People Are Funny
I think it’s funny how different people react under stressful situations. For instance, Cheney gets handed a copy of Joe Wilson’s OpEd What I Did Not Find In Africa. He learns that former Ambassador Wilson had visited Niger on behalf of the CIA, and had concluded that Iraq was not trying to buy uranium from Niger. Furthermore, a copy of his report should have made its way to the office of the Vice President.
Cheney’s reaction, we learn is this: (WaPo)
“Have they done this sort of thing before?” Cheney wrote. “Send an amb[assador] to answer a question? Do we ordinarily send people out pro bono to work for us? Or did his wife send him on a junket?”
I clearly don’t have the same response mechanisms that the VP has. My first reaction would be: “How come I wasn’t copied on Wilson’s report? Did anyone follow up?” At that point I would have put my pen down for a moment. And swallowed hard. After pausing to wipe the cold sweat from my brow, I would have picked up my pen again. “Dear God,” I would write. “Any chance we misunderstood the threat Iraq posed? Could we have got the whole WMD story wrong? Please tell me that we didn’t put lives at stake without just cause.”
Again, if it were me, and the answer to the last question was in the affirmative, I would have typed out my letter of resignation along with an apology to the American people and nailed it to my desk.
I just think that Cheney and I have different response mechanisms, that’s all.
Update: For folks that live out of town, the Express is a free publication put out by the Washington Post. They run a bloglog column by Mike Glass, who was kind enough to quote me.
May 14th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I also wonder about the use of the word “junket”. Hilzoy at Obsidian Wings posted about the idea that a trip to Niger is some sort of luxurious vacation last year.
May 14th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
It’s probably your human decency that gets in the way. Cheney doesn’t have the problem.
May 14th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
KCinDC: While I’ve not been to Niger, a dear friend was stationed there during her stay in the Peace Corps. While she looked back on the experience as one of the most important experiences of her life, she also made it clear that life is tough in Niger.
eRobin: Well, we can always be hopeful that our beloved VP trolls through the blogosphere, reads one of our posts, and has a change of heart.
May 15th, 2006 at 8:34 am
Dude. I just saw a short graph on this post in the WaPo’s commuter “vessel for ads.”
May 15th, 2006 at 9:22 am
Just saw it. Looked through the blog log and thought, “I really agree with this blogger. Umh.. wait a minute.”
I’m tingly all over. It’s like being rich and famous without the money or fame.
May 15th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Well, is the “vessel for ads” sending you any traffic?
May 15th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I’m getting fairly typical Monday traffic. Seth, Joseph and Bullworth. Still waiting for eRobin and KCinDC. Then I’ll be up to 6, including you.