Cheney Almost Blew Britain's Case

Another knock against Dick Cheney: According to The Times of London, Cheney “nearly destroyed” Britain’s efforts to bring to justice three men plotting to blow up an airliner by ordering the early arrest of the plotters’ link man in Pakistan in 2006. Consequently, British police had to arrest their suspects before they had finished gathering evidence against them. “We believed the Americans had demanded the arrest and we were angry we had not been informed,” writes Andy Hayman, who briefed the man who briefed Tony Blair on the case. “We were being forced to take action, to arrest a number of suspects, which normally would have required days of planning and briefing.” Another source tells The Times of London that the decision to arrest the link man can be traced back to Cheney. The three plotters were convicted Monday.