Dana Perino
Posted on 06/26/2007 9:53:25 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
An editorial in the New York Times says Vice President Dick Cheney and his staff members have been "belligerent," "ideological" and "shadowy." Also "extralegal" and "dastardly." And his position, writer Maureen Dowd says, is "bordering on lunacy."
But the attack will get no response from the White House, according to spokeswoman Dana Perino.
She was answering a question from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House, who asked: "Yesterday New York Times published a column which contended that Vice President Cheney is – and this is a quote – 'bordering on lunacy' and referring to him as 'crazy Dick.' And my question: Neither the president nor the vice president would tolerate any of their staff referring to [New York Times publisher] 'Pinch Sulzberger, the left-wing lunatic,' would they?"
"We don't refer to him at all," Perino said.
The editorial harshly condemns the vice president for a number of issues, including his arguments with demands for the executive branch to provide a certain treatment for classified documents.
Cheney's office pointed out that not only is he the vice president, but a designated decision-maker in the Congress, therefore exempting him from some requirements.
The editorial called that "blowing off his own administration."
"Cheney's office is also denying it's an office. Tricky Dick Deuce declared himself exempt from a rule that applies to everyone else in the executive branch, instructing the National Archives that the Office of the Vice President is not an 'entity within the executive branch' and therefore is not subject to presidential executive orders,'" the editorial said.
That, among the other descriptives, is "absurd," the editorial said.
In another question, Kinsolving asked, "Does the president believe that it will be perceived by most American citizens that the United States really has equal justice under law if Scooter Libby is allowed to be sent to prison while Sandy Berger and Marion Barry remain free?
"I'm going to give you the standard 'no comment' line on that, Les," Perino said.
Libby was convicted in federal court of making false statements relating to the investigation into the public revelation of the identity of CIA agent Valeria Plame. A federal judge has sentenced him to 30 months in prison and a he's been denied permission to remain free on bond while appealing.
He wasn't accused of revealing that identity, just making false statements about the situation.
However, Sandy Berger, who admitted taking classified documents from the National Archives and disposing of them while President Clinton was in office, reached a plea agreement and was exempted from any prison time; he didn't even follow through and take a polygraph test he'd promised as part of the plea bargain.
U.S. Rep. Tom Davis and more than a dozen other Republican members of the U.S. House, unsuccessfully, have called on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to have the test completed.
The polygraph was part of the resolution of a case that developed in the spring of 2002 and the fall of 2003. That was when Berger, former President Clinton's national security adviser, visited the National Archives to review classified documents to prepare for being interviewed by the 9/11 Commission.
WND has reported that Clinton signed the letter authorizing Berger's access to the classified documents that later came up missing.
Berger pleaded guilty in April 2005 to one misdemeanor count of removing a classified document and was given two years probation, 100 hours of community service, a $50,000 fine and revocation of his security clearance for three years.
And another high-profile leader, former Washington Mayor Marion Barry, was exempted from jail time when a federal judge declined to revoke his probation, which would have sent him to prison for failing to file his 2005 tax returns on time.
He had pleaded guilty that year to misdemeanor charges for failing to file returns from 1999-2004 and agreed to file future returns annually. Prosecutors said, however, he failed, and should be jailed.
He served four terms as mayor, and during his third term was videotaped in 1990 in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. He was then re-elected, and now serves on the city council after leaving the mayor's office.
The Gray Lady is getting senile.
Dana Perino
And what makes people like Maureen Dowd who are bordering on lunacy go over the edge? Anyone?
How about "We're rubber and you're glue..." just to keep it on the same level of discussion established by the old grey mare?
Projection by the NYSlimes. They’re the lunatics, not VP Cheney. They must be getting desperate to retain their last five looney lib readers.
Bush’s mistake in dealing with the media is that a snappy reply to this rant would go along way for the good guys. It would be easy to wish Maureen good health and happiness in her endeavors and that sentiment alone would take her out of the game.
If one owns a respectable company, why would one engager that reputation by being associated with the NYT?
The looney moonbats have no shame....so called objectivity at its best.
It takes one to know one and when it comes to lunacy who knows better than the NY Times?
Mad as Captain Ahab they be.
Bush reserves his insults for conservatives.
As usual, George Bush assumes the fetal position and calls for his mama.
That's easy...
Off you go MODO!
What’s the New York Times? I stay pretty tuned in to politics, and legitimate papers that matter, but I can’t say that I’ve heard of this one.
Well, if anyone would know ...
I don’t understand why W didn’t sit Cheney down a long time ago and have the “Me President, You Vice President” talk with him.
Wow! Bush Derangement Syndrome is getting really bad. Those suffering from it need a tight white jacket in a padded room.
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