Koppel to go after Cheney tonight...........bigtime

[grasswire]

From Nightline's email alert:


Dick Cheney is our focus tonight; as he was of Maureen Dowd's column in The New York Times this morning. He was also on the cover of Newsweek magazine this week. Come to think of it, Mr. Cheney also adorned the cover of U.S. News & World Report just a couple of weeks back. Quick quiz! When's the last time you can remember a vice president of the United States getting this kind of attention? (And no, Dan Quayle's assault on single motherhood, as depicted on Murphy Brown, doesn't count).

My interest in understanding the genesis and nature of Mr. Cheney's unusual influence and power had its origin in one line of a newspaper story last summer. It stated that Ambassador Joe Wilson had been dispatched by the C.I.A. to the African country of Niger to look into reports that they were selling yellow cake uranium to Iraq. This mission was being undertaken "at the suggestion of the vice president's office." I began talking to a few Washington old-timers, asking if any of them remembered that kind of involvement in intelligence gathering by the vice president's office.

The more I asked, the more people I spoke with about Mr. Cheney's widespread influence, the more convinced I became that there was a fascinating story here.

It wasn't an easy one to piece together for television. People who were more than prepared to discuss the subject "off the record," recoiled at the idea of doing so in front of a television camera. There was clearly an element of fear involved. There are very few people in Washington, these days, who want to incur the displeasure of the vice president.

Clearly, the office has come a long way since the late John Nance Garner described it as not being worth "a warm bucket of spit." (Actually, he didn't use the word "spit;" but the word he used rhymes with it.)

I hope you'll join us tonight.

Ted Koppel

[mmonk]

1. This

I'm looking forward to.

[salinen]

2. cheney

confusious said something to the effect that if the government is running without corruption, nobody pays attention to it. does someone out there have the quote? i probably messed it up.

[knight_of_the_star]

3. I dunno

The last time a Veep got this much attention would have to be Gerald Ford, but that was because he was taking his boss' place.

[spanone]

4. Cheney vs. evil, I'll take evil.

[gbwarming]

5. Three nights in a row. Koppel is hot!

Tuesday - heartwhenching interviews with 2 injured natl gaurd troops - one subjected to poor treatment at Ft Stewart, the other with head injuries that make him look at first glance like he's had a stroke, and leave him feeling like a burden on his family.

Wednesday - Tiger Force atrocities in Vietnam. Koppel draws harsh similarities throughout the show with Iraq.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Oddly enough, "Cheney" also rhymes with "shit."

[Cat Atomic]

7. And this is why Cheney will not be removed from the ticket in '04.

He's the one in charge. You can't fire your boss.

[grasswire]

8. kick

for our national treasure, Ted Koppel.

[Gin]

9. is Ted Koppel's daughter also a reporter? I think the name is Andrea.

gin

[Bozita]

12. Andrea is his daughter.

[Mika]

40. That acorn (Andrea Koppel) fell far from the tree

n/t

[blm]

10. Joe Wilson is KEY to Dem victory in 2004.

Amazing how few appreciate what he did last July when he wrote that op ed. There are people behind him, around him and next to him who are orchestrating the bringdown of BushInc. I hope they are able to carry out their plan THEIR way.

And I certainly hope more Democrats WISE UP, sooner rather than later. Work WITH them not AGAINST them.

Joe Wilson's website: www.RestoreHonesty.com

[Robbien]

11. It is nearly time for this for east coasters and Central people

I got a blank tape ready just in case this is tape worthy.

[HereSince1628]

14. Its on past my bedtime in Milwaukee

for several years I thought the ABC affiliate here didn't run it at all...

someone please make a decent summary in the thread the show will generate.

[0007]

13. I hope my area carry it - ABC right?

[Cush]

15. kick

uh oh...looks at all the Goppers that are being quoted

[Renew Deal]

16. On Now 11:35

The Quiet American. VP Dick

[Cush]

17. This a fluff piece?

[Cooley Hurd]

18. We were gonna call this "Cheney - The American Prime Minister"

"...but that would've gone way too far."

No, Ted, you hit the nail on the head!

[0007]

19. I got it! Can't stand to see all these pricks.

Novak thinks he's some kind of god, 'eh?

[Robbien]

20. It is starting

Koeppel: For a while we were going to call this show Dick Cheney, Prime Minister, but maybe that is going too far. But calling Dick Cheney a Vice President is just not appropriate.

They are doing a history of how Cheney got to where he is now. Very favorable summary so far.

[Robbien]

21. Oh Oh, Machiavellian was mentioned right before going to break

This is going not to be a fluff piece.

[Cush]

22. Talking about Powell's UN Speech

and how everything Cheney put in there was pretty much wrong/lies

[Cush]

23. oops theres that lie

THe other plane (9/11) was going to the WH

[Cush]

24. "Cheney talks to Bush

before every decision is made"

Looks like they are setting Cheney up for a fall

[Robbien]

25. Next break. So far this has been a yawn.

Big news: Cheney is powerful. Well, duh!

[Cush]

26. yup

[Cush]

27. Former CIA Official

Cheney was asking the CIA where's the stuff we want to hear? It was seen as intimidation and pressure.

Unnamed Official: Cheney cherry picked intelligence to fit his ideology

[Cush]

28. Historian: Cheney could be the Scapegoat

for all the problems

[kerry-is-my-prez]

29. Did you see the cover of Newsweek? ROTFLMAO! Cheney looks so evil!

n/t

[0007]

32. Cheney doesn't have to be on Newsweek to look evil.....

to me Cheney looks like a crook that talks about of the side of his mouth. I don't like to use the word 'evil' cause that's more of a word for religion.

Cheney is not an honest man. Truth is always out in front and in the open. Dick Cheney is a hiding secretive, greedy money grabbing lying SOB.

[drfemoe]

35. fall guy

http://www.msnbc.com/news/991209.asp?0cv=KA01

[kerry-is-my-prez]

36. Yep - exactly what I thought...

n/t

[Robbien]

30. Cheney going to CIA, not asking what is found but what

is not found. Cheney looking over CIA shoulders and manipulating facts.

We have a powerful VP who has an agenda and has powerful friends in the defense area to help get that agenda put in place. But he may need to step aside during the campaign and stay in the shadows if the Iraqi mess does not get better.

Again, yawn.

[gbwarming]

31. It was a great setup but the knockout punch didn't come

Maybe next time.

[Robbien]

33. Dashed hopes, darn!

[0007]

34. That's a 10-4 here

Disappointed. Back to the senate floor.

[Myra]

37. Typical

Nightline likes to take credit for "covering" a story,
then pull it's punches so as not to piss of TPTB.
They haven't done real news in years; they refused
to report on 2k coup (along with 60 Minutes, and...
most everyone else).

I don't know how Koppel can look in the mirror.

[KoKo]

38. It was better than I expected, but we here know all about Evil Cheney, so

unless they called for his resignation we would be disappointed. ;-)

Thanks for the "head up" on this. I gave up watching Nightline two years ago. I wouldn't have watched tonight without the alert. I think for Koppel to say Cheney is Prime Minister three times, including saying that they thought about titleing the show "Dick Cheney, Prime Minister," but didn't have enough verification was a huge kick in the butt to Cheney and this administration.

I don't know where he was going with exposing Cheney to the average American out there who watches his show.

But, it's interesting to speculate..... Maybe ABC's waiting to see the reaction to it.

[havocmom]

39. Maybe Koppel was trying to tell America they are not in Kansas anymore

and it is about time to pay some attention to the little man behind the curtain instead of being mesmorized by the hocus pocus Wizzard side shows.

[amish_enforcer]

41. hmmmm sounds like some good TV

Good TV? LOL, but this does sound very interesting to watch

[msmcghee]

42. What a letdown.

I stayed up til 11:30 PM - and all I got was what everyone here already knows - with a lot of pulled punches.

[MoonAndSun]

43. Yeah, we here at DU know all this stuff, msmcghee.... but most

Americans do not, and that is why these Nightline programs are so important. Slowly but surely, Americans are being informed about these evil people.

[Blue_Roses]

44. anything that is said against Dick Cheney

needs to be backed substantially and the person doing the talking needs to be looking over their back constantly, cause Cheney plays rough. Using the word "rough" speaks way to lightly of him.

I have watched this man lie his way into this position since way back before the election of 2000 when he said he didn't reside in Texas, when in FACT the camera crew of one of Dallas' news station filmed him pulling into his driveway with his wife. I couldn't believe what an overt lie and he got away with it. Since then his resume' of lies has gotten longer and more gruesome.

[JNelson6563]

45. Cheney is to Jr what Wolsey was to Henry VIII

and believe it or not, Wolsey wasn't nearly as evil.

Julie