168 Comments

1. David Thomson:

Dick Cheney should have been president. He is far more brilliant and conservative than George W. Bush. Cheney’s current low poll numbers are only a reflection of a successful slime job done on him by leftist propagandists. This will soon end. The more Americans see and hear from Cheney—the more they will like him. He will probably not run for president in 2012, but his endorsement will be eagerly sought. Cheney will soon prove to be more popular and effective than Al Gore, Jr. The Left is very afraid of him.

May 17, 2009 - 12:22 am 2. Chris H:

No mention of Halliburton. How odd. Because his behaviour in this regard shows Cheney at his morally upright best. Incorruptible and principled. We salute a great American.

May 17, 2009 - 1:20 am 3. Amos:

He’s a dude.

It’s been hilarious to watch the shrill, scolding left blunt it’s feeble little claws against the Cheney granite.

May 17, 2009 - 3:08 am 4. Carl:

Beep, Beep!

Love it.

May 17, 2009 - 3:47 am 5. SAF:

I always liked Cheney. A real patriot, smart and loyal. Never liked Powell always thought he was a democrat.

Apparently his stance on the Iraq war has cost him his popularity with the Washington in-crowd. So here is a man who stand on principles regardless of the flak he takes.

Now we have Joe Biden. What better man to help Obama lead America down the path of decline?

May 17, 2009 - 3:53 am 6. john from cinncinatti:

he isn’t Darth Vader , he’s more like Obi won Kenobi

May 17, 2009 - 4:52 am 7. D-wah:

“Conservative and unashamed”. Amen. How many “politicians” can even say they’re the first word?–never mind unashamed?? He takes it beyond unashamed actually, to courageous–he’s not just hiding in a bunker like the rest of them. I like what Rush said, “What motivates Dick Cheney?” Think about it. Real statesmen and patriots never “retire”.

Dick Cheney has been the target of the leftist’s worst mudslinging because he is exactly that–principled and unwavering, and brave. God give us more who will stand up to this insanity before it’s too late.

May 17, 2009 - 4:59 am 8. Delia:

An ‘actual’ conservative is enemy numero UNO to the lefties.

May 17, 2009 - 5:17 am 9. Chris H:

Best of all he’s shown that torture is OK. That’s what I’m most proud of. And he’s also a man who remembers who his friends are. Many of his old buddies in the oil and arms industries have made literally billions out of the great Iraq adventure. That kind of loyalty is so sadly lacking these days. We could all profit from his deeply Christian attitude to the world. His humility and devotion to justice serve as an inspiration to us all.

May 17, 2009 - 5:20 am 10. Perry:

This is the liberation of knowing you will never be running in another election.

May 17, 2009 - 5:25 am 11. Robert:

Dick Cheney is the truest conservative in the Republican Partysince Reagan – there is no denying that. And I agree with David’s first post: Cheney should have been president.

May 17, 2009 - 5:25 am 12. WhyamInotsurprised?:

I really appreciate him as a man of clear thinking, one who sees the world as it really is, knows human nature and the nature of countries, and how to handle things with crisp decisiveness. Common sense with no non-sense. I love you man! And Rumsfeld too!

These are people who did not just pass through a crucible but stood in it doing their best for the country while withstanding attacks from the knuckleheads on the far left. They are cool under pressure and are not afraid to make a decision with less than perfect information. That is real leadership.

May 17, 2009 - 5:33 am 13. Perry:

David Thomson: “The more Americans see and hear from Cheney—the more they will like him.”

David, not only do I agree with you but I feel the more Americans “enjoy” the Obama-Pelosi experience, the more they will like any CONSERVATIVE Republican, Conservative being the key, of course.

May 17, 2009 - 5:35 am 14. Terry Gain:

And to the dismay of our Europeanized, Obama-worshipping mainstream press, he was “was not apologetic about the use of … enhanced … techniques,” but claimed “it would have been immoral [not to use them against] detainees … which had threatened U.S. interests.”

I agree entirely. Not to have used this safe technique on the three al Qaeda leaders would have been a gross dereliction of duty. Waterboarding scares the shit and truth out of the dousee but causes no lasting harm. And you can be assured it was effective or Mr. Transparent would have released the memos showing the results of these aquatic interrogatories on KSM and company.

It’s nothing short of insane to prefer the comfort of the mastermind of 9/11 to the safety of his innocent targets. The first job of the President is to protect the people and end all wars as quickly and with as little loss of life as possible.

May 17, 2009 - 5:38 am 15. Terry Gain:

Chris H:

No mention of Halliburton. How odd. Because his behaviour in this regard shows Cheney at his morally upright best. Incorruptible and principled. We salute a great American.

I once read that Cheney directed that his Hallibutron shares be sold when he became VP. I also read that Cheney and his wife donated 11 million dollars to the U. S. treasury. I believe it was in 2005 or 2006. Perhaps someone here has the time to research these issues.

May 17, 2009 - 5:44 am 16. William:

Cheney does deserve our praise. He is a model of manhood and what it means to stand on principle come what may. Great article AWR.

May 17, 2009 - 5:54 am 17. ctpatriotgirl:

I have been in an absolute panic since Obama won the election and the only thing that has made me feel even a little safer is Cheney’s re-appearance on the scene. Whew. What a relief to hear his voice of reason.

May 17, 2009 - 5:55 am 18. RedHeadedTexan:

I’ve always liked Cheney. Too bad his health won’t allow him to run for President; he’d get my vote.

May 17, 2009 - 5:55 am 19. baluc/ka:

Cheney must be having the time of his life. I know I would if I were in his position.

He’s the only adult in a room full of juvenile delinquents. And he’s disciplining them.

Maureen Dowd’s writing about Cheney only goes to show that she’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It’s kind of sad.

I happen to have a thing for redheads.

Just like that FBI agent on 24, Rene Walker.
(Even she came around to torture to get info early in the season).

May 17, 2009 - 5:57 am 20. Ed Wallis:

Chris #2,

What’s your point? You think Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Clinton ,etc, etc, are “morally superior”? No one claims perfection here…only Leftist ideologues in their fantasies…which is exactly what makes them so dangerous to humanity.

May 17, 2009 - 6:04 am 21. BC:

Cheney and his boss should have had their sorry butts handed to them and been shown the door even before the 2004 election. You people seem to forget how Cheney was the biggest liar on Bush’s team of liars when it came to Iraq in particular:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47812-2004Jun16.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061200932.html

All those American casualties in Iraq, as well as especially the Nth more Iraqi civilian casualties, lie at the feet of Cheney and cronies, which also include his PNAC buds: http://zfacts.com/p/775.html

May 17, 2009 - 6:26 am 22. Big Red:

During the Civil War, the regimental colors were more than decoration. In the heat of combat when everything went totally insane, you looked for your colors to rally around and restore some sense of order and cohesion. Dick Cheney is holding the colors high, not to lead, but to show where to move to so we can re-form our line of battle and continue the fight in a discipled and effective manner. Conversely, the colors were a primary target of the enemy. Whoever carried them had to be aware that everyone on the other side was aiming at him. God bless Cheney for picking up or fallen colors. He is a grizzled old veteran who didn’t have to fight anymore, but refuses to leave the field in the face of the enemy. Wish we had more like him.

May 17, 2009 - 6:26 am 23. briinn:

Cheney the Invincible: Intelligent, bold, and what’s more, not silenced by the shocked naivete of the left’s pretentious, high-pitched yowls at the security measures that are necessary to protect America within her own borders.

I feel safer knowing he is standing by, unafraid to act or speak up, pointing out with contempt the New York Times (and her ilk’s), contemptible practice of playing the whore with America’s enemies.

He is a mench!

May 17, 2009 - 6:30 am 24. kdell:

totally agree with #1. with Cheney as President, we’d be a far different and better-off country today. Bush defended the country well, but other than than that was a miserable failure and should be blamed for “teeing it up” for Bojangles and the left today. ahh hindsight. but we should learn a lesson from this. no more Rinos, passionate conservatives, or Progressives pretending to be Republicans. Go “right” and stay “right” or we are doomed.

May 17, 2009 - 6:35 am 25. noreen:

Dick Cheney is a warrior! The only one in the GOP with the guts to take on the Obama machine. Who do you trust more with the security of our nation? A clown like Obama or a real leader who cares nothing for cultivating some sort of movie star persona. Obama is too busy campaigning and getting photo shoots with his shirt off to tend to the real business of running this nation. He is and always will be inadequate and ill prepared. A clueless embarrassment. A pampered and effeminate elitisit. Cheney is smart and can get the job done. No girly man here. I will ever be grateful to him. I also love that he cares less what the left thinks of him. I wish he would run for president

May 17, 2009 - 6:42 am 26. Vaughn:

Listen to Cheney and immediately listen to something by Biden. Scary! Cheney, while you may not agree always with him, is articulate, and always on point. Biden,………..well he sounds like an alcohol riddled, barroom boob!

But, he is excellent insurance for the ‘Big O’, if you know what I mean.

May 17, 2009 - 6:51 am 27. Bilgeman:

Someone keeps asking who the leader of the GOP is.

Dick Cheney is.

And what most qualifies him for the job is that I suspect he’d rather decline the honor.

He’s apparently a guy who does what he thinks right, and will do it regardless of whether anyone follows or not.

That’s the main prerequisite of leadership…not being afraid of being alone and out front when it really matters.

Our count

May 17, 2009 - 6:58 am 28. don:

Some web sites Tic TOC wish for his death or execution (comparing him to Hitler). I have never seen a time where the demonization of any opposition became so monolithic in it’s execution. I guess Jim Jones is the template for the Partei.

May 17, 2009 - 6:59 am 29. LeighB:

baluc/ka, I am with you, a certain columnist at the NY Times could give redheads a bad rep.

Mark Steyn’s recent (related)column on Pelosi v. Cheney was terrific and this description is a keeper, “the elderly schoolgirl Maureen Dowd”. Made my day.

May 17, 2009 - 7:09 am 30. venividivici:

21. BC:

Man, the things I think should happen to you can’t be printed in this blog.

One thing the article missed is that Cheney made it OK to use the argument “Go f*ck yourself”, which, truth be told, is the only argument leftist morons deserve.

May 17, 2009 - 7:09 am 31. k. pablo:

I heard a dipshit leftist talking head on Fox say what the Republicans need to do now is become the party of Megan McCain, not Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh! How obvious that the converse is true.

May 17, 2009 - 7:31 am 32. David Thomson:

Dick Cheney’s current low poll numbers are due to the fact that he was the vice-president—and had to essentially remain silent. He could not normally defend himself, and this silence was incorrectly interpreted by many Americans as some sort of admission of guilt. This obstacle has been removed. Cheney can now speak unhesitatingly, if not even forcefully.

May 17, 2009 - 7:59 am 33. Bender:

In a world of a level playing field, where the MSM and the squishes of the Big Tent have not so thoroughly demonized any substantial conservative, the next-Reagan that we have been searching for would have already been found many times over.

One of those next-Reagans, and one who would be a very popular and successful vice president or even president is named Cheney.

But Dick Cheney has done his duty. The Cheney I’m talking about is named Liz.

If only her last name were not Cheney, she would be the future of the GOP.

May 17, 2009 - 8:02 am 34. Fantom:

Cheney is a fine man, a Patriot and a real American. Attributes the left hates, as they share none of them.

May 17, 2009 - 8:03 am 35. shaui-jan:

cheney is definatly the cream of the crop.the trolls,i am sure….will be out in force on this one.
yeah…..go head and squeal all you want,little piggies!heh,heh.
it will be easier,from now on…..to pick the canidates we should back.just look for ones the statists hate most.

May 17, 2009 - 8:07 am 36. SAF:

#26 Vaughn: We sure do know what you mean and it is great insurance. The best policy in the business.

May 17, 2009 - 8:13 am 37. sheesh:

Wow! How do you all feel about this ticket . . . Cheney/Palin? Who here thinks that would win in 2012?

May 17, 2009 - 8:17 am 38. savage24:

Isn’t it great to have a Conservative Republican telling it like it is. The bunch in Washington DC don’t seem to have the guts to do it. Last week I seen a Republican Congressman, when asked if Pelosi was lying, beat all around the bush not to answer the question. Are we suppose to respect people like him? I sure as hell don’t!

May 17, 2009 - 8:24 am 39. burntjohn:

Dick Cheney=Great American

May 17, 2009 - 8:33 am 40. Kristen Burroughs:

Where are the younger Dick Cheneys? I hope a young Cheney-like figure will soon emerge, but I don’t see one on the horizon … yet.

In all likelihood, our new Cheney will come from the grassroots, not the party structure. He or she will be schooled in a small, tax-payer or school choice organization, for example. In all probability, he or she will be a teapartier.

The Republican Party seems blind to the passion of their own voters. It’s not merely the latest maneuvering in Crist v. Rubio, but rather a predictable and systematic refusal to be gutsy and contentious in public. If party types would channel their underhanded scheming into public retorts, Republicans would be winning elections. Now.

Yesterday, Obama spoke at a graduation ceremony in my home state, Arizona. After his speech, I read local conservative local for a rebuttal. No one bothered to respond. Obama is a rich and easy target for an experienced blogger. So why the silence? And why didn’t any of the many articulate Republican Party poohbahs take Obama on? Their silence is deafening … and the losses are mounting.

There’s got to be someone in this state with the gonads to attack the left; someone who speaks “truth to power” rightfully and righteously, with heart-felt conviction.

May 17, 2009 - 8:39 am 41. Angry White Dude:

I waited for 8 long years for Bush/Cheney and the Wussypants Republicans to defend themselves against the ridiculous lies and blame put on them by the unwashed leftists in Congress and the press.

I’m glad Cheney is giving them now what they deserved long ago. The truth shall set you free!

Angry White Dude

May 17, 2009 - 8:57 am 42. AThinkingPerson:

Cheney is indeed a patriot! Anyone else have the pleasure of seeing his uber-intelligent daughter blazing a trail on all of the channels in defense of the Bush Administration? Truly awesome to witness her speak transposed against the likes of Pelosi sweating and stuttering her way through a CIA-hating tirade.

I agree with those who are heartened to see Cheney standing up in the face of this dismal administration we are now burdened with. Truly a beacon in the dark.

May 17, 2009 - 9:03 am 43. Dave:

For lefties who want to smear Chenney with misleading and ideological nonsense, some reality:
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/report-details-saddams-terrorist-ties/72906/

May 17, 2009 - 9:10 am 44. Derek (sirpatriot):

Cheney is figuratively quick on his feet, and unphased. There’s way too many RINOs emerging from the Republican party, and the good ones are getting long in the tooth. We need young fighters, and not the politically correct bunch that helped us loose the last election.

May 17, 2009 - 9:22 am 45. bobbcat:

When considering the principle that extreme techniques are sometimes necessary to employ in order to extract life-saving information and how it is not understood or appreciated by the left, the scene from Aliens comes to mind where one among the military brigade, investigating the area where civvies were found deep within the aliens’ nest, in response to being told no arms fire is to be used (due to the nuclear-powered infrastructure within), ‘What are we supposed to do, use harsh language?’ One might expect that this is the very approach many on the left would approve of.

I recall thinking during the vice presidential debates that preceded the 2000 election that the wrong man was at the top of the Pubbie ticket. I do wonder though why Cheney did not succeed (did he even try?) in steering Bush away from his pet spending projects (drugs for seniors, no child left behind); I wonder if he even cared about those things. Knowing would certainly shed light on how true a conservative he really is.

May 17, 2009 - 9:26 am 46. bobbcat:

40. Kristen Burroughs: Where are the younger Dick Cheneys? I hope a young Cheney-like figure will soon emerge, but I don’t see one on the horizon … yet.

I think most of the really intelligent, successful people who could be outstanding leaders simply don’t get into the political scene. They are inclined to be more oriented towards self interest or only serving the public interest in a less-broadened fashion. These people are less inclined to have the attributes many politicians have: lust for power and fame, hunger to be in the limelight, etc. This is JMO.

May 17, 2009 - 9:34 am 47. shaui-jan:

28.sheep[sh];loving it….let’s just hope your man keeps up with his antics and they’ll be a lock in 2012.

p.s.robert gibbs is doing a bang up job as well…makes scott mcclellan look like a rhodes scholar.no need to even comment on pelosi…..good luck spinning that one sheep[sh] ol’buddy.
oh,i forgot your not a fan of the tough stuff….usually end up painting yourself in a corner pretty quickly on any substantive issues.

May 17, 2009 - 9:37 am 48. Stephen Rittenberg:

Utopian liberalism always need a scapegoat to blame for the failure of utopia to materialize. Cheney was the perfect scapegoat because he couldn’t rebut while VP and the infantile rage he evokes is typical of the arrested development of contemporary liberalism.

May 17, 2009 - 9:46 am 49. Gary F:

Cheney was one of the last grownups in government. It is a shame to lose his voice in running things. I agree that he would have been the best as President but fortunately was allowed a lot of influence as VP.

I would vote for him in 2012 in a split second and work for his campaign. Too bad he isn’t inclined to run. He has all the qualities we would need to get us out of this mess that will be created 2008-2012.

May 17, 2009 - 9:50 am 50. davidt:

What’s great about Cheney speaking out is that his words are always sure to be reported, and the news media’s political bias is always sure to shine through. Let’s hope Cheney adds the Democrat News Media to his topics of discussion.

May 17, 2009 - 9:51 am 51. shaui-jan:

sheep[sh]p.p.s.what is with the all one liners lately…have you slayed all worthy opposition?that would be a shame….i would miss you long,rhetorical flourishes.

May 17, 2009 - 9:57 am 52. Big Red:

sheesh, I hear they’re trashing Miss California over at Huffpo, If you hurry you could still make it.

May 17, 2009 - 10:11 am 53. LBC:

I just finished reading the article about Biden spilling the beans about where VP Cheney was during the 9/11 attacks on our country. (I know, I know, we are supposed to ‘forget’ about that man made disaster, etc.)
How disgusting and vile Biden is.
I am thankful that Cheney is standing up and waking up the sleeping giant formerly known as the Conservative Party.
July 4 is not coming soon enough. I WILL be at the Tea Party.
True Conservatives will not go away, if anything, they are rising up (on their own, I might add).
Thank you, Vice Pres. Cheney. You are a gentleman and a true Patriot.
And wherever you are; true Conservatives, don’t be afraid. There are millions of us out here; ready to support you and fight the battle.
Let’s GO!!!! AND God Bless America…remember we are suppose to be the LAND OF THE FREE…

May 17, 2009 - 11:06 am 54. JasonS:

Three conservatives I’ve always found to be extremely intelligent, lucid, articulate and objective are Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and John Bolton. Funnily enough, they’ve all been labeled “evil” and “sinister” by liberals. But we all know the left’s beef isn’t really with these men – it’s with reality.

May 17, 2009 - 11:28 am 55. Pastor of Muppets:

Cheny was right in there with the group that caused the deaths of millions of innocent citizens.

Don’t believe me, look it up.

And don’t forget to look up the sweetheart deals Chaney got for Hallibutron.

May 17, 2009 - 11:37 am 56. Cathy:

Mr. Cheney is a man of honor, and I admire this man. He is fearless in defense of his beliefs, and only his principles matter — not polls.

He defends his country and President Bush unwaveringly, and I pray he continues to be the voice of truth and justice. God bless you — you give me strength.

May 17, 2009 - 11:42 am 57. noreen:

The lefties always drag out Halliburton and howl with indignant and mock outrage. Where is the outrage regarding the NBC-GE-universal health care isssue. NBC has a convienient way of not really reporting the news and the issues including this universal health care fiasco. GE stands to rise out of the ashes of banckruptcy and gross mismanagement by getting lucrative computerized medical record contracts from the Obama government. NBC,GE, and Obama are one . Thus NBC skews, blurs, and neglects to truthfully report the news and the issues because if the truth were known then GE would be out in the cold and miss out on all those universal healthcare dollars. All are in the tank for the clown in the Whitehouse. Corruption and criminal dishonesty that Cheney did not even come close to. Obama only cares about taking care of his “friends” at the expense of the taxpayer.

May 17, 2009 - 11:52 am 58. Zhombre:

I admired Cheney after the 2000 VP debates. I thought he and Lieberman were thoughtful and well spoken, in contrast to the two men at the top of the ticket.

May 17, 2009 - 11:58 am 59. Fantom:

” 37. sheesh:
Wow! How do you all feel about this ticket . . . Cheney/Palin? Who here thinks that would win in 2012?”

Americans would vote for them. However, Americans may no longer be the majority in this country.

May 17, 2009 - 11:58 am 60. scituate_tgr:

I admire and respect VP Cheney in almost every facet of his life except one – I don’t think I would go hunting with him.

God bless you DC and God bless America!

May 17, 2009 - 12:01 pm 61. johnt:

ChrisH, you have to come out of your cave and keep up with the news. Torture, bad for Cheney, ok for Pelosi & the other Dems who knew about it? A mental blackout perhaps? Or is it moral? If moral stop with the lectures !

Use your influence to get your hero Obama to release the other docs that show what good came of waterboarding three islamic mass murderers. You know your hero won’t, you may wonder why.

I also trust, given your stated high morals and aversion to war profiteering, that you detest all sorts of financial chicanery. Then you must be appalled at the Chrysler theft, threat of public blackmail, and handover of control to the UAW, rumor has it big donors to The O and Dems in general. A little outrage if you please.

No sense being sarcastic Chris if you have no ground to stand on, you only mark yourself as a fool.

May 17, 2009 - 12:17 pm 62. JasonS:

55. Pastor of Muppets:

Cheny was right in there with the group that caused the deaths of millions of innocent citizens.

Don’t believe me, look it up.

And don’t forget to look up the sweetheart deals Chaney got for Hallibutron.

I just did:

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/05/05/the-halliburton-canard-again/

And while we’re on the subject of “causing the deaths of millions” (which in the case of Bush and Cheney, is a lie anyway), perhaps you’d like to digest the fact that twice as many Iraqis died under the Clinton-backed sanctions (which achieved nothing) than died in the Iraq war (which liberated millions of people from tyranny and planted the precious seeds of democracy in the Middle East).

May 17, 2009 - 12:20 pm 63. Ed Wallis:

Fantom #59 – A weekend question: do you think he was fishing for support of a Che/sheesh “we’re still dead” 2012 ticket?

May 17, 2009 - 12:30 pm 64. Self-hating Boomer:

What the heck did I just walk into? Millions of innocent citizens murdered? Is this some kind of troofer convention, or is LSD making a comeback?

May 17, 2009 - 12:42 pm 65. Kristen Burroughs:

46Bobbcat

YOU sound really ntelligent, successful and outstanding — Please run for office!

May 17, 2009 - 12:44 pm 66. Self-hating Boomer:

Normally I eschew the troll bait, but WTF is this???:

Don’t believe me, look it up.

Let me guess. College know-it-all hippy. And this is what passes at Evergreen State College these days for effective argumentation.

Sometimes things are so just plain wrong that you don’t know where to begin.

May 17, 2009 - 12:46 pm 67. Self-hating Boomer:

Ok, muffin monster, which one’s you?

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154822

May 17, 2009 - 12:51 pm 68. shaui-jan:

jasons;took the words right out of my mouth.your wrong about one thing though,the sanctions accomplished something;it made alot of lowlifes at the UN rich.

p.s. don’t bother with muppet…..it is deranged,i mean seriously unwound.total waste of time arguing with that ’special’ creature.

May 17, 2009 - 12:52 pm 69. Brian:

Cheney ,faced with heavy critical opinions,stood his ground.I admire that.As a matter of fact he should stick around to help the next generation.Leaders need to come forth now for GOP and give valid reasons for taking an opposing stance on issues.

May 17, 2009 - 1:04 pm 70. Stephen:

Self-hating Boomer (66):

I’m old enough to have known my share of real hippies. Based on the record, PoM doesn’t have the horsepower to have kept their company. Don’t waste your time.

May 17, 2009 - 1:06 pm 71. zanne:

muppet has made it easier to scroll past his/her comments when I see them. It is like a commercial on t.v. I just hit the mute button or tune out. Go ahead and argue…but why respond to a paid troll? Just another of Soros’ 5 cent employees.

May 17, 2009 - 1:10 pm 72. Dave:

“Cheney 5 (maybe 6 or 7), Leftists 0″

Actually, it’s the United States of America that lost to Cheney, with amoral folks like yourselves cheering him on. It is exactly this total lack of discernment on the part of those who falsely call themselves conservative that makes it near impossible to consider anything they say as remotely worth considering. I was no fan of Reagan but it’s a foul insult to his name to utter Cheney’s in the same breath.

Perhaps we wouldn’t have Obama in the WH if conservatives with brains and hearts actually controlled the GOP.

May 17, 2009 - 1:26 pm 73. Dark Helmet:

The contrast between a leader and the current scum bag politician. Quite dramatic, isn’t it?

Impeach obammy and jail the rest!

May 17, 2009 - 1:32 pm 74. Evil Otto:

Don’t believe me

No, Kermit, I don’t believe you. Provide evidence.

May 17, 2009 - 1:38 pm 75. Libertyship46:

I really do think Dick Cheney will go down in history as one of the best vice presidents there ever was, perhaps the greatest. He totally transformed an office that did little or nothing and turned it into a strong and effective tool for the president to use in wartime. You would never see people like Al Gore or Dan Quail being given the responsibilities Cheney had and you certainly will never see Joe Biden coming even close to getting the amount of influence Cheney had. What made Cheney even more effective was that he made no bones about the fact that he did not want to be president himself. By saying that, the sitting president was never threatened by him (unlike Clinton always having to look over his shoulder at Al Gore, who was always trying to position himself to be the next president). Cheney had the freedom to say whatever he wanted because he never had to worry about running for president and that can be a very powerful weapon to be used against political enemies. Basically, Cheney did what he thought was right and didn’t really care what the press, the democrats, or the liberals thought about it. I always felt a lot, and I mean a lot, safer having a strong person like Dick Cheney in office rather than having a silly second banana in office, which is certainly what Joe Biden is. One day, American will really miss Dick Cheney.

May 17, 2009 - 1:48 pm 76. Meryl:

Nothing drives unAmericans crazier quicker than a sensible, well spoken conservative who’s not afraid of their own shadow and isn’t trying to impress anyone.

Dick Cheney: Gravitas that kicks butt.

May 17, 2009 - 1:51 pm 77. Jayson H:

The leftwing Democrats have been covering up, re-writing, and cherry picking history for a long time on the Iraq war and the events that led up to it. Also the leftwing mainstream media elite has been beating the Republicans on the head with this issue of interrogation methods without hardly any rebuttal by conservative leaders.

I am proud of Dick Cheney for speaking up and letting the truth ring out and exposing the Democrat lies. I’m also thankful that Condoleezza Rice and Carl Rove are also speaking out. It’s amazing how three people speaking pure truth can have such an impact and are able to counter the entire bias liberal news media’s daily distortion of facts.

Thank you AWR Hawkins for a great article. Good job! Two thumbs up!

May 17, 2009 - 2:00 pm 78. The Famous Mo:

Let’s REALLY piss off the left.

CHENEY/PALIN 2012!!

May 17, 2009 - 2:04 pm 79. johnt:

Pastor of Muppets, >”death of millions<”, only millions? Old Dick must be slipping, ah, were any of them American leftists? If so would that come under the heading of mercy killings, maybe rodent control, perhaps eugenic cleansing.

So how are things at the hospital now days?
Yours sympathetically
johnt

May 17, 2009 - 2:05 pm 80. LBC:

True Conservatives of America….
Enough of TOTUS, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, (too many traitors to list here)…
Band together and support each other. The Tea Parties are a giant step.
In the words of the Americans who lost their lives on Flight 93….
“Let’s ROLL”
They knew if they didn’t do something, anything; that a lot more lives would be lost. They are true heroes, they are people we must not forget. We must look up to them and remember them and be inspired by them. We now know there are no heroes in Washington D.C.
Dick Cheney is doing what is right and God Bless him and others who have the courage and conviction to let the Conservatives know it is time to stand up and do what is right for the sake of the USA.
Stop the evil madness for our future generations’ sake.

May 17, 2009 - 2:08 pm 81. BC:

To venividivici: I suggest you look up the phrase “You can’t handle the truth”. None of you name-calling numbnuts have come close to refuting anything I’ve posted. Go ahead try — I double dawg dare you. I think there might be a few Usenet veterans here that will tell that I don’t post anything that I can’t back up to the Nth degree.

Have you and others, actually, ever thought of instead posting random, utter BS, especially stuff seen on another right wing site, that you spend some quality time with Google and try to gather some real insight and understanding, in both current and historical context, on a given matter before sharing an opinion? Just saying….

May 17, 2009 - 2:11 pm 82. sheesh:

Who is the leader of the Republican/ conservative movement?

If you’re still not sure, you might want to . . . “spend some quality time with Google and try to gather some real insight and understanding” I hear that’s the path to true knowledge.

May 17, 2009 - 2:29 pm 83. Bohemond:

BC:

Boy, you sure have one high opinion of yourself, don’t you?

You can claim “insight and understanding!” You can invoke the awesone authority of Usenet! You can defy folks to waste their time refuting Cynthia McKinney moonbattery!

Been there, done that. The debate is over: your claims are bullshit. And no, I’m not going to waste my valuable time chasing down links.

I suggest you put down the bong and get out of the dorm room more often.

May 17, 2009 - 2:44 pm 84. sheesh:

When you talk about Cheney’s influence, here’s the thing YOU PEOPLE have to keep in mind . . . most people aren’t like YOU PEOPLE. The radical right wing extremists – like YOU PEOPLE – think he’s keen. Most people think he’s just creepy. He’s the guy who was hiding out for the last 8 years. He’s the guy behind waterboarding people. He’s the guy behind shaping intelligence to support going to war. He’s the guy who shot his friend in the face (and then refused to talk to police until the next day, after he sobered up.) He’s the guy behind outing Valerie Plame. He’s the guy who had a young Colorado father arrested for saying he thought Cheney’s policies were despicable. He’s the guy who said “So?” when told the American people were against the war. This is the guy who held secret energy policy meetings. He’s the guy who oversaw the most secretive and most power hungry administration in history. Now, you may agree with all of those things or you may not. It doesn’t matter. YOU PEOPLE may see that behavior as patriotic. Most people see that as dishonest, partisan, duplicitous, selfish and, well, creepy.

Hey, I say bring on all the Dick and Limbaugh you got. More Palin. More Plumber. More Jindahl . . . or whoever it is that’s your newest “deliverer” next week. The good news for liberals is . . . you’re desperate enough to do it.

May 17, 2009 - 2:50 pm 85. Jayson H:

Here’s a quote by my favorite president that I think best describes the liberals who have posted on here today.

‘The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.’ Ronald Reagan

May 17, 2009 - 2:52 pm 86. Will:

Cheney is a true conservative and patriot,not like the wimpy liberals spewing hate towards him. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free… It expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson

May 17, 2009 - 2:53 pm 87. sheesh:

78. The Famous Mo . . . “Let’s REALLY piss off the left. CHENEY/PALIN 2012!!”

Now why didn’t I think of that? There’s a big idea, my friends. Seriously. Think of it . . . it’s like a Vader/Leia ticket only better. Who could resist that combo? I mean, besides liberals and democrats . . . and women . . . and blacks . . . and Hispanics . . .and gays . . . and students . . . and Jews . . . and union workers . . . and teachers . . . and families of soldiers electrocuted by Halliburton showers. Other than that, you got a sure thing!

And I agree, it sure would piss off the liberals. That’s reason enough, don’t you think? I say do it . . . who else you gonna run? The Mormon?

May 17, 2009 - 2:58 pm 88. HLH:

I love the fact that Cheney doesn’t apologize – and why should he? He’s right.

May 17, 2009 - 3:12 pm 89. The Wizard:

I think Cheney is a remarkable man, intelligent and WITHOUT A HIDDEN AGENDA. He accepted the VP position at a risk to his health. He has honor, respectablity and credibility. He is certainly 1000% better than the corrupt, naive idiot we currently have in the WH – Obama has no honor, no credibility, no ethics, no moral fortitude. He is just a thug from the Chicago political system out for himself. He hates America, and he is a racist.

Thank you Dick Cheney. You and President Bush made the tough (very unpopular) decisions that kept this country safe.

May 17, 2009 - 3:24 pm 90. shaui-jan:

81.bc see post 64.as far as rightwing websites;http://www.casi.org.uk/info/garfield/dr-garfield.html

May 17, 2009 - 3:43 pm 91. shaui-jan:

we should have a cheney article written every sunday….there’s plenty of material,he as been in goverment for decades.

the fanatical moonbat ravings would become legendary.i wouldn’t miss it for the world.

May 17, 2009 - 4:04 pm 92. fear obama:

sheesh

Who could resist that combo? I mean, besides liberals and democrats . . . and women . . . and blacks . . . and Hispanics . . .and gays . . . and students . . . and Jews . . . and union workers . . . and teachers

Funny-

After autoObama finishes-

no more union workers-

Hispanics will have to go home for jobs.

Students finding jobs for the summer?
good luck with that.

And out of work women that used to tell me ‘give the man a chance’ are regretting not voting for Hillary

Yeah-
you know you are in trouble and thanks for reminding us.

May 17, 2009 - 4:30 pm 93. Cybergeezer:

We can’t torture any of our enemies, but the Demcrats and the MSM can torture the American people!

May 17, 2009 - 5:08 pm 94. venividivici:

81. BC:

To venividivici: I suggest you look up the phrase “You can’t handle the truth”. None of you name-calling numbnuts have come close to refuting anything I’ve posted. Go ahead try — I double dawg dare you. I think there might be a few Usenet veterans here that will tell that I don’t post anything that I can’t back up to the Nth degree.

Have you and others, actually, ever thought of instead posting random, utter BS, especially stuff seen on another right wing site, that you spend some quality time with Google and try to gather some real insight and understanding, in both current and historical context, on a given matter before sharing an opinion? Just saying….

“Can’t handle the truth”? I bathe in truth. It’s mother’s milk to me.

What did you post that you want me to refute? And what are your criteria for “refute”? I don’t need to waste my time with someone so metaphysically committed to a specific perspective that empirical evidence is useless or who is so committed to a specific “narrative” that the provision of a broader context, even if accurate, would be unpersuasive. Your links on Cheney, Iraq and 9/11 are useless for the purposes of understanding why the Iraq War was a reasonably good strategic maneuver in the context of an ongoing attempt to find a way to break the Middle East out of its stagnation. I would have preferred complete carpet bombing (I don’t feel the need to assuage myself with illusions of universal peace and harmony and my political “mentors” are the men who razed and salted the earth at Carthage), so compared to me, Cheney is a voice of moderation.

May 17, 2009 - 5:18 pm 95. venividivici:

By the way, that was Cheney’s key insight with Leahy and why he told him to go f*ck himself. No matter what Cheney said, a leftist tool like Leahy wouldn’t be persuaded. Life is too short to spend time arguing with these sorts of people.

May 17, 2009 - 5:26 pm 96. JB:

Rock on AWR. This is an excellent piece on a real conservative. Long live Dick Cheney! “Conservative and Unashamed” – that’s a great line.

May 17, 2009 - 5:54 pm 97. PatriotUSA:

#87 Sheesh:
Typical liberal garbage. You mention the Jews in one of your comments. I am an American Jew and I dislike the left, the mullah obamaham and the democratic party controlled by the likes of Pelosi, Reid and other such ilk. Most Jews I know feel betrayed by Obuma and his actions thus far. Say what you want but Cheney, barring his health would be and should have been an excellent POTUS. What he did from VP office will be vindicated with time, as will much of the Bush years. “why didn’t I think of that?” Because you come out as a liberal spewing hate and nasty comments, like most liberals I have encountered. Cheney is a hero, patriot and is speaking the truth about the left and the liberals lies that are so responsible for where we are today. All people like you can do is still blame it Bush. Take a hike back to the 1960’s and the Johnson administration, the Carter years, the biggest coward ever to serve as POTUS. He is pretty much responsible for our problems in the ME. The cracks in the left are already spreading whether you step up to the plate or not to see them. Almost EVERYONE I know who voted for the liar and appeaser in the White House already regrets their vote and this includes many, many people who are all across thge political spectrum. Thank you Cheney, Rove and others. Thank you President Bush, VP Cheney for keeping this country safe. Keeping our freedom intact so even people like Sheesh are free to voice their opinions.

May 17, 2009 - 6:11 pm 98. paul_unalaska:

Stroll officionado, BC.

I love how you attempt to chastise name callers with a juvenile insult as well.. in the same sentence!

Your straw man op-eds are pathetically desperate.

As for your chest thumping on ‘factual’ matter – puhlease. There was a matter you were adamant in pimping in January being truth and ended up with egg in your face.

Instead of rational discussion, invoking thought provoking issues. You’re a copy and paste wordsmith.

It’d benefit you to read books, not 2-6 paragraphs from Google or op-eds and stake ‘knowledge’ of the matter.

My recommendation- Find a girlfriend. Boyfriend, whatever. I’m sure there are plenty in the school you attend.

May 17, 2009 - 6:15 pm 99. Terry Gain:

@62JasonS

Thank you for exposing the lies of that drive-by smear merchant POM.

May 17, 2009 - 6:29 pm 100. Michael Lonie:

Leftists aren’t against torture, with rare exceptions. Most of their most admired heroes practiced tortures that make the lying assertions of US torture over the past few years look like a pastoral picnic. Look how ga-ga the Left has been for fifty years over that fascistic Commie scumbag Castro, who has tortured people by the tens of thousands for the whole period of his tyranny over the Cubans. We tend to forget how much the Lefties admired Mao. He was one of their greats, and his torture victims rose to the millions. There is a whole cottage industry of “Revisiionism” in academia which seeks to minimize any criticism of Stalin. And that’s not to mention all those innocent, Third-world “agrarian reformers” like Mugabe that Leftists were wild over. Any lowlife was their hero, so long as he was anti-American and socialist.

All this torture hysteria is nothing more than partisan propaganda lies for the Left against a Republican candidate in favor of a socialist. It’s not even true. Waterboarding? Gimme a break, we do that to train our own people in interrogation resistance. Does anybody seriously think we are torturing our own pilots? Find me cases of pulling out fingernails, strapping the electrodes to the genitals, boring holes through tongues, or pounding kidneys into mush and I’ll agree that those are torture and that the perps should be prosecuted. That’s the kind of stuff real torturers do, like the KGB or the GEstapo or Saddam’s Mukhabarat. I’d bet that any soldier who tried that has already been prosecuted by the US government and locked away. That would be no political use to the Lefties so they won’t bother looking for such cases, assuming they exist.

May 17, 2009 - 6:29 pm 101. myth buster:

None of the current office holders in the GOP is leading right now, which is just as well, since the nominee for President should always be either a term-limited Governor or a Governor Emeritus, unless there is an incumbent President or Vice-President running in that party.

May 17, 2009 - 6:55 pm 102. Murph:

This piece is dead on. Cheney is a man among boys in Washington; a man among boys in the Republican Party. He has always had my support and always will.

May 17, 2009 - 6:59 pm 103. Murph:

To “the Wizard” – great post. You are exaclty right; Cheney took the V.P. at a risk to his own health out of a love for his country. You’ve just gotta love Dick Cheney.

May 17, 2009 - 7:02 pm 104. venividivici:

97:

I am glad to hear that the Jewish people who voted for Obama have had the sense to realize they were in fact betrayed. I realize there are many (too many) American Jews who do not have Israel’s best interests at heart, but hopefully those people will come to their senses as well. The Jewish people I am closest to were not Obama supporters, but I know they were in the minority.

For me, the most telling moment was when Obama let Samantha Powers back into the fold. That woman is just sheer lunacy.

May 17, 2009 - 7:21 pm 105. BC:

To Bohemond: What goes “cluck, cluck, cluck…”?

Again, this web site totally demonstrates why blog sites will never, ever function as any sort of replacement for our failing newspaper industry. And I’m not just picking on the right wing web sites — I have even less use for Huffington and KOS in that I no desire to preach to the choir. For all your bashing of the MSM, and especially “liberal” newspapers like the NY Times and the Boston Globe, they are (or were) primary newspapers of record and the ones who actually went out and gathered up news items, investigated suspicious issues with government and big industry, and for all practical purposes, were the only institutions constituting what what it really means to have a “Free Press”. Even the profitable Fox News is worthless as a genuine news source — Murdoch’s tabloid, profit-driven signature style is all over it (And The Wall St. Journal was already in decay as a reliable news source — Murdoch essentially replaced it with the journalistic equivalent of Page 3 for the conservative “Bimmer” crowd.)

Cheney was/is a horrible person. Even a most cursory examination of the most neutral hard facts and nothing but the hard facts (aka the raw, un-spun source documents) makes this a no ifs or buts issue. Believing anything other than this is more a commentary of how very poorly served some people are at least by what’s called the “new media”.

May 17, 2009 - 7:28 pm 106. G Alston:

For the record, “another Iraq” did arise. And contrary to the claims of the New York Times, the second Iraq was worse than the first if only because countries like Iran and groups like al-Qaeda viewed Iraq as a battleground against the West.

Disingenuous crap. Iraq II happened because we invaded it.

A group of Saudis hijack planes into the towers, so the response was to invade… Iraq?

Many of us who *hate* the left and won’t vote for the left thought invading Iraq was stupid then, and still think it was stupid. Saddam was not a threat to the United States. He was boxed in.

Meanwhile cultural WMD are doing their jobs in Iran. iPods, blue jeans, coca cola, and rock and roll are westernising their youth. The ayatollahs will be gone. It’s a matter of time.

For the amount of money we poured into the sands of Mesopotamia, we could be close to energy independent. However, all you care about is the size of your… Cheney.

May 17, 2009 - 7:38 pm 107. WhyamInotsurprised?:

Man! What is that terrible stink? Smells like something died in here!

Oh Sheesh, Sheesh is here again!

May 17, 2009 - 8:07 pm 108. emma:

I have to say I have been favorably impressed by Cheney lately. He really is (as Murph in #102 put it) a man among boys these days.

However (and please don’t dismiss me as a troll… I promise I’m not… I really truly would like to hear your thoughts on this. Dismiss me as someone who wasn’t paying close attention and doing research when the accusations were being made during the Bush administration if you must… but don’t dismiss me a troll, please) what about the no-bid contracts? How do we justify that? It’s not that Halliburton got multi-billion dollar contracts from the US government that bothers me… maybe they were the best man for the job… it’s the no-bid thing that gets me. How do we know if they were the best man for the job if there was no bidding process?

If you don’t feel like answering because you think this is a tired old question, I understand. I am asking in an honest attempt to get some clarity on something that has been bothering me.

May 17, 2009 - 9:27 pm 109. Bilgeman:

#100 Michael Lonie:
“Find me cases of pulling out fingernails, strapping the electrodes to the genitals, boring holes through tongues, or pounding kidneys into mush and I’ll agree that those are torture and that the perps should be prosecuted.”

You mean aside from the activities of my blog-slave sheesh and his queer buddies at their Barebacking parties?

Uhhhh, nope.

May 17, 2009 - 9:50 pm 110. emma:

And for the record… I did read the article at HotAir an earlier commenter linked…

But 87% is not 100%. Why is any contract paid for with our taxes a no-bid contract?

May 17, 2009 - 10:02 pm 111. Jayson H:

It just goes to show when conservatives stand up and point out the real facts, like Dick Cheney is doing now, the liberal make believe talking points crumble easily under the light of truth. That’s why the liberal elite react so ugly towards conservatives like Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney,or anyone else who tells it like it is, because it shakes them into reality.

May 17, 2009 - 10:23 pm 112. scott:

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah …. I like Cheney too. He really IS a mensch. But hey, Dick …. could you comment on how your major campaign contributors, lobbyist buds and fellow pirate capitalists bankrupted the WHOLE EFFING WORLD while you were in power. Please. Thank you.

May 17, 2009 - 10:58 pm 113. scott:

I should clarifly: I believe in honest capitalism. I are one. It’s price fixing, collusionist, no-bid-government-handout/contract piracy masquerading as capitalism I hate. You know, like Halliburton getting the contracts to feed our soldiers at like five times the price of a decent honest meal served up on any ship of the line in the US Navy. That kind of ‘capitalism’ is what I was referring to. Dick Cheney’s kind of capitalism. Starting useless foreign wars and killing our young men in house to house combat for profit. That’s the kind of piracy I meant. May God Almighty damn those sorts to hell.

May 17, 2009 - 11:08 pm 114. Evil Otto:

Starting useless foreign wars

“Wars.” Interesting. You used the plural. I’m curious… which wars other than Iraq did Cheney supposedly start?

May 18, 2009 - 3:08 am 115. Ed Wallis:

Scott #113,

Just where did you pick up all those bombastic cliches which so enamour the mindless Left?

Oh.

Guess I answered my question.

Never mind.

May 18, 2009 - 4:11 am 116. Bilgeman:

#113 Scott:
“You know, like Halliburton getting the contracts to feed our soldiers at like five times the price of a decent honest meal served up on any ship of the line in the US Navy.”

In case it hadn’t occurred to you, A firebase in Iraq is not a Navy vessel.

Navy vessels come from the shipyard with reefers, galleys, mess decks and cooks. Hot water is produced as a by-product of the ship’s engines.

5x the cost for a grease-burger in the middle of Al-Bum Phuk isn’t necessarily in the ridiculous range, when you consider that everything in that burger has to be shipped over from the states, landed in Kuwait or Basra, and trucked in,(kept frozen the whole way, mind you…including the grill to cook it on, the guy who cooks it, and the paper plate it’s served on.

And I suppose that Halliburton, or whomever has the contract, is supposed to do all that for FREE…

There may be other areas to whine about Uncle Sam getting rooked, but supplying the lads with decent grub isn’t one of them.

May 18, 2009 - 4:32 am 117. venividivici:

108 emma:

I’m with you on that, as much as I like Cheney, too. I also find it disappointing that he didn’t serve in Vietnam.

May 18, 2009 - 4:45 am 118. 44 Catherine:

I love Dick Cheney! He’s brilliant, articulate and takes no prisoners in standing up for the US (pun intended!). I’d vote for him in a minute!!! Maybe Lz is the next best thing. And for all you stupid trolls, I’d go hunting with Cheney in a hearbeat but I’d never get in a car with Ted!

May 18, 2009 - 5:54 am 119. Fantom:

116. Bilgeman:

Opps, you should not do that. Logic and facts may make non-americans, like scott, go berserk.

May 18, 2009 - 6:14 am 120. Pastor of Muppets:

- He authorized torture to elicit knowingly false evidence about a link between al Qaeda and Saddam.
– He authorized such use of torture before briefing any members of congress.
– He then used that false evidence elicited from torture to lie to congress and the American people in order to coerce the nation by fear to allow his admininstration to declare war on Iraq.
– He then destroyed evidence that would have debunked his fabricated evidence, as well as smearing and intimidating those who correctly disagreed with his false assessment of the Iraq threat.
– He then continued to lie on national television, claiming that there definitely was a working relationship between Al Qaeda and Saddam.
– He continued to lie about specific incidents in which “enhanced interrogations” have folied specific terror plots.
– As a result, 5,000 American soldiers and civilian contractors, and over 100,000 civilians are subsequently, needlessly killed.
– American soldiers are jailed as “bad apples” for following orders. Cheney knows that these soldiers are being scapegoated, because he authorized the torture program. Cheney does nothing to intercede to help the soldiers.

A traitor to the country, to the US military, and to Democracy, applauded by his fellow right wing reactionary Republicans for his brutality and for his flagrant disregard for the rule of law.

If Reagan were alive he woudn’t even recognize you people anymore.

May 18, 2009 - 6:57 am 121. Pee Wee Herman, Community Organizer:

Looks like somebody’s been scraping the bottom of the Huffpo rumor vat. Or at least as near as I can tell, since it doesn’t cite sources.

May 18, 2009 - 7:37 am 122. Tonya:

Dick Cheney has our admiration here, and we are so proud he is speaking up, because we know he is right. We know he is right, because we know he is telling the truth, and God Bless the politicians that are not worried about the polls. All politicians worried about those polls are hiding their horns and tails from us.

Texas was right when we went Republican in the last election, and Texas was right when we voted against Obama, and Dick Cheney has our blessing here in our home. Thank God he is on our side, because I would hate to have him for an enemy and I’m so proud of what he has said lately, because I feel he is completely right.

Give them hell Dick Cheney, because those leftist nuts like Pelosi (Public Enemy no. 1) deserve it.

All polls lie like the devils that run them, and the ones over those polls have horns and tails. Give them hell Dick Cheney.

May 18, 2009 - 7:52 am 123. Self-hating Boomer:

Hey muffin. You missed a big one. He also planned and executed the 9/11 attacks.

Now that Joe Biden has told the world where Cheney was hiding all of the passengers, the whole world will know the troof!

May 18, 2009 - 8:10 am 124. William:

Pastor of Muppets is embarassing in his/her ignorance to the world around them and is apparently immune to facts. When will people understand that we have to deal swiftly and “decisively” (as Cheney said) with terrorists? As Reagan argued when dealing with the Soviet Union, they do not understand our words, only our guns, our planes, and our bombs. Thank you Dick Cheney for doing the right thing even in the face of such criticism.

May 18, 2009 - 8:34 am 125. scott:

OK so I’m ill-informed on the cost of feeding soldiers in Iraq.

I still maintain that the pubbie party and its luminaries like Cheney need to own up to having opened the door wide for the Rats. Zero and Pelosi and Reed will have the populace ready for a change next election but if the pubbies have nothing to offer but Rat lite we’re sunk.

I really do like Dick I just think he, along with the whole party, must start their rebuilding of the party with confession and repentance. Personally I need to see true contrition before I will ever give a fig about voting again.

May 18, 2009 - 8:50 am 126. G Alston:

#125 — OK so I’m ill-informed on the cost of feeding soldiers in Iraq.

But maybe not as much as you’re being lead to think. Civilian contractors exist to profit. Government feeds troops at cost, and ‘economy of scale’ does factor in. The big question is profit: how much is considered acceptable? Reasonable people can disagree. The left was correct to question this; it’s part of the job of the opposition party to check/balance any excesses. Some people interepret this as treasonous because this is/was connected to the war effort.

May 18, 2009 - 9:10 am 127. Войска ПВО:

This response will probably get lost in the others — including the airy persiflage that suffices for liberal refutation — but one should remember two things about Dick Cheney: (1) He took apart a well-reasoned, capable, and competent Joe Lieberman in their 2000 debate (not to mention what he did to The Philandering Silky Pony) and (2) he is very dangerous with a scattergun.

That said, David Thompson and Bilgeman, would you please, please, PLEASE consider doing your own blogs? Your commentary and responses are so damned entertaining, I often sift through threads just to read your gems.

May 18, 2009 - 9:17 am 128. Pastor of Muppets:

William: “Pastor of Muppets is embarassing in his/her ignorance to the world around them and is apparently immune to facts. When will people understand that we have to deal swiftly and “decisively” (as Cheney said) with terrorists?”

Acting “decisively” does not necessitate acting illegally. There are plenty of legal tools at our disposal for getting terrorists to talk. And in the 1 in 10 million chance that a terrorist actually does have concrete knowledge about an imminent attack and will not share his knowledge, then yes, we must do whatever necessary to get that information out of him. But waterboarding 266 times a compliant detainee with no knowledge of any upcoming attack until he tells you what you wanted to hear doesn’t count.

May 18, 2009 - 9:29 am 129. Войска ПВО:

Pastor of Muppets writes:

“But waterboarding 266 times a compliant detainee with no knowledge of any upcoming attack until he tells you what you wanted to hear doesn’t count.”

If you deconstruct your statement above logically, one would have to ask why waste the effort of 266 waterboardings unless fragments of information were extracted each time the act was perpetrated. C’mon, this isn’t some fraternity hell-week. There guys did this 266 times because the stuff they were getting confirmed the other intel they were receiving.

Surely you have seen the old WWII movies where all of the Allied pilots engage in those chummy sessions with their Luftwaffe counterparts in the Stalags, whereupon the Germans compare their notes and build up the big picture from all of the data fragments collected.

May 18, 2009 - 9:59 am 130. Войска ПВО:

..so why not have your hero, The Alleged Hawaiian, authorize the release of the other memos that showed what resulted from those 266 sessions?

May 18, 2009 - 10:00 am 131. Tonya:

Grab those Democratic Demons by the horns and bulldog them to the ground Dick Cheney, and as you have their filthy faces in the dirt cut off those devil tails.

Invite all Democratic Congressman on your next duck hunting trip and we will raise our wine glasses up and make toasts to you as we cheer. Take them out in the marsh and slip away, because those lying devils would never find their way out. Those lying city boys couldn’t find the noses on their faces.

We want more, we want to hear more from you Dick Cheney and we will cheer for the man that has the brass to give them hell. We will raise our wine glasses up and say ‘Give them hell Dick Cheney’, because you are the only one that we have heard from lately that makes us wake up from this nightmare and listen.

Give those Devils hell Dick Cheney.

May 18, 2009 - 10:03 am 132. shaui-jan:

of course EIT’s do not work….you depraved miscreants!every major intel group in the world uses them…..just to pass the time.just hand out some playstation 3’s and problem solved.

May 18, 2009 - 10:04 am 133. Bilgeman:

#126 G Alston:
“The left was correct to question this; it’s part of the job of the opposition party to check/balance any excesses.”

Of curse, when they start from a position where the entire undertaking is an “excess”, (as in: “unnecessary and illegal war”), then everything and anything connected to it, even down to the cost of a cheeseburger, becomes fair game.

“Some people interepret this as treasonous because this is/was connected to the war effort.”

If they would confine themselves to dealing specifically with the perceived excess at issue, that would be one thing, they’re playing on the same team.
But to extrapolate evidence of murderous capitalistic exploitative war crimes from the cost of a lousy cheeseburger at some grody pogey-bait shop in Iraq is either idiocy that beggars belief, a shocking case of arriving at a verdict BEFORE any evidence is weighed…or treason.

May 18, 2009 - 10:16 am 134. Pastor of Muppets:

Войска ПВО: “If you deconstruct your statement above logically, one would have to ask why waste the effort of 266 waterboardings unless fragments of information were extracted each time the act was perpetrated. C’mon, this isn’t some fraternity hell-week. There guys did this 266 times because the stuff they were getting confirmed the other intel they were receiving. “

Because after the 266th waterboarding, the detainee suddenly remembered something he hadn’t during the previous 265 times? Get real. After one or two waterboarding sessions, these guys are going to tell you everything they know. They’ll tell you absolutely anything, truthful or not, just to keep from being waterboarded again.

As Jesse Ventura said, “Give me 10 minutes with Cheney and a waterboard and I’ll get him to confess to the Sharon Tate murders.”

And he would.

And so would you.

May 18, 2009 - 10:25 am 135. AThinkingPerson:

Notice that PoM never replied to #130. Very telling.

May 18, 2009 - 11:24 am 136. Ed Wallis:

PoM #134,

A) Your facts are WRONG. NO NOE was waterboarded “265 times”, YOU LIAR.

B) As if you cared about about American security, much less Ventura OR Cheney, you venemous traitor.

May 18, 2009 - 11:34 am 137. G Alston:

#133 — Of curse, when they start from a position where the entire undertaking is an “excess”, (as in: “unnecessary and illegal war”), then everything and anything connected to it, even down to the cost of a cheeseburger, becomes fair game.

Not true. I too think Iraq was an unnecessary and stupid war; I didn’t agree with Bush et al. That’s not treason. If they thought Saddam Hussein was a problem we could have sent commandos and the CIA (or whatever was needed) and killed the SOB.

Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and Cheney etc were stupid. An alternate plan could have had them take out Saddam and keep the Iraqi military intact. Instead, they disbanded it. They foolishly dismissed a great deal of good advice because they bought into the foolish notion of nation building*. Apparently the history of the region and the British experience was beyond their ability.

Is this treason to say this? Of course not. It’s the paleocon position… the position of many on the political right: Iraq was an unnecessary war.

This business of lionising Cheney is just dumb. He’s an idiot. And it’s not treasonous OR leftist to think this.

-=-=-=-=-

*speculation re anthropological evidence suggests that western europeans are unique in democratic tradition and that other cultures can’t do this. This was discussed at the start of the war. It wasn’t treasonous to discuss this. At worst, it was politically incorrect. Political correctness pervades the thinking process of PJM’s heroes, not just the left. And no it’s not treasonous to say this, either.

May 18, 2009 - 11:43 am 138. shaui-jan:

ksm was not waterboarded 183 times.the number was inflated by adding all the times water was used on the subject.dousing him the face with cold water while questioning him,that is not waterboarding.
we did torture ksm and many other people.we still do it now and will continue to do so in the future.it is morally reprehensible to me but that is reality.
EIT’s are effective in getting information from people who are resistant to other forms of coercion.knowledgeable people who dispute this are either willfully ignorant or lying.
if terrorists want to be treated in accordance to the geneva conventions they should start following them.
rules of warfare are there for a reason.people who are willing to win…no matter what the means,never follow them.

May 18, 2009 - 11:56 am 139. Pat J:

135. AThinkingPerson:

Notice that PoM never replied to #130. Very telling.
—————————————————
He didn’t need to. The underlying issue is not the memos. It’s that torture is illegal. Once is too much. 266 times is just plain sick.

May 18, 2009 - 12:04 pm 140. shaui-jan:

g alston; saddam was so paranoid he carried around his own chair.there were countless attempts on his life…but it is good to see you have that much confidence in the c.i.a
BTW assasinating a foreign head of state is illegal…but i agree if possible it would have been preferable.

May 18, 2009 - 12:07 pm 141. Pastor of Muppets:

136. Ed Wallis:” A) Your facts are WRONG. NO NOE was waterboarded “265 times”, YOU LIAR.”

My mistake! Two detainees were waterboarded a combined 266 times. One of them was waterboarded 186 times.

“B) As if you cared about about American security, much less Ventura OR Cheney, you venemous traitor.”

Sure, buddy, because anyone who is against using torture doesn’t care about our country’s security. I guess you’d have to include John McCain as a venomous traitor as well?

May 18, 2009 - 12:35 pm 142. The Historian:

JOE BIDEN SHOULD BE A LIFETIME, NOT A HEARTBEAT, AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENCY
This guy is a national liability.

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/vp-biden-national-liability.html

May 18, 2009 - 1:14 pm 143. Dave:

Emma @ 108 and 110: When one goes to build up
logistical support bases in faraway places, in a hurry, and having to produce said support while
still setting up, no-bid, cost-plus contracts
are the only things any firm will accept.

There are simply too many unknowns, variables
and surprises waiting for any kind of really accurate cost estimates to be made.

The only possible alternative to these contractors is to try and have the Army do it itself. I suffered under the nightmare called
1st Logistical Command in Vietnam. Not only was it far more dysfunctional than anything Haliburton ever did, its final monetary cost was
quite a bit more excessive.

And I should not complain. MacArthurs’ excuse of logistical support got his Army nearly-routed from the Yalu back to Pusan. And let us not forget the outright starvation called “Bataan”.

Over in Eurpope, Eisenhower’s worst mistake, General J. C. H. Lee (“Jesus Christ Hisself and no kin to Robert E”) fouled things up so badly
that the Bulge was damned near a German victory that could have imperiled the whole invasion.

So far as I can see, the only sane and survivable way of doing things is to say to interested parties: “You deliver, we pay, (and worry about the quanities of money later)”.
That way, what is needed gets to where it is needed, in a timely fashion.

BTW: First General that I know of to do things this way was Ulysses Simpson Grant on his second
attempt to lay siege to Vicksburg. The attempt that worked.

I can understand your concern. The downside of the contracts is readily visible. The fact that the alternative is far worse is hidden.

Hope this clarifies things in your mind.

May 18, 2009 - 1:49 pm 144. Tom F:

Cheney has more brains than Obama, more guts than Obama and is significantly more interesting than Obama. I agree with some comments above that GW Bush was pretty much a failure in the conservative sense, but Cheney ( also Rumsfeld and Mike Hayden) is one of the best men that we’ve produced. That’s right…men!

May 18, 2009 - 2:14 pm 145. AThinkingPerson:

Re Pat J: I beg to differ. You have not once asked yourself the simple and exceedingly obvious question as to why TeleBama won’t release the memos that show the “torture” worked to get important information? Does that not scream out to you that TeleBama is using the memos for political gain? For the rest of us not spellbound apparently first-rate speech reading skills, it IS obvious and indeed very telling. Why not comment on that Pat? Why won’t TeleBama release those memos if all the rest are A-OK?

May 18, 2009 - 2:24 pm 146. Tonya:

Have you ever went deep in the marsh during the spring and come up on the Water Moccasins when they are mating? You will smell them before you see them, because they stink and they are the meanest snake you will encounter when they are mating. That is what I think of when I think of these lying Democrats, I think of those big, stinking snakes in the marsh. If you come up on them during the spring they will come after you, and if they bite you than you die. This is what the Democratic Congressmen remind me of, and they are like the Water Moccasins during the spring. They are both poisonous as far as I am concerned. The Water Moccasin has a poisonous bite, and the Democrats spew their venomous lies like a cottonmouth viper.

We need to vote all of those stinking Water Moccasins out during the next election and any other kind of vipers that have decided to take up residence in Washington, because they are not indigenous to that area. We need to send those vipers back to the marsh where they belong.

I love to go out in the marsh during the spring and see all the animals out there, but those vipers belong in the marsh, and not in Washington.

May 18, 2009 - 2:45 pm 147. G Alston:

#145 — TeleBama

“I’m not a bit like the leftist scum who write ‘Bushitler!’ No sir. I’m sophisticated man of deep thoughts.”

May 18, 2009 - 2:50 pm 148. Bilgeman:

#137. G Alston:
“That’s not treason.”

If you say so…

“If they thought Saddam Hussein was a problem we could have sent commandos and the CIA (or whatever was needed) and killed the SOB.”

Why, Alston…I’m shocked! Can you imagine the horror at our illegal and immoral act of actually condoning the pre-meditated ASASSINATION of a foreign head of state from our friends on the Left?

I mean, Lord, Alston. Some spook pours a bottle of Evian up a wretched Al-Qaeda Pig-Fornicator’s schnozz, and the Liberal Collective has raised no end of bother over it.

If we’d actually gone in on the QT and gakked the bastard, our “Dissent is Patriotic!” friends would have gone right ’round the bend and whelped unending litters of fuzzy and mewling kittens about that.

“Is this treason to say this? Of course not.”

Well, that’s good enough for ME, old sport!

Of course, you rather overlook the possibility of what kind of enlightened Maximum Mesopotamian Leader we’d get AFTER Sadaam’s low-budget, surgical, ballistically aided exit.

Would you fancy a Bani Sadr controlling Iraq’s ante-bellum military machine?

“This business of lionising Cheney is just dumb. He’s an idiot.”

You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, Alston.

“And it’s not treasonous OR leftist to think this.”

Well, maybe you’re half-right.

And you needn’t sound so defensive about it.

May 18, 2009 - 4:13 pm 149. Войска ПВО:

134. Pastor of Muppets responds:

“Because after the 266th waterboarding, the detainee suddenly remembered something he hadn’t during the previous 265 times? Get real. After one or two waterboarding sessions, these guys are going to tell you everything they know.”

..no, you get real. Or at least learn to think. Intel is incremental and dynamic. You assume that they are after details on one and only subject. It is conceivable — no, more like realistic — that the interrogators will discover fact A and in the process of corroborating it or cross-referencing it with other intel, discover B and C, thereby going back to elicit more information from those subjects.

Not a reasonable model to you? Then ask yourself why lawyers are permitted the right to cross-examination and re-direct during trials.

Also, I do not give a fat crap what that tub of goo Ventura says. He is so-o-o-o 15 minutes ago and has already been discredited. He was turned out of office and, presumably, has time to bleed now.

May 18, 2009 - 4:42 pm 150. emma:

#143 Dave

Thanks very much. Yes, that is helpful and does clarify things.

May 18, 2009 - 7:59 pm 151. emma:

And Dave, thank you for your service to our country (and thanks to other men and women here who have “stood on the wall” to keep me free.

May 18, 2009 - 8:01 pm 152. Jayson H:

One of the reasons Obama is backing off releasing the interrogation memos that Cheney asked for is because they show there was an Al Qaeda-Iraq link, but more importantly it shows that the information obtained saved thousands of innocent American lives. The liberals are now trying to spin the time line to show that Bush was just fishing for a link to justify the war in Iraq. They stupidly think they have something here, but once again it’s based on make believe and not reality. But the truth doesn’t matter to these leftist who are blinded by their hate of the Bush administration. Facts don’t matter to these liberals and they don’t want to hear or are interested in the truth.
The funny thing is that Bill & Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and many leaders in the Democrat leadership way before 9/11 and the war in Iraq said there was an Al Qaeda- Saddam link.
Don’t take my word for it listen to these Democrat leaders for yourselves. Hypocrisy at its finest!

This video is titled “WMD Democrats.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg195sgzXhU

And another timeless classic
“Gore To Bush: You Ignored Saddam’s Terrorist Ties!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h6gehCPvpk

Enjoy!!

May 18, 2009 - 9:22 pm 153. G Alston:

#152 — One of the reasons Obama is backing off releasing the interrogation memos that Cheney asked for is because they show there was an Al Qaeda-Iraq link, but more importantly it shows that the information obtained saved thousands of innocent American lives.

Can you prove your conjecture right here and now? A simple yes or no will suffice. If yes… link?

May 18, 2009 - 11:24 pm 154. G Alston:

#148 — Would you fancy a Bani Sadr controlling Iraq’s ante-bellum military machine?

Academic. I would have left Saddam alone. He wasn’t going anywhere, and he wasn’t a threat to the United States.

May 18, 2009 - 11:25 pm 155. Bilgeman:

#154 G Alston:
“I would have left Saddam alone. He wasn’t going anywhere, and he wasn’t a threat to the United States.”

You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you aren’t entitled to your own facts.

The fact is Alston, that Sadaam was not only a threat to us, but to everyone else in the region.

I spent a good part of the mid-1990’s, after most of the American public had slipped back into it’s coma believeing we were at peace and that we had won Desert Storm, floating about in the Persian Gulf.

There was quite a military presence in the Gulf to enforce the Northern and Southern “No-Fly” zones, and also to watch the signatory members cheat on the UN sanctions.

Look, Alston, just because YOU allowed yourself to be lulled into thinking that we weren’t still at war doesn’t change the facts on the ground one little bit.

We were.

You might start your re-education by internalizing the fact that we did NOT win Desert Storm, it was a draw.

General Schwartzkopf won miltarily in Kuwait, and might very well have done so in Iraq, but the Bush 41 administration decided that it would be politically undesirable to do so.

So by 1993, both Bush and Thatcher were history, and Sadaam Hussein was still the Tyarant in Baghdad…that was his political victory.

And he was using his clandestine profits from illegal oil sales to all our buddies and allies in the UN to re-arm and re-equip.

D’you think he was doing that as a hobby, Alston?

May 19, 2009 - 5:44 am 156. Bilgeman:

G Alston:

Oh, and by the way, in your earlier post you call Sadaam a SOB, and recommend giving him a ballitically-assisted exit, but in your latest, you adopt a “Hands Off Sadaam” policy.

Are you coming or going, chappie?

May 19, 2009 - 5:46 am 157. G Alston:

#156 — Oh, and by the way, in your earlier post you call Sadaam a SOB, and recommend giving him a ballitically-assisted exit, but in your latest, you adopt a “Hands Off Sadaam” policy. Are you coming or going, chappie?

You misunderstood the context. I was referring to nation building. My thinking was that he was boxed in. On the other hand if it came to a point where he had to be removed then do so and leave the Iraqis to their own fate.

My reason for thinking this is simple enough: it would be just as effective to enforce “regime change”; a message to the rogue players that if you mess with US interests then we will remove you as well. So if Syrians were warned to not do X and they persist, change their regime as well.

Which brings me to —

And he was using his clandestine profits from illegal oil sales to all our buddies and allies in the UN to re-arm and re-equip.

Iran is still funding Hamas or Hezbollah, can’t recall which. The 9/11 guys were Saudis. I’m not convinced that removal of Saddam’s money is meaningful; the situation seems to share attributes with a hydra.

I figure regime change would work very well.

You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you aren’t entitled to your own facts.

By the way I like this line. Classic!

General Schwartzkopf won miltarily in Kuwait, and might very well have done so in Iraq, but the Bush 41 administration decided that it would be politically undesirable to do so.

I remember. They didn’t listen to Patton, either.

May 19, 2009 - 8:14 am 158. Self-hating Boomer:

Funny the troll completely ignores that massive blast of unsubstantiated urban legend in #120, and is now asking for a link.

May 19, 2009 - 8:53 am 159. Jayson H:

Hey 153. G Alston!
You asked “Can you prove your conjecture right here and now? A simple yes or no will suffice. If yes… link?”

Yes I can!

Here’s the proof of the pudding! What more evidence do you need to prove an Al Qaeda-Saddam link?

1999: Osama bin Laden & Saddam Hussein forge an alliance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7n3ivH3pCQ

BBC reports on documents linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SC60C2PzI

May 19, 2009 - 10:01 am 160. G Alston:

#159 — Here’s the proof of the pudding! What more evidence do you need to prove an Al Qaeda-Saddam link?

Ummm… your proof is a BBC report on youtube?

So the answer is NO.

Thought so.

May 19, 2009 - 11:07 am 161. Jayson H:

Nice try! G Alston. But I’m not going to give you a pass on this one.

The first ABC news story is the proof; the BBC report was just the icing on the cake and confirms the first story after the war.

1999: Osama bin Laden & Saddam Hussein forge an alliance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7n3ivH3pCQ

This news story is way before 9/11 and during the Clinton administration.
You didn’t acknowledge this one, because it DOES show a direct link Osama and Saddam.

May 19, 2009 - 11:53 am 162. Pat J:

@145. AThinkingPerson:

So let me get this straight. You’re upset at Obama because he has not released the memos that show the results from torturing two people 266 times? He’s witholding the memos for political reasons?

Funny. I’m more upset that torture was done at all. Period.

May 19, 2009 - 12:49 pm 163. G Alston:

#161 — You didn’t acknowledge this one, because it DOES show a direct link Osama and Saddam.

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. Proof isn’t obscure news reports. Proof is like analysis papers and official positions and such.

Actually I don’t acknowledge anything re youtube; I don’t run activeX and can’t see youtube videos.

So. Proof that’s readable. Proof from an OFFICIAL source.

***

By the way — just so you’re not getting the wrong idea — I have reason to think there was a connection.

However.

Taking down the socialists has to be done carefully and with clear and utter PROOF. No half-assed news reports, no wild conjecture, no mere suggestion, nothing that can be twisted.

e.g. the British intel services *still* stand by their story re uranium purchase, the entire Valerie Plame nonsense that the socialists still hang their hats on that is a lie. That’s what I refer to as “proof” because it’s an official source.

So.

If you have incontrovertible proof, I’d like to see it.

Thanks.

May 19, 2009 - 12:58 pm 164. Bilgeman:

#157 G Alston:
“You misunderstood the context. I was referring to nation building. My thinking was that he was boxed in. On the other hand if it came to a point where he had to be removed then do so and leave the Iraqis to their own fate.”

That’s rather another vastly sanguine view of the post-game, wouldn’t you admit?

Leaving the Iraqis to their own fate would have meant what, exactly? A Greater Iran? A failed state,(we know how tranquilly peacable THOSE can be, eh?), Partition and three failed or failing states?

It IS a seductive policy…go in on the sly and blow out the Big Kahuna’s wormy brain-matter, and then back to the barracks for Happy Hour and a barbecued steak.

But life, and the Middle East especially, just ain’t that simple.

And while I have a deep faith that democracy IS the best way for people of hodge-podge ethnicities and faiths to live together in some semblance of order, I’m not so sure we could have sold that to Iraqis WITHOUT resorting to the bayonet as a “facilitation tool”.

Thus, we arrive at BushHitlerDarthCheneyRoveHalliCo’s conundrum, don’t we?

And the answer is “nation-building”, as distasteful as that might be.

The best of a host of worse options.

Had we demurred, I suspect that Iran would have gladly moved in and set up THEIR version of the same thing.
Ditto Syria.

May 19, 2009 - 1:22 pm 165. G Alston:

#164 — Had we demurred, I suspect that Iran would have gladly moved in and set up THEIR version of the same thing.

Thus proving that the original British solution in the early 20th century was quite brilliant. Nobody has ever really invaded Mesopotamia and succeeded before. Yeah the US was able to win a war but if we were to leave by dinnertime the entire fragile democracy thing would end before dessert. Iraq seems tamed. I doubt that it really is.

Re the Persians they haven’t been successful on the world stage since since Xerxes got his lunch money taken by the Greeks. They’re incapable of much beyond dropping what is likely to be a 3rd rate nuke on Tel Aviv (assuming the missile defense stuff fails.) In retaliation the Israelis would turn Persia into glass; Jimmy Carter would publicly decry it but secretly smile to himself.

Muslims haven’t been a factor since the Ottomans. I don’t much worry about the muslims in general; I don’t see them as capable of organising a campout, much less capable of being a threat to world security. (I *would* worry about the Turks though.) And frankly, if they weren’t parked atop a geographically unfortunate oil patch, I don’t think most folks would give them a thought. It’s the Dune scenario “he who has the power to destroy something is in control of it” that has everyone soiling themselves. And in that vein the war for oil accusations were at least sort of accurate if you squinted just right.

So, no, I didn’t agree with nation building; I figured keeping Saddam boxed up was the better option. As of today I’m just grateful that the Turks aren’t up in arms. For a while it looked like they were less than happy.

May 19, 2009 - 2:26 pm 166. Bilgeman:

#165 G Alston:
“I don’t much worry about the muslims in general; I don’t see them as capable of organising a campout, much less capable of being a threat to world security.”

I can countenance this opinion only by putting a set of blinders on and looking at solely the conventional military sense.
Other than that, all I can say is that you clearly haven’t paying attention to the big picture.

Yes, by and large the Arabs, (and I DO mean Arabs), don’t “get” warfare as we define it.

But the paradigm has, as paradigms will, changed, and it’s a new kind of warfare that’s afoot.

See, we don’t necessarily “get” THEIR definition of warfare either…we’d likely call it “camel-raiding”, or bush-whacking.

This is how we each ended up with Desert Storm, (literally), a “win-win”. Each side had, and satisfied, their own disparate definitions of victory.

And I’d also observe that formerly Christian, and Jewish lands that were conquered by Arabs have been secured by Islam…and we don’t even argue the point.
We have conceded North Africa and the Levant to Arab Islamic domination.

That’s very worrisome…that we accept the post facto as an immutable.

It isn’t, and we shouldn’t.

The Turks and the Persians are different breeds of cats, and ones that might also benefit mightily by throwing off the oppressive yoke of the alien Arab-imposed enslavement.

May 19, 2009 - 5:14 pm 167. acj:

Let me see, Cheney is Simon Bar Sinister, Lex Luther, and The Joker. He speaks under the cuff.
He was president, who are you trying to fool!
His interests were quite obvious above all American concerns-Haliburton and his billion dollar friends. I see Cheney as a corporate operative.
He was part of The Project for the New American Century; ready to take over failed regimes and confiscate countries resourses, and made references to Bill Clinton as being a wishy wash dude that should have made war with Iraq as early as 1997…..He is Mr. Evil!
Sorry but calling Democrats, socialist is getting so old it rots-think of another name like the one everyone can’t stand anymore-Republicans.

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Oct 28, 2009 - 7:29 pm