t come up at all at either event.
As Benen notes, “Bush faced literally no criticism for hardly responding at all to an attempt to blow up an airplane over the United States. There was no media pushback, no complaints from Congress, nothing. And this was just four months after 9/11, when presumably the terrorist threat was foremost on the nation’s mind.”
You could dismiss all this as mere politics, except that it’s not. Cheney, Kristol and a lot of top Republicans in Washington are acting as unpaid PR agents for al Qaida, trying to turn even its failures into successes. The attempted bombing of Flight 253 was a terror attack; a terror attack succeeds only if it terrorizes its target audience.
And as Fareed Zakaria writes in a column today for the Washington Post, it’s not just the GOP that’s falling for it.
“In responding to the attempted bombing of an airliner on Christmas Day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein voiced the feelings of many when she said that to prevent such situations, “I’d rather overreact than underreact.” This appears to be the consensus view in Washington, but it is quite wrong. The purpose of terrorism is to provoke an overreaction. Its real aim is not to kill the hundreds of people directly targeted but to sow fear in the rest of the population. Terrorism is an unusual military tactic in that it depends on the response of the onlookers. If we are not terrorized, then the attack didn’t work. Alas, this one worked very well….
His mission failed entirely, killing not a single person. The suicide bomber was not even able to commit suicide. But al-Qaeda succeeded in its real aim, which was to throw the American system into turmoil. That’s why the terror group proudly boasted about the success of its mission.”
Remember, this is the same bunch that drove this country into the invasion of Iraq, terrifying millions with warnings about Saddam’s “unmanned aerial vehicles,” his “reconstituted nuclear programs” and “mushroom clouds rising over American cities”. It’s pitiful, and ought to be laughable, that they’re still at it.
But too many are taking them too seriously.
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519 comments Add your comment
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:37 am
Lizerd Cheeeeeny should get back under her rock.
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:41 am
Scared to death her evil father will spend his last days in a dungeon for being a war criminal, this crazy woman will do anything.
Normal
January 11th, 2010
8:42 am
Cheney, Kristol and a lot of top Republicans in Washington are acting as unpaid PR agents for al Qaida, trying to turn even its failures into successes.
I think this explains Cheney and his ilk the best. Good job, Jay!
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:44 am
That scummy Cheeeeny clan has been leeching off the taxpayers for over thirty years.
It’s been quite a sorry investment on our part.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:45 am
LOL! Jay attacks Cheney, who correctly points out this administrations stupidity all while ignoring the fact that Obama is weak.
In hypocritical democrat news:
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in 2002 agreed with former Sen. Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.) decision to resign his leadership role after Lott made what some felt were racist remarks at former Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party.
“He had no alternative,” said Reid at the time claiming, “If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it’s that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I’ve always practiced how I play.”
Yep, that Harry Reid sure is ethical!!!!!!!
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:46 am
Two words for the entire Cheeeeeny family – “fuh” and “cough”.
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:46 am
ya know … I hear Cheney is evil … (dammit, Bosch, where are you??)
meanwhile, when “be afraid! be very afraid!” is all you got, then that is all you’re going to see.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:47 am
Libs are upset because people believe Cheney is right.
Bush/Cheney kept us safe after 911.
Barrack Obama has weakened the US.
Bye bye democrats!! See you in November!
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:48 am
“meanwhile, when “be afraid! be very afraid!” is all you got, then that is all you’re going to see.”
Nope, there’s the economy, job losses and national security!
Oh, and global warming is a crock of $hit!
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:48 am
LA – look to the column on the right. Jay already covered Reid. move along …
(and do you REALLY want to equate what Reid said with Lott’s statemend that we wouldn’t have the “problems” we have if we had elected a segregationist president??? REALLY???)
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:49 am
And…..another nail in the democrat party coffin.
Top Democrat defends Reid for remarks
Democrats on Sunday defended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his private remarks during the 2008 campaign describing then-Sen. Barack Obama as “light skinned” and “with no Negro dialect.”
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/10/top-democrat-defends-reid/?feat=home_headlines
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:49 am
Great idea, Lizerd. Spend all your ad money in January 2010. We’ll save ours until later this year.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:50 am
“look to the column on the right. Jay already covered Reid. move along …”
Answer: Nope! I’ll keep posting hypocritical democrat rhetoric all day long!
Jay bashes people who don’t make legislation. I will bash the people in charge.
You ma’am, can move along.
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:51 am
“Bush/Cheney kept us safe after 911″
yep. just forget about the shoe bomber and those pesky anthrax attackes … move along …
“the economy, job losses and national security”
the economy is in GROWTH (which it wasn’t for Bush’s last YEAR in office)
the jobs market actually saw a GAIN in November for the first time in more than a year
peddle it elsewhere, LA – your crap isn’t flying here.
Southern Comfort
January 11th, 2010
8:51 am
Jay
In all fairness, the hysteria is good for business in my line of work. I’d like to personally thank Cheney and Co. for allowing me to get lots of overtime even though the economy is in shambles.
Thanks Dick!!!
Soothsayer
January 11th, 2010
8:51 am
You have been warned
Good morning, everyone. Since it’s Monday, I thought you could use a little cheering up! A little “happy-talk” for your enjoyment. WARNING! Reading this might cause a sense of reality to overtake you.
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:51 am
“I’ll keep posting hypocritical democrat rhetoric all day long!”
… cuz when it’s all you got …
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:52 am
How Obama’s routing the recovery
So, despite all the money spent on stimulus, the economy continues to lose jobs and unemployment remains at a staggering 10 percent. That grim news appeared to catch the Obama administration by surprise last week — but it shouldn’t have.
The number-crunchers at the Treasury Department have been celebrating what appears to be the end of the Great Recession as told through rising GDP, higher business profits and a buoyant stock market. But owners of small businesses — the usual engines of economic growth — are still refusing to hire back workers as they normally do when the economy turns up from a sharp decline.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/how_obama_routing_the_recovery_zneMnksB1VnHzSS7QmuhnL#ixzz0cJPWInVa
Normal
January 11th, 2010
8:52 am
Cheney IS evil!
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
8:53 am
Lizerd Cheeeeeny is Faux News in a nutshell, spouting republicant talking points, playing listeners for fools, never letting reality or facts interrupt their reich-wing shilling, spewing crap that is a constant assault on rational-minded, patriotic, reality-based U.S. citizens.
But I now appreciate more fully and understand better what Soviet Bloc citizens must have experienced and endured for decades when assaulted daily by the propaganda coming out of the Communist-run Kremlin, disseminated through their Communist-controlled news outlets, Pravda, Tass, Izvestia, which in retrospective look shockingly like today’s reich-wing controlled and operated Faux News, Washington Times and New York Post (among many), with the only difference being that disingenuous republicant talking points have replaced disingenuous Communist talking points.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:53 am
“the economy is in GROWTH (which it wasn’t for Bush’s last YEAR in office)”
Yep, 10% unemployment. Unexpected job losses in December.
Yep, that sure is the sign of a growing economy.
stands for decibels
January 11th, 2010
8:54 am
Cheney, Kristol and a lot of top Republicans in Washington are acting as unpaid PR agents for al Qaida, trying to turn even its failures into successes.
You say that like it’s a new thing.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:54 am
“peddle it elsewhere, LA – your crap isn’t flying here.”
Oh, I know it’s working…..
You keep responding!
jt
January 11th, 2010
8:56 am
As Cheney warns of terrorism, AlGore is saving us from the climate. Thank God, they are both becoming more irrelevant.
I think this year many more Americans will begin to bear the pain of the corporate and warmongering state, led by a gutless, fat-cat Congress and its fake but very expensive wars on terror, drugs, tobacco, alcohol, fat, privacy, private property, guns and free speech. They will bear it with decreased personal revenue and the frustration of dealing with government at all levels. They will increasingly suffer repeated small humiliations associated with living in a mature confiscatory and emerging police state. As they suffer, they will be increasingly exposed to the utter waste and stupidity of our government, at home and abroad – and will begin to consider themselves superior to it.
In the face of expensive wars and a dying desperate federal state, 2010 will mark the year that Americans self-consciously embrace the power of civil disobedience, and launch a decade of fundamental and good-natured repudiation of all things government – its wars, its debts, its never-ending lies and yes, even its promises. It’s already happening, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:57 am
LA – 8:53 – sorry you don’t understand economics and leading vs. lagging indicators. but, since you DON’T have a clue, I’ll tell you: employment usually takes 2 YEARS to recover after coming out of a recession.
DAVID---AJC Truth Detector
January 11th, 2010
8:57 am
JAY……..YOU ARE ONE REASON THE Atlanta-Obama-Journal withdrew from 30 Ga counties & lost 500K paying white conservative readers…WE THIN K YOU ARE A KOOK….
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:57 am
Shrinking U.S. Labor Force Keeps Unemployment Rate From Rising
Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) — An exodus of discouraged workers from the job market kept the U.S. unemployment rate from climbing above 10 percent in December, economists said.
Had the labor force not decreased by 661,000 last month, the jobless rate would have been 10.4 percent, according to economists including David Rosenberg at Gluskin Sheff & Associates in Toronto and Harm Bandholz at UniCredit Research in New York.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHA4PMI1G2ks
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
8:57 am
“You keep responding!”
batting down your BS is too easy not to.
stands for decibels
January 11th, 2010
8:58 am
LA, I will give you this much. It is kind of fun to watch prominent Republicans pretend to care about unemployed Americans.
Not quite as entertaining as watching them claim they’re trying to save Medicare, but close.
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:58 am
“sorry you don’t understand economics and leading vs. lagging indicators. but, since you DON’T have a clue, I’ll tell you: employment usually takes 2 YEARS to recover after coming out of a recession.”
Awwwwwwwwe, sounds like little UK got her thong in a wad. LOL
HDB
January 11th, 2010
8:58 am
Hey, LA…..unemployment now is LOWER than it was when Reaganomics took hold……and if you really LIVED through the 80’s/90’s and preent, you’ll see that every time a REPUBLICAN got into the White House, the economy was screwed….but when the DEMOCRATS got into the White House, the economy flourished!! When a Republican got into the White House, I LOST my job….but when a Democrat got into the White House, I GOT a job!!!
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:59 am
HDB, uh huh, sure thing there pal! You keep telling yourself that everything is great.
Mrs. Godzilla
January 11th, 2010
8:59 am
Yes Dick is evil, and little Lizzie is a chippie off the old block.
Kept us safe…..after 9/11…..
it would be funny if it weren’t such a stinking lie….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j-7D3Y_WVI
last 3 minutes of the above should make you wanna’ stand up
and slap “teh stoopid” out of the closest republican…..
DAVID---AJC Truth Detector
January 11th, 2010
8:59 am
OBAMA DOES NOT TAKE TERRORISM SERIOSLY………IT IS A MERE DISTRACTION TO HIS DOMESTIC SOCIALIST agenda…….to remake America
LA
January 11th, 2010
8:59 am
“but when the DEMOCRATS got into the White House, the economy flourished!!”
You must have missed the Carter years!!!!!! LOL
LA
January 11th, 2010
9:00 am
“and slap “teh stoopid” out of the closest republican…..”
Nice, she calls the republicans stupid and she can’t even spell!!!!!!!!
Been through this before
January 11th, 2010
9:00 am
Cheney is irrelevant…..the only reason he is reported on is to sustain the “blame everything on Bush ideology”…the ones spouting climate change fears “if we don’t act NOW the planet will die, and health care fears “we MUST do this to save our economy”…..yeah, Democrats don’t have the sky is falling mentality either, huh???? Oh yeah, and “let’s blame Bush for EVERYTHING!!!!” He was not a saint or a great president, but before everyone rushes to lay this AWFUL ECONOMY at his feet, just do some reflection and recall that the Democrats won control of BOTH the house and senate in the 2006 elections…..Democrats have controlled Congress, which includes the budget and fiscal policy, for THREE YEARS NOW, so the “we inherited this mess” crap just doesn’t fly. Three years into Democratic controlled Congress and this is what we have.
Normal
January 11th, 2010
9:00 am
OOPS!…
LA
January 11th, 2010
9:00 am
“When a Republican got into the White House, I LOST my job”
So, you went without a job at Mcdonald’s for 8 years?
N-GA
January 11th, 2010
9:01 am
Jay….quite simply, your best, EVER!
Sluggo
January 11th, 2010
9:01 am
Reid says that Obama is ok because he is light skinned and does not sound “like a Negro” and Jay wants to talk about Cheney.
Napalitano has failed as HSD suggesting that the system “worked” and calling terrorism “man made disaster: but Bookman wants to talk about Cheney.
The health care bill is being negotiated in the dark of night behind closed doors in direct violation of the President’s specific promises but Bookman wants to talk about Cheney.
Deficits are out of sight, spending is unchecked but Bookman only wants to talk about Cheney.
I don’t blame you. If I were a leftie, I would not want to talk about what you are actually responsible for either.
FinnMcCool
January 11th, 2010
9:01 am
After proving his toughness to everybody in Vietnam, Dick Cheney
LOL! Draft dodging bashturd. Big man. An honor to all things “American”.
LA
January 11th, 2010
9:02 am
Liberalism is What is Killing California
WASHINGTON — Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976) was a hero to the American left, partly because of his 1939 anti-war novel “Johnny Got His Gun.” Trumbo’s title modified the lyric “Johnny get your gun” from the World War I song “Over There.” Trumbo’s “Johnny” is horribly maimed in that war. Now we need a novel titled “Berkeley Got Its Liberalism.” Pending that, we have Tad Friend’s report, in the Jan. 4 New Yorker, on maimed Berkeley.
California, a laboratory of liberalism, is spiraling downward, driven by a huge budget deficit. So the University of California system’s budget was cut 20 percent. Then the system increased in-state student fees 32 percent to … $10,302. But that is still 70 percent below student costs at Stanford and other private institutions in California that Berkeley considers no better than it is.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/01/10/golden_no_longer_99845.html
Normal
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
Somebody here doesn’t understand sarcasm…
stands for decibels
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
LA, the mid-90s called. They’d like their LOLs back.
LA
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
Sluggo, yes, anything that puts the democrat party in a bad light, Jay will usually ignore it. As do all liberals.
I scoop ;~] Uleak :~o
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
Bookman must have spent the weekend with Bob Barr, the king of the Chicken Little references. I did like Bookman’s spin about Cheney turning a failed attempt into a success. But they’ve finally determined why the Detroit flight bomber failed: he had the fish.
stands for decibels
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
Er, um, you too Finn.
Jenifer
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
George Will Takes On Lizerd Cheeeeeny
Good stuff!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/10/george-will-takes-on-liz_n_417733.html
USinUK
January 11th, 2010
9:03 am
LA – not that I expect you to comprehend this, but there is too much slack right now in the workforce. companies have cut back on hours as well as positions – they will increase hours and take up the slack before they start hiring. in fact, they already are – in fact, despite a dip in October, they’ve been rising steadily since June.
it took us years to get here, it’s going to take us years to get out.