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Rachel Maddow reports on the funding source behind Liz Cheney's "Keep America Safe". Surprise, surprise...a man who's helping to attempt to "polish" Dick Cheney's political legacy. I don't know how anyone could possibly "polish" that big of a turd, but it looks like it's not going to stop them from trying.

Maddow: Big news to report tonight about a new effort by the Cheney family and funded by some of the biggest money men in the Republican Party to attack President Obama on national security to try to undermine his presidency. It’s an effort that’s being led on the surface by Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz. And tonight we’re learning new details about whose bankrolling their mission behind the scenes.

In conjunction with former Vice-President Cheney’s speech this week attacking President Obama for not having yet announced a decision on the way forward in Afghanistan, a new pressure group headed up by Mr. Cheney’s daughter Liz has released this new attack ad. […]

According to Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff Keep America Safe is gearing up to run TV ads and radio ads and web ads like that in the home districts of Democratic members of Congress in the lead up to the 2010 elections. They’re promising in particular to attempt to exploit the issue of closing Guantanamo for political gain.

The lead story on the Keep America Safe web site right now says “Transferring Gitmo Prisoners To U.S. Will Set Them Free”. Well today Mr. Isikoff revealed on Newsweek’s new Classified blog exactly who is bankrolling the Cheney family’s Keep America Safe political machine. America—meet Mel Sembler. He may not be a household name to most of us, but he’s a Florida real estate mogul who is very, very well known in Republican circles.

Mr. Sembler is the former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. He served as President Bush’s ambassador to Italy and he’s now throwing all of his considerable financial muscle behind the Cheney’s new anti-Obama venture. Mr. Sembler told Newsweek “I love Liz Cheney and what she’s doing… [I’ll be] as supportive as my budget will allow”.

Mr. Sembler is a very close friend of the Cheney family. Here he is posing with the Second Lady of the United States Lynn Cheney. He’s so close to the Cheney’s in fact that in addition to bankrolling the Cheney’s family’s new anti-Obama political group, Mr. Sembler is also the chairman of the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust, set up to defend Mr. Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter Libby when Mr. Libby was charged with lying and obstructing the investigation into the Bush/Cheney White House for outing a covert CIA officer as political revenge. The “Scooter Didn’t Do It” chairman is the new bankroller of the opposition to President Obama and incidentally the polishing of Dick Cheney’s political legacy, which seems like it might be an expensive undertaking.

Michael Isikoff joined Rachel to discuss his column at Newsweek--Update: Major Republican Donor Plans to Fund Liz Cheney’s New Organization

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Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz both responded to Liz Cheney and Bill Kristol's new group Keep America Safe's ad, which accused them of being afraid to debate her. Rachel was polite as always and said Ms. Cheney is welcome on her show any time. Ed Schultz had some of his guests weigh in as well and was not so kind to Cheney. He questioned why she was qualified to work at the State Department in the first place and I think Bill Press' response was the most appropriate.

Press: You know what I think Ed? This was another balloon hoax. This whole thing is a total hoax, this Keep America Safe thing. It is. It's a total media creation. You're right about Liz Cheney. What about Bill Kristol? This is the guy that brought the country Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin—Bill Kristol—the one that wanted Bill Clinton to invade Iraq in 1997—what credentials—and I'm sorry Earnest, but the credentials of the people who represent the organization do say a lot about the organization. You’ve got Liz Cheney and Bill Kristol—neither of them know squat about security. And we’re supposed to believe them?

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This one had me chuckling. After all of the air time Liz Cheney has been given on Morning Joe and some of the other MSNBC daytime programs, her new group, the ironically named "Keep America Safe" is running an ad saying that Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Keith Olbermann are afraid to debate her.

From The Plum Line-New Ad From Liz Cheney’s Group Bashes Olbermann, Matthews As “Afraid” To Debate Her:

The implication being, of course, that the MSNBC gang is running scared from Ms. Cheney. If memory serves, though, Ms. Cheney has repeatedly been granted a platform on … MSNBC, again and again and again, to defend her pop’s legacy and champion policies that don’t even exist anymore.

Looking forward to the lily-livered liberal network crew’s response to this one. Maybe they’ll invite her on again a bunch more times to discuss her contempt for them.

And from Benen:

Earlier this year, Liz Cheney spent so much time on the cable news networks, I think she had her mail forwarded to the green rooms on N. Capitol. At one point, the "liberal media" had the former State Department official on 22 times in 24 days. Not only were many of these appearances on MSNBC, but when people like me started complaining about the news networks turning Cheney into a right-wing celebrity, Liz Cheney's biggest defender was ... MSNBC.

And now Cheney wants to turn the network into a punching bag?

Also, I couldn't help but notice that Liz Cheney's ad targets Olbermann, Matthews, and Schultz, but seems to have left out one high-profile MSNBC host: Rachel Maddow. Indeed, Rachel has invited Liz Cheney onto her show many, many times, and yet, Cheney has declined every opportunity.

To borrow a phrase, why doesn't Liz Cheney want to talk substance? Why doesn't she want to debate the issues?

I would be surprised if Cheney hasn't been invited to appear on all of those shows, although I'm not sure why any of them would want to give the likes of her some air time so she can spend the segment interrupting and talking over them. She doesn't debate anyone. She filibusters and talks over anyone she's on the air with so she can get her talking points out without actually answering any questions. If they put her in a debate box off the set with a mute button they might get a word in edgewise.

I wonder if her cohort Bloody Bill Kristol wants some face time during prime time on MSNBC as well? I'd absolutely love to see him come on Rachel or Keith's shows.