What Cheney Didn’t Want Us To Know

Since he arrived at the White House, Barack Obama has been reluctant to investigate the reign of his predecessor, George W. Bush. But perhaps the latest scandal regarding the Bush administration will change his mind.

As of today, Attorney General Eric Holder has moved to name a special investigation into the anti-terror strategies used during the Bush era, including what has been called “enhanced interrogation techniques”. Plain and simple, torture. This newest outrage specifically implicates former Vice President Dick Cheney who, over the past eight years, has hid an antiterrorism plan that went so far as to ‘foresee’ the assignation of top Al Qaeda leaders. According to recent reports, Congress never knew.

The plan was clumsy and never reached fruition but various directors of the CIA were made aware of the scheme- Leon Panetta was the first to reveal what was really happening behind closed doors during the Bush/Cheney incumbency.

The National Security Act of 1947 obliges the President to keep Congress abreast of military actions but Cheney’s actions are protected by the ambiguity of the law. According to various Democratic members of Congress, Cheney used this flaw in the legislation to keep his actions under wraps for eight long years. Although the plan was in its infancy and was never executed-a Republican Congressman has said that only 50 million dollars was spent in these initial stages- the case sets a dangerous precedent for those who lead during war.

Nothing should surprise us after an Administration in which the powerful Vice President governs over a sort of black cabinet, thinking of creative uses for Guantanamo Bay prison and ordering up torture and illegal hearings. Still, this is worthy of investigation. After all, a violation of our freedoms has never occurred to this magnitude in American history- at least, now that we know of.