Cheney Criticizes Russia for Oil Blackmail and Rights Violations

Vice President Dick “Elmer Fudd” Cheney was in Moscow earlier this week, spreading his message of love and forgiveness far and wide. The preceding sentence was written as irony. However, it was nothing compared to what the oilman and torture advocate told Comrade President Vladimir Putin.

Noting that Russia has a large supply of oil and natural gas that Western Europe needs and that supplies have been shut off occasionally (due to price disputes), Vice President Fudd said, “No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation.” The retail price of gasoline has risen by 60 cents a gallon in the last two months, fostered in part by the policies of the US government (which, incidentally the vice president’s party controls). Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney are former oilmen. ExxonMobil just posted the biggest quarterly profits in the history of everything.

President Putin’s guest also complained that opponents of reform in Russia were “seeking to reverse the gains of the last decade.” The Bush Cheney ticket was elected by the Supreme Court after the people voted in 2000 promising to undue most of the Clinton administration’s work. Memory fails as to whether they objected to the peace or the prosperity more.

The Veep went on to say, “And no one can justify actions that undermine the territorial integrity of a neighbor, or interfere with democratic movements.” His administration is refusing to deal with the Hamas-led government of the Palestinian authority which won a free and open election. Moreover, it is standing foursquare behind the Israeli government in drawing a boundary unilaterally between Israel and Palestine.

The vice president added this howler, “In many areas of civil society -- from religion and the news media, to advocacy groups and political parties -- the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people.” His administration doesn’t even bother with FISA court warrants when it wants to tap phone lines, runs secret prisons outside the country where torture is almost certainly going on, and holds people without charge in Guantánamo. When he turned his birdshot loaded gun on Belarus (where the government really does need to go), he said, “Peaceful demonstrators have been beaten, dissidents have vanished and a climate of fear prevails under a government that subverts free elections... there is no place in a Europe whole and free for a regime of this kind.” Nor is there room in the Americas for such.

The Kensington Review has no problem with hypocrisy. Indeed, it is the basis of civility in the face of stupidity. However, others are less forgiving. The vice president won no friends, encouraged his enemies and proved himself a poor diplomat during his Russian visit. From now on, Mr. Bush would be well advised to restrict his Number One’s foreign travel to funeral detail only.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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