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As Cheney Victim Suffers Heart Attack, Questions Raised About
Secrecy and Cronyism
On Third Anniversary of Global Protest Against Iraq War,
A Look at “Challenging Empire: How People, Governments,
and the UN Defy U.S. Power”
Self-Described Economic Hit Man John Perkins: “We Have
Created the World’s First Truly Global Empire”
As Cheney Victim Suffers Heart Attack, Questions
Raised About Secrecy and Cronyism
Harry Whittington, the Austin lawyer and Republican fundraiser
V.P. Dick Cheney shot during a hunting trip, has suffered
a heart attack. The incident has embarrassed the White House
and made headlines around the world, among them: "We
are all Harry Whittington.” The Bush administration
has come under criticism for its long delay in informing the
public on both the incident and Whittington’s condition.
The incident has also raised new questions about cronyism
and lobbying at the White House. We speak with Texas-based
journalist Robert Bryce, author of "Cronies: Oil, the
Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America's Superstate."
[includes rush
transcript]
Harry Whittington has suffered a heart attack. Doctors say
it was likely related to the birdshot Whittington has lodged
in his heart. Doctors expect Whittington to remain in the
hospital for at least one more week. The incident has embarrassed
the White House and made headlines around the world, among
them: "We are all Harry Whittington."
Meanwhile, the fallout continues over the shooting. Cheney
is again being accused of withholding information on Whittington’s
condition. Over the weekend, the White House waited at least
19 hours before announcing the shooting. Today, the New York
Times is reporting Cheney was informed of Whittington’s
heart condition when he arrived at the White House Tuesday
morning. But according to senior administration officials,
Cheney did not pass the information on to President Bush’s
aides, including White House Press secretary Scott McLellan.
At a press conference later in the day, McLellan did not
mention Whittington’s heart problems and even joked
he was wearing an orange tie so he could be clearly visible
in front of Cheney.
Criticism has come from all quarters. Former press secretary
Ari Fleischer said, "It could have and should have been
handled differently." And Marlin Fitzwater, former press
secretary to Bush’s father and Reagan said Cheney had
"ignored his responsibility to the American people"
by failing to disclose the accident. Cheney was on a hunting
expedition at the Armstrong Ranch in South Texas. The Armstrongs
have long had close ties to Republicans in Texas and nationally.
Cheney’s hunting party included Harry Whittington, Katharine
Armstrong, a lobbyist for many companies including Lockheed
Martin, and Pamela Pitzer Willeford, the former ambassador
to Switzerland and Lichenstein.
- Robert Bryce, Texas-based journalist and author of "Cronies:
Oil, the Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America’s
Superstate."
On Third Anniversary of Global Protest Against Iraq
War, A Look at “Challenging Empire: How People, Governments,
and the UN Defy U.S. Power”
Today marks the third anniversary of the February 15th global
anti-war protest, the day tens of millions of people took
to the streets in some 600 cities around the world to protest
the Bush Administration’s plans to invade Iraq. Author
Phyllis Bennis talks about how the anti-war movement has evolved
into a major force for global change. [includes rush
transcript]
Hundreds of marches and rallies took place in up to 60 countries.
In Rome, over two million people marched. London, Madrid and
Barcelona each saw over a million people take to the streets.
In New York City, half a million rallied. In San Francisco,
a quarter of a million people marched. And hundreds of other
protests were held across every continent in the world. Sites
included Australia, Johannesburg, Tel Aviv, Syria, Tokyo,
Bangladesh, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Puerto Rico,
Brazil, East Timor, India, and even the South Pole.
- Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute
for Policy Studies in Washington DC, specializing in
Middle East and United Nations issues. She is the author
of several books. Her newest book is "Challenging Empire:
How People, Governments, and the UN Defy U.S. Power.
Self-Described Economic Hit Man John Perkins: “We
Have Created the World’s First Truly Global Empire”
John Perkins, author of "Confessions of an Economic
Hit Man," joins us in our firehouse studio to talk about
his former work going into various countries to try to strongarm
leaders into creating policy favorable to the U.S government
and corporations. Perkins describes himself as an economic
hit man. [includes rush
transcript]
- John Perkins, author of “Confessions of an Economic
Hitman”, formerly worked for an international consulting
firm and describes himself as an “economic hitman”
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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