Cheney: Opposition To War = Undercutting The Troops
March 13th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
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Vice President Dick Cheney has picked up a past political motif once again: he is again saying that those who oppose the war are undercutting the troops and encouraging the enemy to wait until the U.S. has enough and pulls out:
Vice President Dick Cheney lashed out at Congressional opponents of the war in Iraq on Monday, saying that Democrats and others who would limit President Bush’s authority to spend money on the war were undermining the troops and “telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out.�Mr. Cheney’s remarks, delivered at a meeting of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, were the most pointed warning to date from any administration official — including President Bush, who has threatened to veto a $100 billion emergency war-spending bill if Congress follows through with a plan by House Democratic leaders to amend it to require the withdrawal of troops in 2008.
“When members of Congress pursue an antiwar strategy that’s been called ‘slow bleeding,’ they are not supporting the troops, they are undermining them,� Mr. Cheney said, adding, “Anyone can say they support the troops and we should take them at their word, but the proof will come when it’s time to provide the money.�
This is not the first time Mr. Cheney has used this approach. Stripped of all of its nicities, it essentially equates those seek to influence an administration that has made it clear it won’t be influenced (even by Jim Baker) by verbal arguments with not caring about the troops and with (implying but not using the phrase) giving aid and comfort to the enemies.
Throughout the Bush administration Cheney, the administration’s official with perhaps the worst image among non-Republicans, has been a seeming combination lightning rod, enabler, and originator of partisan polarization. The Times continues:
Mr. Cheney’s remarks served to inflame what is already an impassioned debate on Capitol Hill, as Congressional Democrats move to translate voter discontent with the war into binding policy changes. The House has already voted to approve a nonbinding resolution opposing Mr. Bush’s troop buildup, which is meant to try to bring some calm to Baghdad. This week, the Senate is set to vote on a binding resolution that sets a goal of withdrawal in 2008, while the House Appropriations Committee plans to take up the emergency spending bill.Like Mr. Cheney, President Bush has been vocal in warning Congress not to tie his hands in Iraq. But Mr. Bush has also been careful in his speech, stopping well short of suggesting that lawmakers who oppose his policies are undermining the troops.
Yet, that isn’t unusual. For years Presidents have used their Vice Presidents to bluntly say what they themselves would like to say but don’t for image reasons. Remember Vice President Spiro Agew’s “nattering nabobs of negativism” under President Richard Nixon? History has shown that Nixon did not disagree with that…
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 at 1:00 am and is filed under Dick Cheney, Democrats, Foreign Politics, War On Terror, Iraq, Liberals, War, Politics. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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