what dick cheney was up to on the days his e-mail "went missing" -- courtesy of CREW

this is a conversion of a
word document provided by CREW,
on its fine site, last night:

Office of the Vice President

National News at
the time the White
House e-mail went missing
(**** = Dates specified by
Chairman Waxman in January 17, 2008
letter to Fred Fielding, White House Counsel)

September 11, 2003 – May 23, 2005

September 11, 2003:

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The view of the United States as a victim of terrorism that deserved sympathy and support has given way, with the war in Iraq, to a widespread vision of America as an imperial power that has defied world opinion through unjustified and unilateral use of military force.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said increasing the number of American forces in Iraq would put them at greater risk, hurt reconstruction and sidetrack the goal of having Iraqis take a greater responsibility for their own security.

President Bush called for a major expansion of law enforcement powers under the Patriot Act, using the eve of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks to argue that his administration is winning the war on terrorism.

****September 12, 2003:

A federal appeals court in Washington yesterday rejected the Bush administration's effort to avoid releasing documents about Vice President Cheney Energy Task Force. Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, sued the task force in July 2001 to learn the identities of task force participants and how it operated, as well as Cheney's role in its meetings and mission. The Sierra Club sought similar documents in a subsequent action, and the two groups' complaints were consolidated. (Energy Task Force Appeal Refused; U.S. Court Rebuffs White House Bid to Avoid Releasing Files, Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, September 12, 2003.)
The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

Iran's ranking diplomat in the United States, Javad Zarif, blamed the Americans for Tehran's reluctance to give details of its nuclear program. Mr. Zarif was by turns conciliatory and accusatory, offering at least one veiled threat.

The head of the World Trade Organization said he would intervene to address the grievances of the four poor African nations of Benin, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, whose cotton farmers have been hurt by rich nations' farm subsidies.

September 15, 2003:

Vice President Cheney, key-noting an aggressive defense by the Bush administration of its Iraq policy, rejected the full range of criticism of U.S. actions in Iraq and said there is no reason to "think that the strategy is flawed or needs to be changed." He declared "major success, major progress" in Iraq, said most of the country is "stable and quiet" and asserted that Americans are viewed as "liberators" there. Cheney argued that new evidence found in Iraq proved more ties between Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization, and he argued that Iraq was the "geographic base" for the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Bush Team Stands Firm on Iraq Policy; Cheney Defends U.S. Actions In Bid to Revive Public Support, Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus, Washington Post, September 15, 2003.)

September 30, 2003:

"There's been nothing, absolutely nothing, brought to our attention to suggest any White House involvement, and that includes the vice president's office, as well," said Scott McClellan, Bush's press secretary. He said that "if anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." (Bush Vows Action if Aides Had Role in Leak; Democrats' Demand for Special Counsel Rejected, Mike Allen and Dana Milbank, Washington Post, September 30, 2003.)

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The White House dismissed the suggestion that Karl Rove, senior adviser to President Bush, had illegally disclosed the identity of an undercover C.I.A. officer, as the F.B.I. opened an investigation into the case. The White House also rejected calls for the appointment of a special outside counsel to determine whether someone in the administration had disclosed the officer's identity to punish criticism of its Iraqi intelligence by the officer's husband.

Senior American military officials say that as many as 650,000 tons of ammunition remain at sites used by the former Iraqi security forces, and that much of it has not been secured and will take years to destroy.

****October 1, 2003:

Records of Vice President Cheney's energy task force should remain confidential, the Bush administration told the Supreme Court, arguing that demands for disclosure present serious constitutional issues. In a 25-page filing, the Justice Department's solicitor general urged the Supreme Court to consider "fundamental separation-of-powers questions" raised by a federal judge who says the Cheney panel should produce information about its operations. (Washington in Brief, Washington Post, October 1, 2003.)

The memorandum from the White House counsel on Tuesday morning was terse, and unusual for the Bush administration: The Justice Department had opened a preliminary criminal investigation into the possible leak of an undercover C.I.A. officer's name, and every member of the White House staff was being ordered to ''preserve all materials that might be relevant.''

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

A panel chosen by the Bush administration has concluded that the United States must drastically increase and overhaul its public relations efforts to salvage its image among Muslims and Arabs abroad. The panel also warned that the war in Iraq and the conflict in the Middle East have increased anger at the United States.

Senate Republicans said they had begun exploring a compromise that would require Iraq to repay at least part of the $20.3 billion in reconstruction aid the Bush administration wants to spend.

The Justice Department said it had begun an investigation into whether Bush administration officials illegally disclosed the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer to journalists and instructed the White House to preserve records relating to the case.

Federal officials said they had arrested a civilian Arabic-language translator on suspicion of espionage at the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where he helped the military interview suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners

****October 2, 2003:

The massive energy bill taking final shape behind closed doors on Capitol Hill this week began in controversy and is heading into more of it. Secrecy on energy issues began years ago when Vice President Cheney's energy task force met behind closed doors - a controversial process still being debated in the courts. Now the two Republican chairmen in charge of the energy packages from the House and Senate are behind closed doors again - this time to rewrite the bill themselves without input from Democrats and other critics.

A team of economic specialists led by the World Bank and the United Nations has determined that Iraq needs $36 billion for reconstruction over the next four years. This would be in addition to a separate assessment by the American-led occupation of $19 billion for a different set of needs in Iraq over the same period, diplomats and economists said Wednesday.

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The Bush administration is seeking more than $600 million from Congress to continue the hunt for conclusive evidence that Iraq had unconventional weapons.

A team of economic specialists led by the World Bank and the United Nations has determined that Iraq needs $36 billion for reconstruction next year, in addition to the separate assessment by the American-led occupation of $19 billion for Iraq over the same period

****October 3, 2003:

The Senate approved a requirement on Thursday that all future contracts to rebuild Iraq be granted on an open and competitive basis. It was the first of several planned efforts by lawmakers of both parties to demand greater accountability from the Bush administration before approving its $87 billion spending request for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The chief American weapons inspector told Congress that his team has failed to find unconventional weapons in Iraq after three months of scouring the country, but they have discovered some evidence of Saddam Hussein's intent to pursue the development of such weapons.

The Senate approved a requirement that all future contracts to rebuild Iraq be granted on an open and competitive basis, the first of several efforts by lawmakers of both parties to demand greater accountability from the Bush administration.

October 4, 2003:

The Justice Department is demanding that the White House turn over ''all documents that relate in any way'' to the unauthorized disclosure of a C.I.A. officer's identity, and the White House on Friday gave its employees until next Tuesday to comply.

****October 5, 2003:

Even as the Bush administration pleads with allies to send peacekeepers to Iraq, $1.2 billion in hedge money is buried deep inside President Bush's financing request for Iraq in case the Pentagon is forced to mobilize two more National Guard brigades, squeeze the Army to send more troops to Iraq or send marines for a year.

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The findings of a government task force, secretly established last fall to study Iraq's oil industry, contradicted the Bush administration's assertion that Iraq's oil wealth would cover most of the cost of rebuilding.

Nearly 700 new Iraqi soldiers graduated from basic training at Kirkush Military Training Base, the first battalion in a much larger force that the United States is creating quickly to help stabilize Iraq.

George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, is caught between his loyalty to the president and defending an agency enraged at the report that someone in the White House exposed a C.I.A. officer to punish her husband for criticizing the administration.

****January 29, 2004:

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

David A. Kay, the former chief American weapons inspector in Iraq, called for an independent inquiry into pre-war intelligence about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs, but said he did not believe the Bush administration had pressured intelligence analysts to exaggerate the threat.

President Bush plans to scale back requests for money to fight AIDS and poverty in the third world, putting off the fulfillment of his pledges to eventually spend more than $20 billion for these programs.

****January 30, 2004:

President Bush said Friday that he won't back calls for an independent investigation of intelligence failures surrounding Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction stockpiles despite increasing demands for one by some U.S. lawmakers.

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The Bush administration, defending its decision to go to war against Iraq, said that even if Saddam Hussein had not amassed stockpiles of banned weapons, the United States could not have afforded to leave him in power because he had a history of trying to acquire them.

The Bush administration said the Medicare drug benefit would cost at least $530 billion over 10 years, one-third more than estimated when Congress passed the legislation.

****January 31, 2004:

The White House is considering endorsing the creation of an independent commission that would investigate whether the United States used faulty intelligence information when it decided to go to war in Iraq, government sources said Saturday.

The New York Times, News Summary of the Day:

The Iraqi authorities, with the help of American agencies, are creating an intelligence service that will focus on rooting out guerrilla fighters, especially those from outside the country. It is expected to be formed well before the transfer of sovereignty.

President Bush said that the sharp increase in the projected cost of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit would not prevent him from meeting his goal of cutting the federal budget deficit in half during the next five years.

****February 7, 2005:

Vice-president Cheney announces he will not run for president following his current term.

****February 15, 2005:

President Bush urges Congress to re-authorize the Patriot Act despite facing wide-spread criticism. The Patriot Act, passed following the September 11th attacks, allowed for heightened FBI surveillance and law-enforcement powers. Civil liberty groups and privacy advocates oppose the act arguing in infringes on individual rights and freedoms.

President Bush submits a bill to Congress for $81.9 billion for the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many Democrats have called for strong scrutiny of the bill to help put an end to widespread waste and fraud in the handling of contracts. (Schmitt, Eric, Bush Seeks $81.9 Billion More; Mostly for Forces in Iraq, The New York Times, February 15, 2005)

****February 16, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

An appeals court orders that two reporters who have refused to testify about their conversations with confidential sources regarding the leak that exposed the identification of CIA agent Valerie Plame should be held in contempt.

Michael Chertoff is confirmed as the new Homeland Security Secretary. Mr. Chertoff is a former head of the Justice Department’s criminal division.

February 18, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

John Negroponte is nominated by President Bush to the position of Director of National Intelligence. It is a move to take charge of all American intelligence agencies as they make steps to repair their image following blunders in Iraq and the September 11th attacks.

May 20, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

A criminal military investigation into the deaths of two prisoners in Afghanistan refutes original Army reports. There appears to have been much more prisoner abuse at the hands of soldiers than what was reported.

****May 21, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

After three days of debate over one of President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, Pricilla Owens, Senate Republicans on Friday called for a procedural vote early next week to cut off debate. This move stepped the Senate closer to a showdown over Democrats’ ability to block nominees that they oppose and the constitutional balance of power.

Setting the stage for a Congressional confrontation over the morality of modern science, President Bush vowed to veto a bipartisan measure that would increase federal financing for the study of embryonic stem cell research.

****May 22, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

The Bush Administration announced changes to the 2006 handbook to Medicare. This came after the discovery that many statements in the document were confusing, incorrect and misleading.

****May 23, 2005:

The New York Times News Summary of the Day:

Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean, calls for the resignation of Tom Delay pending the outcome of an investigation into ethical violations.

The Congressional and criminal investigation into Jack Abramoff widens to include long-time associate and fellow architect of the Republican takeover of the capital, Grover Norquist.

gee. i bet just one or two of
those "missing" e-mails would
have shed some light on one or
two of these events -- in some
cases historic events, in others. . .

n o t o r i o u s. . .

events. we may never know.