I’m on record as thinking that the vast majority of the members of the US Congress and the current administration are a bunch of sniveling, self-absorbed bastards and bastardettes.  The Vice President isn’t doing anything to change my mind.  Some highlights:

• Vice President Cheney continues to hold 433,333 Halliburton stock options
• 100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire 12-03-07
  33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire 12-02-08
  300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire 12-02-09
• Halliburton shares are currently trading at $61.27
• Halliburton shares were trading at $17.93 in January ’03
• Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2001: $205,298
• Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2002: $162,392
• Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2003: $178,437
• Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2004: $194,852
• The Vice President has attempted to fend off criticism by signing an
  agreement to donate the after-tax profits from these stock options to
  charities of his choice, and his lawyer has said he will not take any
  tax deduction for the donations. Valued at over $9 million, the Vice
  President could exercise his stock options for a substantial windfall,
  benefiting not only his designated charities, but also providing
  Halliburton with a tax deduction.
• In September 2003, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a
  memorandum to Senator Lautenberg concluding that holding stock options
  while in elective office does constitute a "financial interest"
  regardless of whether the holder of the options will donate proceeds to
  charities. CRS also found that receiving deferred compensation is a
  financial interest.

Of course the source of alot of this is Senator Lautenburg who is a member of the same dishonorable fraternity as the Vice President (that would be the Senate), so you have to make sure that the information is correct.  All of the numbers are all public record, as is the Congressional Research Service memo, so I’d say the data is right.  The context might be a different story…nah.

I’m not saying the Vice President talked the President into going to war for the purpose of Halliburton’s profits.  I am saying that it’s unseemly for the Vice President to retain any ties to his old company when the US government is one of its key customers, and was when the Vice President was elected. I am also saying that all the money he’s received from Halliburton since the start of the war is blood money. Like I said, unseemly.