Nepotism Reigns

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_05/018303.php

NEPOTISM REIGNS.... Mid-day yesterday, I noticed that Mark Halperin had a headline that read, "Round 2: Liz Cheney vs Axe." Round 1, apparently, was President Obama and former Vice President Cheney, and Round 2's "Axe" refers to David Axelrod, Senior White House Advisor to the president.

Halperin added, "The two surrogates weigh in on the Cheney vs. Obama debate shortly after their speeches in MSNBC interviews. Must-see video...."

Notice the problem? Liz Cheney was brought on to offer analysis of her own father's speech, and parrot her dad's criticism of the president. (What a surprise -- she found her dad's argument very persuasive.)

What's more, as part of a full-throated defense of her dad's torture policies, Liz Cheney has been all over the television news. I asked my friends at Media Matters to check on just how many interviews Cheney has done lately. They came up with this list that spans the last 10 days (and today isn't over yet):

* On the May 22 edition of ABC's "Good Morning America"

* On the May 22 edition of MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

* On the May 22 edition of CNN's "American Morning"

* On the May 21 edition of CNN's "AC360"

* On the May 21 edition of Fox News' "Hannity"

* On the May 21 edition of "MSNBC News Live"

* On the May 20 edition of Fox News' "Your World"

* On the May 17 edition of ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos"

* On the May 16 edition of Fox News' "Fox & Friends Saturday"

* On the May 15 edition of Fox News' "On the Record"

* On the May 12 edition of Fox News' "Live Desk"

* On the May 12 edition of MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

That's 12 appearances, in nine and a half days, spanning four networks. (On today's "Morning Joe," Liz Cheney was on for an entire hour -- effectively becoming a co-host of the program.) And this is just television, and doesn't include Liz Cheney's interviews on radio or with print media.

There's no modern precedent for such a ridiculous arrangement. Dick Cheney launches a crusade against the White House, and major outlets look for analysis from Cheney's daughter? Who everyone already realizes agrees with everything he says about torture?

This is just crazy.

—Steve Benen

[aquart]

1. Hope you mentioned it to the networks.

And, possibly, the FCC.

[Buzz Clik]

2. Nepotism starts at home.

I understand what you mean, but it's not really nepotism.

If the GOP want to float Liz out there to brainlessly puke platitudes about Daddy, let 'er rip.

[babylonsister]

4. Sounds like nepotism to me...

from dictionary.com



patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics: She was accused of nepotism when she made her nephew an officer of the firm.

[LaurenG]

3. I have to say that the fact that his daughter is the only one speaking for Cheney speaks volumes

Was there no other idiot at all willing to speak up for him? :rofl: No one wants to get their feet dirty in that lying mess.

[babylonsister]

9. Great point! No one else has supported him publicly,

except to refer to him obliquely. NO ONE wants him by their side when they're campaigning.

[bluedeminredstate]

5. Her arrogance makes me turn her off.

But her shrill voice is so awful that that alone would make her unwatchable for me. I don't understand why, other than the fact that she's crashcart's daughter, she's considered an expert on Bush admin torture policy. Of course she's going to stick up for her father; that in itself should disqualify her from commenting on his verbal spewings.
I don't recall seeing Chelsea Clinton all over the airwaves during the national blowjob crisis.
Compare Cheney's criticism to Gore's criticism of the impending Iraq war. What little press he received was filled with condemnation and it sparked NO debate about the war. And we certainly didn't see Gore's daughters explaining and defending his position. No, we had the WaPo savaging Gore and Faux news acting like Gore was flag burning and renouncing his citizenship in front of the White House.
Once again, the standards are different for republicans.

[babylonsister]

6. Here's why, and nepotism was alive and well...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

In 2002, Cheney was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs,<4> a pre-existing vacant post with an "economic portfolio," which is a mandate to promote investment in the region. Amid reports, including a New York Times editorial by Paul Krugman, saying that the job was created especially for her, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that she had come recommended by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.<5><6> The Times of London reported that Cheney's appointment was "the most intriguing sign that America is getting serious about Middle East reform" and that the appointment was "a measure of the seriousness with which the administration was taking Middle East programmes for literacy, education, and reform."<7> The appointment followed publicized policy divisions between the Vice President's office and the State Department on Middle East policy. In that position, she was given control of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, designed to "foster increased democracy and economic progress in a troubled region." The program spent $29 million in 2002, increased to $129 million in the following year. Cheney's task was to channel money to pre-screened groups, some of which were not identified publicly for fear of retaliations from extant governments they sought to undermine. For the budget year 2004, the project sought $145 million. <8><9>

2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign

After two years of service, Cheney left her first State Department post in 2003 to serve in her father's re-election campaign. <10> Participating in the "W Stands for Women" initiative to target female voters, Cheney spoke often of how women have enlarged their scope of political issues, invoking the September 11 attacks and "security." <11>

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs

In February 2005, she returned to the US State Department and was appointed the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.<12> In this position, Cheney supported the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, C. David Welch, and coordinated U.S. multilateral efforts to promote and support democracy, expanded education and economic opportunities in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Her position made her the second-ranking U.S. diplomat for the Middle East. Cheney oversaw the launch of two semi-independent foundations, the Fund of the Future (worth $100 million), to provide capital for small businesses and the Foundation of the Future (worth $55 million), to promote freedom of the press and democracy.<13> In that capacity, Cheney endorsed a controversial draft of a new Iraqi constitution.<14> In November 2005, Cheney was questioned by Ysemink Congar of Turkish CNN that there was "a lot of skepticism building about the U.S. advocacy for democracy and human rights, based on a recent Washington Post story on "black sites" operated by the U.S. and the CIA in some of the countries receiving MEPI support:

Congar: If you were addressing the skeptics today, directly, what would you say to them? Why should they believe that the U.S. is genuinely advocating — supporting democracy and human rights in the region? And why should they — I mean, I'm talking about the grassroots now — why shuld they enthusiastically endorse the Forum for the Future? Thank you.
Cheney: I'll go first. You know, this is a question that I think has come up ever since we first began supporting democratic activities in the region back in 2002. And what I would say is judge us by our actions, you know. Judge us by the extent to which we really are standing with the people who are working for freedom. Judge us by the extent to which we are supporting NGOs with our money and with our back, you know, with our technical assistance. Judge us by the extent to which, you know, our Secretary of State goes to Cairo and makes a speech in Cairo in the heart of the broader Middle East about the importance of freedom and the importance of people being able to express their own wills and desires.
So, you know, yes, I think there is skepticism. I think that there is disagreement about policies. I think some of that comes from a misunderstanding of American policies. But at the end of the day, I think that the idea of skepticism is, frankly, a little bit overblown. I mean, my sense is that it's become conventional wisdom among elites that there are skeptics. There certainly are some skeptics, but there are certainly millions and millions of people across the broader Middle East who are participating with us in projects, that are providing training and skills and how you operate in a political — in a democratic environment. And who very much appreciate and feel protected by the fact that the United States is standing with them, you know.So there will always be skeptics, but I would watch what we do and watch also what we say about these issues.<15>

At the same briefing, Cheney was asked by Tarek Rashad of the Middle East News Agency about the "paradox" of the MEPI funding NGO's supporting democracy and human rights would be "rallying in fact against the regimes and the governmets in the region. Cheney answered that contributions to the Foundation had come from governments, but the foundation would not include government officers on its board or as its chairman, that "no government entities will be in either position."<16>

Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group

Elizabeth Cheney also headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group (ISOG), established in March 2006, a unit within the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

In April 2006, The New York Times published a story critical of Cheney's work, particularly with respect to Iran. Of particular scrutiny was a grants program administered by Elizabeth Cheney's unit, in collaboration with a Republican-affiliated foundation, the International Republican Institute.<17> The Times maintained that when the group became controversial, with critics saying that it was plotting covert actions that could escalate into war with Iran and Syria, the group was disbanded, by May 2006. Shortly before the ISOG group was dissolved, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a major effort to engage Iran and Syria in efforts to stabilize Iraq.<18> As late as April 11, 2009, Iranian officials investigating "cyber-crimes" cited Cheney's efforts in the daily newspaper Iran, specifically the "Democracy Program" initiative as parallel to a Netherlands-funded push for a "velvet revolution" accomplished by a media campaign to polarize the country, "despite the 1981 Algiers Accords signed between the U.S. and Iran in the aftermath of the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran." <19>


If you get this far, there's more at the link. She's quite a gal. :eyes:

[spanone]

7. our 'free' press' has become our number one enemy

[kentuck]

8. Lawrence O'Donnell is the only person I have seen that ....

..has been able to get a word in edgewise with her. She's almost as crazy as her Daddy!