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Rove and Cheney vs. The Salmon
Those salmon never stood a chance.
As The Washington Post reports this morning in part four of the paper's series on Vice President Cheney, when the fate of some endangered salmon threatened Republican electoral prospects in Oregon, Cheney sprang into action. Farmers wanted water from the Klamath River basin diverted for irrigation, but federal biologists said that two species of fish were at stake. From the Post:
Bush and Cheney couldn't afford to anger thousands of solidly Republican farmers and ranchers during the midterm elections and beyond. The case also was rapidly becoming a test for conservatives nationwide of the administration's commitment to fixing what they saw as an imbalance between conservation and economics.
And as the Post details, Cheney reached deep into the Interior Department to make sure that the issue was dealt with.
But Karl Rove also weighed in -- in his own way. Just in case the vice president's heavy hand wasn't enough, Rove made sure that Department officials far and wide knew where the administration stood on the issue by way of one of his now famous PowerPoint presentations.
From Tom Hamburger, reporting for The Wall Street Journal back in 2003:
[Rove] visited the 50 Interior managers attending a department retreat at a Fish and Wildlife Service conference center in Shepherdstown, W.Va. In a PowerPoint presentation Mr. Rove also uses when soliciting Republican donors, he brought up the Klamath and made clear that the administration was siding with agricultural interests.His remarks weren't entirely welcome -- especially by officials grappling with the competing arguments made by environmentalists, who wanted river levels high to protect endangered salmon, and Indian tribes, who depend on the salmon for their livelihoods. Neil McCaleb, then an assistant Interior secretary, recalls the "chilling effect" of Mr. Rove's remarks. Wayne Smith, then with the department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, says Mr. Rove reminded the managers of the need to "support our base." Both men since have left the department.
The administration, of course, won the battle -- a victory (like so many others) that was eventually overruled in court.
Comments (15)
Books Alive wrote on June 27, 2007 12:53 PM:In light of Cheney's cardiac condition, one would have thought he'd have more consideration for the heart-healthy salmon.
Adina Levin wrote on June 27, 2007 1:20 PM:The fish dieoff in 2002 led directly to the 2006 closure of the Northern California salmon fishery. Fishing was shut down along 700 miles on the Pacific coast.
The fishery is being reopened this year at a low level to protect the low stocks of four-year old fish. The population of three-year old fish is better. Hopefully the fishery will recover, and Pacific salmon won't go the way of the Atlantic cod.
brantl wrote on June 27, 2007 1:44 PM:More short-sighted crap from Cheney. What a douche.
Mike Conwell wrote on June 27, 2007 1:46 PM:Now... was there actually a Hatch Act passed? Or is it just a phrase bandied about?
Here's Rove telling Fish and Wildlife that the salmon should... "sleep with the fishes" so that fewer GOP seats are lost.
eliot wrote on June 27, 2007 2:03 PM:To all the naysayers who say jason leopold isn't credible ... He reported this very story last week in truthout. "Rove Aide Details Broad Political Abuses"
Powkat wrote on June 27, 2007 2:08 PM:I have a friend who grew up on the (former) rez in Klamath County - the farmers in the Klamath Basin have had their way forever - that's why the salmon are dying out. Now with global warming it's going to take even more water to irrigate the high desert.
This is all about money and power, screw the Indians, screw the salmon, let's just extract every ounce - when the water is gone they won't even be able to sell the land for condos and 'recreation.'
I can't wait for the evil men running the government to leave - I want to see them in orange jumpsuits and flip-flops doing the shackle shuffle.
parrot wrote on June 27, 2007 2:34 PM:Hatch Act? I think it was filed in the same "dust bin" as FISA...
Where is impeachment for disgracing the oaths of office taken by these thugs?
yellowsnapdragon wrote on June 27, 2007 2:47 PM:The problem with Leopold is that you can never know whether he's got the story right until long after the fact. And he got the big one wrong.
donviti wrote on June 27, 2007 3:41 PM:I think the most amazing thing about this is how few farmers were saved at the expense of an entire industry.
The irony is that tens of thousands of people have been laid off in this country over the past 5 years and there is Dick saving a couple of farmers cattle.
wait, Did I just say I was amazed by something Cheney did?
eliot wrote on June 27, 2007 4:51 PM:Yellowsnap
Puh-leez. His story last week on the Salmon and Rove was based on Ralston's sworn deposition. Clearly you can tell if he was right if you wanted to. But knee-jerking and coming to conclusions based on reading a byline is ridiculous. Did you even read the story?
mikebee wrote on June 27, 2007 5:00 PM:Klamath is and has always been a hotbed for republican crime and corruption. they consistenly milk the government with the phony water issue. these idiots steal water to grow crops in an agriculturally inviable area, its too cold at over 4000 feet of elevation , not a great place to grow any crop. klamath has been stolen from the native people,the water, the samlon, and the surounding land,which were once world class marshlands ,have been drained for these stupid farming practice. now these thieves still play to the influence of greed and corruption which its seems goes to the highest level of this republican administration, but even if the dems are elected klamath will continue its unjust and evil practices which infest this community.
libra wrote on June 27, 2007 9:08 PM:The klamath river is a national resoure. With dwindiling supplies of seafood globaly ,its seems we should help those who want to save and preserve these resources for the future.
One wonders what fish the Angler likes to angle for? Obviously, not salmon...
stagemom wrote on June 27, 2007 9:57 PM:i think it's about enron...in 2001, grandma millie was being burned..the klamath and its dams are tied into the elec. grid. you really think cheney or rove give a damn about farmers?
the truth wrote on June 30, 2007 3:03 PM:33,000 fish died, and only 1% of them were coho salmon. Further, the National Academy of Sciences studied this and NONE of this had anything to do with the irrigation diversion. Cheney was acting to protect economic interests of farmers whose property INCLUDES rights to that water, and cannot be taken by the fiat of a faceless bureaucrat. The courts agreed, stopped the bureaucratic nazis, and now the water is flowing. End of story.
cfish wrote on August 21, 2007 7:24 PM:Visit the fish hatcheries, read, read, read... The fish have been decimated by our current admin. First by appointing lawyers and loggers to the Water Board replacing biologists and environmentalists. Second by renewing a new 40 year water contract that was unreasonable 45 years ago when frist enacted. The lastest battles have not just been horrible, but slightly bizarre if these guys really care at all about people and all of our health & futures.