Quote of the Day

"If he’s going to pick Rick Perry’s brain, that’s the definition of slim pickins."

Paul Begala, on President Barack Obama asking Gov. Rick Perry on advice on immigration.

The Cheney PR Campaign For Waterboarding

This is a jaw dropping exchange between Anderson Cooper and former White House Press Sec. Ari Fleischer.

COOPER: Ari, was President Bush lying when he said, we do not torture?

FLEISCHER: No, I don't think he was lying.

COOPER: Was he telling the truth?

FLEISCHER: Yes. I think that it depends, again, on things that none of us were privy to, that none of us saw, that none of us know.

COOPER: If what they did was -- was right and -- and correct and legal, why did they destroy the evidence? Why did they destroy the videotapes?

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: They destroyed the videotapes of two people being tortured, water-boarded, more than 100 times.

FLEISCHER: I think that's a fair question. And I think the CIA destroys a lot of things. They -- they typically like to destroy as much things as they can. That's a matter of procedure at the CIA, not only on this, but on a host of...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Porter Goss, I think, head of the CIA, specifically did not want those tapes destroyed. And, yet, they were.

FLEISCHER: Well, and that's why I said I think that's a fair question. I think it's a matter of CIA routine procedure to destroy a lot of things. And, sometimes, they go too far, get themselves in trouble for it.

People can draw their own conclusions on why the C.I.A. destroyed 92 videotapes. If a drug gang or mafia destroyed evidence prosecuters would use that information to charge the leaders of criminal conspiracy. The cover up is what got the Watergate Seven and Lewis "Scooter" Libby convicted. The destruction of the videotapes hurt the Bush administration.

I'm not sure the Bush people should publicly defend waterboarding and say President Barack Obama is endangering America. Obama didn't have the stomach to prosecute. Dick Cheney and other former Bush officials attacked Obama on on the cable talk shows. Moveon.org, Firedoglake and Daily Kos pressured Obama to prosecute. Obama slightly retracted his earlier position of no prosecution of Bush officials.

Cheney badly miscalculated against Obama. Cheney will lose if he fights Obama in the political arena. The same way Hillary Clinton and John McCain lost. George W. Bush had enough sense to maintain a low profile. Cheney is a Vice-President so unpopular that he was not invited to the Republican Nation Convention. Democrats maintain control of both houses of Congress. Cheney has no political collateral. His surrogates Ari Fleischer and Michael Hayden have less. The smart move for Cheney would have been to keep his mouth shut and work a backroom deal with the Justice Department. Cheney isn't that smart.

Obama can turn the heat on Bush administration officials involved with torture and take the economy on the front page. Republicans will play defense for a highly unpopular President and Vice-President. The GOP is tanking in the polls and fighting amongst the moderates and red meat conservatives. Prosecuting the John Yoo isn't going to hurt Obama's approval ratings. If Republicans want to run on waterboarding in 2010 and 2012 the Democrats will win. Guaranteed.

Side note: if Cheney wasn't part of the waterboarding policy then why he is acting so frantic.

BLITZER: And if necessary, would you authorize it again?

CHENEY: Well, I'm not in the chain of command, but if necessary, I would certainly recommend it again.