An original opinion article by Madhoosier.

“Cheney is scheduled to testify soon at the federal courthouse as a defense witness, where he will be questioned about his direction of the operation in which Libby acted as his pawn.” From; "The Libby Trial: Contortions of Power"
By Sidney Blumenthal:

The complete article can be found here; http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/5353

Given the damning details coming out in Scooter Libby’s trial, and Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s relentless questioning of witnesses, Cheney’s upcoming testimony would be like trying to cross a minefield on a pogo stick; it’s not a question of if something’s going to explode, but how big it’s going to blow.

Once Cheney is on the stand his two choices will be to either lie under oath or invoke his Fifth Amendment Rights against giving self incriminating testimony; either option is suicidal.

By hounding President Clinton with the bogus Paula Jones sexual harassment charges the republicans have provided ample recent precedent that even a President can be compelled to present himself for questioning under oath.
As has been noted hundreds of times, everything this administration does is vetted to gauge its political impact. There is no doubt the Libby trial has been ruled as an extreme danger to the Bush Presidency. Treason is not an exaggeration in describing the exposure of Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA operative and the disclosure that Brewster Jennings and Associates was a CIA front company working to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Which brings us to the question; what will make the trial go away and how will Dick Cheney avoid the witness stand?

One possibility this administration may attempt to invoke is to claim their plenary powers during a time of war trump previous rulings that compelled Clinton to testify. Given that the war on terror hasn’t hampered the President from finding time to clear brush on his dude ranch or the Vice President from finding time enough to shoot an old men in the face, it’s unlikely this claim would stand.

The second possibility is to start a bigger war.

A couple of days before Cheney is forced to testify President Bush will provoke war with Iran and use the furor in the media to provide cover so a pardon can be granted to Libby. President Bush will cite the need to free up frivolous demands on Cheney in a time of emergency.

But it’s even worse than starting a war for crass political gain.

The reasons America is preparing to bomb Iran includes the deal Cheney made with King Abdullah during his impromptu Thanksgiving trip to Saudi Arabia, a deal designed to keep the corrupt Saudi royal family, and long time friends of the Bush family, ensconced firmly in power above the world’s largest supply of crude oil. Also demands from Israel to knock out Iran’s nuclear reactor and bomb Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and appeasement of AIPAC to line GOP coffers with the tons of cash are motivating factors for the attack. Finally, the short sighted Iraq policies of Bush have left Iran in a position to dominate any government that emerges in Iraq; the NeoCons in the Bush administration think bombing Iran back to the seventh century will prevent Iran from having the influence to dominate Iraq’s government.

Acts of War;
IRANIAN DIPLOMAT KIDNAPPED IN BAGHDAD

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...

By Stephen Farrell in Baghdad;

“Gunmen dressed in Iraqi Army uniforms snatched an Iranian diplomat off the streets of Baghdad, elevating still further tensions with Washington as Tehran said that it held the US responsible for his safety.

The Iranian Government said that Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at its embassy in Baghdad, was seized on Sunday by an Iraqi commando unit which operated directly “under the supervision of the American forces in Iraq.” Mr. Sharafi was driving to open a new Iranian bank.

US officials denied that coalition troops had any involvement in the operation, but Muhammad Ali Hosseini, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said bluntly: “Iran holds American forces in Iraq responsible for the safety and life of the Iranian diplomat.””

The short sighted pronouncement by this administration announcing that Iranian cells and groups supplying arms or assistance to Iraqi insurgents would be countered with military action make any denials of the kidnapping of Jalal Sharafi sound foolish, even if Sharafi was not kidnapped by forces controlled by the Americans nobody outside the bush administration would ever believe.

War With Iran Approaching Boil

America’s denial of being involved in this kidnapping is greatly undermined by this propaganda inspired statement by President Bush’ Sunday;

"The president and his national security team over the last several months have continued to receive information that Iranians were supplying IED equipment and or training that was being used to harm American soldiers," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"As a result American forces, when they receive actionable information, may take the steps necessary to protect themselves as well as the population," Johndroe said.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...

I have not the least doubt that America’s war machine will soon be unleashed on Iran. I have very little doubt that in the clouds of war a pardon will be granted to Scooter Libby freeing Vice President Cheney from having to appear in front of Patrick Fitzgerald. I have no doubt what so ever that America is now controlled by criminals with their finger poised on the button to unleash nuclear warfare as a tool for Imperial Conquest.

May God have mercy on us, no one else will.