Hangin' With Cheney and Premature 9/11 Truthism

Brian Doherty | August 8, 2007

Stephen Hayes' uniquely high-access new book on the vice president of these United States is excerpted interestingly in the July 23 Weekly Standard.

Among all sorts of superprecise details (of the sort that make this reader less, rather than more, likely to trust the veracity of the account--for example, ever wonder where the TV remote was on Cheney's desk in relation to his coffee mug on 9/11? Hayes sees all, knows all, asks all questions, and his interview subjects remember all!) the most interesting thing to me was we learn that Cheney and his crew were themselves premature 9/11 Truthers:

At 10:28, the north tower collapsed. The frenzy in the bunker came to a halt and, but for an occasional whisper, the room went silent. On the television, one floor after another gave way, a bit of order amidst the catastrophe. The building must have been charged, thought David Addington, counsel to the vice president, who was standing against the outer wall of the bunker.

And:

Shortly after Cheney hung up, the officials in the bunker were advised that a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania.

Everyone had the same question, says Rice. "Was it down because it had been shot down or had it crashed?" Rice and Cheney were both filled with "intense emotion," she recalls, because they both made the same assumption. "His first thought, my first thought--we had exactly the same reaction--was it must have been shot down by the fighters. And you know, that's a pretty heady moment, a pretty heavy burden."

The weakest, yet very telling, thing about the excerpt (I know, it's chronological, but the article could and should have cut straight to 9/11) is that it is frontended with what sometimes seems most important to GOPers: a reminder of what a lame-o stinker that Bill Clinton was.

.....they climbed into limousines for the one-block trip across Lafayette Park to the White House, where, according to the schedule, they were to have coffee with the Clintons and Gores before the inaugural ceremony.

Clinton wasn't ready.

"We got in the cars and we had to wait," says Cheney. "And then we had to wait some more, and then we had to wait some more, and then we had to wait some more." The famously unpunctual Clinton was finishing his term in signature style. "We must have waited about half an hour before we could go over there."

More and more and more waiting, adding up to a half hour! And wouldn't you know it, the unspeakable Mr. Clinton was upstairs pardoning people while Cheney calcified in his limo. Luckily, he lived to guide us through the hard times of the past 7 years.

Comments

|8.8.07 @ 2:26PM|#

The building must have been charged, thought David Addington, counsel to the vice president, who was standing against the outer wall of the bunker.

What is this a crime novel? How the hell would he know that he thought that?

|8.8.07 @ 2:30PM|#

So Condi and Cheney thought that Flight 93 was shot down and the WTC fell because of a controlled demolition?

One of our notorious commenters may soon show up to once again demonstrate that he was right all along!

|8.8.07 @ 2:32PM|#

On the television, one floor after another gave way, a bit of order amidst the catastrophe.

What, did they have a zoom camera filming it? I remember seeing that myself, and it just looked like a giant sinking dust cloud eating the WTC, I couldn't tell how the floors were collapsing.

thoreau|8.8.07 @ 2:37PM|#

So Condi and Cheney thought that Flight 93 was shot down and the WTC fell because of a controlled demolition?

And with such reliable sources, how could it possible be false?

|8.8.07 @ 2:56PM|#

Heady. Heady?!?

Do they even know what that means?

Next they'll be saying that they were pretty jazzed up about the downed plane too.

|8.8.07 @ 2:57PM|#

Ever read the 9/11 Commission Report?

Bush and Cheney testified that Bush gave Dick the authority to order the military to shoot down planes, by telephone, while everyone was in the bunker.

The problem is, there were three people taking notes of everything that happened there: Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff. Lynn Cheney, his wife. And the recording secretary.

Not a single one of them has a single note that this phone call occured. They have all of the other phone calls that Bush and Cheney - who testified together without taking an oath - testified took place. But none of them - two of whom would have primarily focused on what Cheney was doing, and one of whom was a professional recording secretary - wrote down a single word indicating that such a phone call ever took place.

For the record, I don't think the Flight 93 was shot down. The time frame just doesn't make sense. But Bush and Cheney lied - Cheney gave that order on his own authority, then they both lied to the Commission to cover it up.

partisan_hack|8.8.07 @ 3:21PM|#

"We got in the cars and we had to wait," says Cheney. "And then we had to wait some more, and then we had to wait some more, and then we had to wait some more." The famously unpunctual Clinton was finishing his term in signature style. "We must have waited about half an hour before we could go over there."

Hey it takes alot of time to sign those pardons. . .

SPD|8.8.07 @ 4:19PM|#

I expect President Bush will keep Hillary and company waiting at least hour with the number he'll have to sign.

|8.8.07 @ 4:24PM|#

We must have waited about half an hour before we could go over there.

Charge: Dick Cheney is accused of being a pompus douche.

Verdict: Guilty

Sentence: For a period of not less than three and no more than five years, every person who is kept waiting for more than half an hour to see Dick Cheney gets to sock him in the chin.

|8.8.07 @ 6:30PM|#

SPD,

Uh, I'm pretty sure he's got a lot of them signed already, all they need is a date.

|8.8.07 @ 6:48PM|#

Speculation at the exact moment of the tower collapse/93 crash is a little different than kookoo ranting and distortion years after the facts are in.

Bee|8.8.07 @ 6:52PM|#

That's interesting, joe. That's a pretty big deal. I'm not saying it wasn't the right decision to make, but the usurping of authority and lying under oath are things I want to know about. I should read the goddam book.

If you worked for W, wouldn't you be a little inclined to just take matters into your own hands from time to time? The man seems to be dumb as freaking toast.

Bee|8.8.07 @ 6:55PM|#

Excuse me, I see that you specifically mention that Cheney and Bush were not under oath.

|8.8.07 @ 8:52PM|#

Bee,

That's my take exactly. That order needed to be given, and given right away, from the National Command Authority.

But they should have been straight with us. No one would have faulted Cheney for doing that, or Bush for pardoning him to clear up any legal loose ends. But they lied to us anyway, because that's what they do.

|8.10.07 @ 9:33PM|#

"""But they lied to us anyway, because that's what they do."""


They have been pretty consistent too.