A Stiff Dose of Truth--Time for the Vice President to Explain Himself [View All]

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http://select.nytimes.com/gst/tsc.html?URI=http://select.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/opinion/30kristof.html&OQ=hp&OP=76fa6b4eQ2FCQ7DuqCly1iilCkNNfCoNCpNCiQ51Q2ArQ2AirCpNh1Q2AyliQ23BclaR
A Stiff Dose of Truth

Time for the Vice President to Explain HimselfI
It's time for Dick Cheney to give the nation "a stiff dose of truth."

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: October 30, 2005

.......Even more important, Vice President Dick Cheney owes the nation an explanation. According to the indictment, he learned from the C.I.A. that Joseph Wilson's wife worked at the agency and told Mr. Libby that on about June 12, 2003. Why? . . . Mr. Libby is now accused in effect of lying to protect Mr. Cheney. According to the indictment, Mr. Libby insisted under oath that he had heard about Mrs. Wilson from reporters, when he had actually heard about her from his boss. You can't help wondering if this alleged perjury was purely his own idea and whether Mr. Cheney was aware of it. Since Mr. Libby is joined at the hip to Mr. Cheney, it's reasonable to ask: What did Mr. Cheney know and when did he know it? Did the vice president have any grasp of the criminal behavior allegedly happening in his office? We shouldn't assume the worst, but Mr. Cheney needs to give us a full account. Instead, Mr. Cheney said in a written statement: "Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding." Balderdash. If Mr. Cheney can't address the questions about his conduct, if he can't be forthcoming about the activities in his office that gave rise to the investigation, then he should resign. And if he won't resign, Mr. Bush should demand his resignation.