by Carol Hoenig

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Recently, Truthout.org reported on the Vice President's direct connection to wanting Joseph Wilson punished for contradicting what the President had said in his State of the Union speech about Iraq trying to obtain uranium from Africa and it's been going downhill for Cheney since. This was and is news. This revelation was very harmful to the Veep's reputation. And, yet, this news story was not reported to the degree it should have been reported. Actually, it took days for many news organizations to really pick up on it, but that was after the OP-Ed piece in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof and the two bloggers given permission to cover the trial. Why were reporters not jumping on this story? What kind of protection does Cheney have that he doesn't have to answer to these accusations?

Kristof has some rather pointed questions for Cheney. It's quite unlikely the Veep will voluntarily answer them. But they are good questions:

Mr. Vice President, did you push Mr. Libby to dig into Joe Wilson's background and discredit him?

What did you mean, when you wrote in a note to Scott McClellan that has been entered into evidence, "not going to protect one staffer + sacrifice the guy the Pres. that was asked to stick his head in the meat grinder because of incompetence of others."

When you discussed Joe Wilson with Mr. Libby on Air Force Two on July 12, 2003, what instructions did you give him?

Mr. Cheney, on that plane, did you specifically tell Mr. Libby to leak to reporters the fact that Mr. Wilson's wife worked at the C.I.A.?

During the leak investigation, were you aware that Mr. Libby was telling the F.B.I. apparently false information?

Were you trying to cover up your own reliance on misinformation about Iraqi W.M.D. by blaming the C.I.A. and anybody else within range, like Mr. Wilson?

So when are you going to come clean?

That last question is a kicker since Cheney is willing to let someone else be the fall guy in order to attempt to keep the dirt off himself. He is arrogant and abhors being challenged or questioned on important issues. However, he obviously is a very powerful man, one who can discourage the media from running with this story and quelling what should be outrage.

Talk about organized crime in high places and, tragically, the lives of so many have become his victims.

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