Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Thanks to recent reports, we now know Iran very likely played a part in 9-11.  Prior to this anti-American story, this country has a history of running into trouble with the U.S. (recall, they're one of the three "Axis of Evil").  Now we learn (none too surprisingly) that Halliburton is being investigated for conducting business with Iran while the U.S. had sanctions barring such actions.  And who was in charge of Halliburton during much of this time? That's right, Mr. Patriot himself, Dick "F*** You" Cheney. 

We'll see if the lame Dems will make hay of this -- as the Repubs have done so with the Berger story.

Of course, for Kerry, this is both good and bad news.  Good news for the obvious reasons, but bad news in that it's another demerit for Cheney, putting him that much closer to the rumored exit door on the ticket. 

Just thinking out loud, I'm not sure if Bush were to dump Cheney that it would be a big negative for Kerry.  While yes, we've seen the poll numbers where Bush gets a big boost with say Powell as VP, yet if Kerry/Edwards played it right, they could score many points with such a dumping.  For one, it would be an admission that something went wrong, that Cheney had made mistakes, etc., i.e. all the things Bush adamantly avoided admitting to during the 9-11 hearings (admitting to mistakes).  It also serves as a sign of desperation and a lack of loyalty -- something Bush wears like a badge of honor.  It further would confirm the "they'll do anything to win" phrase that properly has been attached to the Republican wing. Finally, Kerry would be able to air several effective TV ads showing Cheney's face and listing the many questionable items he has amassed over the years.

Also, don't forget that Powell may very well want no part of that ticket (nor McCain).  It's been long rumored he would quickly retire if Bush were to win a second term, and given how badly he's been wounded during his time spent in this administration, his credibility crushed and shredded, one has to wonder if he could stomach it.

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