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The Task at Hand

Will Cheney’s secret energy meetings see the light?

By Brian H. Kehrl

The Bush administration has until June 1 to turn over secret documents involving Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force or provide the legal grounds to withhold them. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman instructed the departments of the Interior and Defense, as well as several other government agencies, to make public thousands of pages of documents on the day-to-day… return to article

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    Excellent.  Anything that exposes the lies and industry-serving motives of this administration is sorely needed, as you state.

    Canada Posted by George Hamilton on Apr 15, 2004 at 1:24 PM

    I heard Bush say something on Apr. 13 in the News Conference to the effect of:
    “We knew that they (Iraq) were hiding things...a country that hides something is a country that is afraid of getting caught.”

    I just hope that the courts keep the backbone that some have seemed to find and do the right thing....not the right wing thing !!

    And, I also think that Scalia should recuse himself. Apparently he doesn’t think he has to follow the rules....

    I would say that this could go for governments too....especially
    this administration.  This administration has kept more information hidden than need be.
    So, if this administration is hiding things, it must mean that this President and his administration are afraid of getting caught. 

    United States Posted by Sue on Apr 15, 2004 at 4:10 PM

    Cheney is as unctuous as they come and as slippery and lethal as a herd of rattlers in a barrel of oil. He along with the rest of the Bush Administration belong in a maximum security prison for the rest of their unnatural lives on multiple grounds of treason. Impeachment is too good for them.

    United States Posted by Alfred Wamsley on Apr 15, 2004 at 9:21 PM

    I agree that the Bush Cartel belongs in jail, but let’s do this step-by-step.

    1) Impeach Bush, Chaney, Rumsfeld, Powell (aiding and abetting), Rice, DeLay, and Hastert.

    2) After conviction, sent the guilty to jail for life without parole (known as “forever").

    3) Note in all the history books that the Bush Dynasty is composed of crooks (Grandpa Prescott was nearly convicted of treason for trading with the enemy). Bush I committed multiple felonies during the Iran-Contra business, but he managed to skate clear (helps that Reagan was senile by then).

    Real nice bunch those Bushes.

    Register, Vote for Freedom!

    United States Posted by Rick Knighton on Apr 16, 2004 at 8:00 PM

    Executive privilege, hah! Connect the dots…
    The National Energy Development Policy Group was studying the map of foreign oil suitors in Iraq. (Judicial Watch obtained a copy of the map through partial compliance with their FOIA request) But the Policy Group’s hands were tied because U.S. companies were barred from oil contracts with Saddam. Bob Woodward’s new book reveals that Mr. Cheney had un “unhealthy fixation” on invading Iraq. Did he and his group also put pressure the on the Taliban about the oil pipline through Afghanistan, precipitating the 9/11 attacks? Remember, Cheney was also in charge of Bush’s bogus “study” of terrorism during the “summer of threat.” Interesting how Cheney had so much time for the Energy Group, but never, as far as I know, held one meeting about the terror threat he was charged with overseeing. There was a news report that a respected career diplomat from Pakistan says second-tier US diplomats met with the Taliban in the summer of 2001--right in the middle of the heightened threats from Bin Laden to promise them either a carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs. He passed the message on to the Taliban.

    United States Posted by c fowles on Apr 17, 2004 at 8:36 AM

    the 8/20/01 mtg in Cheney’s ofc w/Lay under the guise of task force included talks w/Taliban officials.  Enron’s deal was falling apart for the power plant and needed the Afghn Pipeline to deliver oil cost effectively to Dabhul (sp?) so that Enron could avoid costs to transport oil via the Caspian Sea; by this time, profits had been floating for quite awhile. Enron’s books would stay afloat only with this Cheney brokered deal.  The threat that stemmed from our VPs ofc was directly against the Afghanis (Taliban). This Admin had been brokering for the benefit of Enron (the Dabhul deal was falling apart financially w/out the pipeline) and the Taliban was [now] demanding road construction added to the other costs. Enron was not in the position to pay:  “We can line your roads/carpets with gold, or… with bombs” was the 8/20 directive.

    It is true that the Middle East has harbored hatred for decades, partly due to our oil policies; partly our Isreal stance.  There is a history of other attacks. But it is too coincedental: 21 days after, planes became manned bombs into the WTTs and Pentgn orchestrated by Bin Laden who was in the company of the Taliban when our Admin threatened to destroy their country.

    Consequently, our invasion of Afghanistan cost heavily on “that” deal; and as this admin saw it, since intentions were “Iraq” before 9/11, their tangled/secretive response was to use the naivety of the U.S. to blame Iraq.  The records show that Enron (offshore sub’s) has profited from this mess Bush plunged the whole world into.

    I remain adament that it was a direct cause of the Bush Admin’s energy insiders policies and the war stance this admin was so adament to change US foreign policies into, that caused 9/11.  Every ounce of research into why this happened directs to our energy policies abroad; this Admin viewed the prior Admin as “weak,” and too costly to continue.  They came in full force with already laid plans (before Bush was appointed).  Regardless of Wildlife Refugees, the environment our children must live in, war, whatever it took.

    If the records can be shaken from the Cheney task force belly, more than their crimes against our environment will be revealed. The answers to the 9/11 attack and our subsequent disregard for, and invasions upon the world, will be found.

    I sometimes pray I am wrong, but fear I am not. This is so evil, what will follow cannot be good for anyone.

    United States Posted by Katherine on Apr 17, 2004 at 4:00 PM

    Follow the money.  Each participant, many from Enron, stayed at the Mayflower Hotel, and each paid $35K “donation” to participate.  Fact.  Totally a Houston-dominated meeting. 

    United States Posted by Johnson on Apr 17, 2004 at 9:37 PM

    Its good to see, for me as a German, that there are so many fine American folks out there, which know what every thinking German knows: The Peoples Amerika as a Country is Wonderful, but the Corporate Amerika stinks to hell (and yes, the German too, maybe not that strong ;-)! My personal “advice” for You, dear Americans: http://larouchein2004.net

    Max, pround member of the Axis of Weasels ;-)

    Germany Posted by Max on Apr 18, 2004 at 8:59 AM

    i hope cheney is rushing to a club to try to hit up a bar and put on his make-up in the mirror and crash and crash and CRASH into a ditch.
    he does a golden calculator to divide.

    United States Posted by j. on Apr 18, 2004 at 12:49 PM

    The current Bush administration is one of the most vile and corrupt regimes in American history.
    They are a bunch of blood-thirsty mass murderers who have no conscience when it comes to oil and money.

    And their pentecostal evangelist AG, John Ashcroft, is a religious maniac who is using the Justice Department to impose his vision on America.

    Ashcroft is making J. Edgar Hoover seem saintly.

    Bush and Cheney--by now--should have been impeached and thrown from office.
    Then, for their crimes against humanity, they both should be in federal prison.

    But, let’s now be too harsh: Bush could stay in a federal prison in his own state, say, the one in Huntsville.

    I imagine things would get real interesting after lights out.

    Greg Bacon
    Columbia, MO

    United States Posted by Greg Bacon on May 5, 2004 at 4:47 AM
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