Can Cheney be smoked out, be careful - he may have a gun

Since last Tuesday's election alot of attention has been paid to the Bush and the incoming Democratic leadership. Meanwhile The Dick has been very far in the background, especially since the firing of his buddy in the Defense Department. But

"[In] the new make-up of Congress. Not only will Conyers be chairing the Judiciary Committee, but Henry Waxman, D-Cal, will be taking over the House Committee on Government Reform.

"Complementing [new judiciary committee chair John] Conyers’s [D-Mich] investigations into pre-war manipulations of intelligence have been Waxman’s investigations into administration favoritism toward Halliburton, which was formerly run by Vice President Dick Cheney.

"The Texas-based company has profited handsomely by securing no-bid contracts for everything from rebuilding in Iraq, to supplying U.S. troops with food, to repairing government facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina, to building detention facilities in the U.S. ....

"According to an analysis by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, these no-bid contracts have contributed to the value of Cheney’s Halliburton stock options rising by more than 3,000 percent. In 2005, Cheney’s stock options increased in value from $241,498 to over $8 million.

"'It is unseemly," noted Lautenberg, "for the Vice President to continue to benefit from this company at the same time his administration funnels billions of dollars to it."

But isn't that what getting and holding power has been for this administration. Getting richer.

(quotes from Nat Perry on Consortiumnews.com)