by digby
Dick Cheney is going to be on Meet the Press this Sunday cheerleading for his torture program like it was the New Deal. Froomkin reminds us why he doing that:
Cheney’s love for “Meet the Press” is not a matter of conjecture. The 2007 trial of Cheney’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby, revealed all sort of embarrassing facts about a Washington press corps that is more into enabling its sources than digging away at the truth – and one of the most delicious morsels was the testimony by Cathie Martin, Cheney’s former communications director, that Cheney’s office saw going on “Meet the Press” as “our best format.”
Prosecutors even introduced as evidence a little chart she had made of the “pros” and “cons” of going on “Meet the Press.”
Under “pros”, she had written: “control message.”
“We control the message a little bit more,” she told the prosecutors. “It was good for us to be able to tell our story.”
When Cheney was vice president, his chief M.O. was to spread false information and savage his critics, while avoiding any sustained inquisition. He often did that through intermediaries.
But when he needed to take things into his own hands, “Meet the Press” was “best” because, while there might be a tough prepared question or two, then-host Tim Russert could be counted on to follow up obsequiously or not at all, without in any way knocking the veep off his talking points.
Froomkin has some advice for Chuck Todd which he should heed but probably won't and offers up some possible questions. I especially like this one:
Q. Did you watch any of the videos of detainees being interrogated at the black sites ? What was that like for you?
I'm sure he wouldn't answer truthfully (has he ever?) but I'd love to see the look of sadistic pleasure suffuse his face at the memory on national TV.
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