Biden on Cheney Criticism: 'Who Cares?'
By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Kudos to Vice President Biden for putting Dick Cheney in his place. According to today's New York Times, Biden was asked about Cheney's criticism that President Obama is "dithering" over whether to send more troops to Afghanistan and had made a "strategic blunder" in ditching the Bush administration's missile defense plan. "Who cares what—" Biden apparently said, before catching himself. He went on to give a political answer about circumstances changing in Afghanistan and blah blah, so on and so forth. (OK, he did say Cheney was "irrelevant" too.)
But his first instinct was correct: Who cares what Cheney says? If the last eight years have taught us anything it's that Cheney is reliably wrong, especially on foreign policy. He is, to use the expression that Dwight Eisenhower coined, a gloom-doggler. Sure the news media has to take him seriously because he is a former vice president of the United States; and sure, Democrats stand to gain by taking him seriously because it keeps him in the public eye as a face of the GOP.
But Biden was right about his views: Who cares?
Update: Mea culpa—it seems that Biden's specific quotes referred to a report left behind by the Bush-Cheney administration, but he was broadly dismissive of Cheney's comments. He was correct to dismiss Cheney, whose views are irrelevant.
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Tags: Afghanistan | Joseph R. Biden, Jr. | Dick Cheney | War in Afghanistan (2001-)
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Really or blowing in the wind
ger real of AZ
I knew Bill Clinton was found guilty as draft dodger but given pardon by Jimmy Carter so was able to become President.
I did not know Chaney was draft dodger. What President pardoned him so he could VP ???
Did you inhale ???
Obama make terrorist grow in Iraq have a nice day 4 American Future
Qaeda-linked group claims Baghdad bomb attacks
Buzz up!4 votes Send
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print .. Play Video Iraq Video:Iraq attacks raise security doubts Reuters .
Play Video Iraq Video:Baghdad Bombings FOX News .
Play Video Iraq Video:Baghdad blasts death toll over 150 Reuters .
2 hrs 29 mins ago
DUBAI (Reuters) – An al Qaeda-linked group has said it carried out the twin suicide bombings that killed 155 people in Baghdad on Sunday and revived doubts about security in the run-up to Iraq's elections in January.
The statement dated October 26 was posted by the Islamic State in Iraq group on a website often used by militants to announce responsibility for such attacks.
"Suicide bombers targeted the dens of infidelity and pillars of the rejectionist Shi'ite state in the land of the caliphate," the statement said.
It employed language often used by Sunni Arab militants to describe the Shi'ite Muslim majority that has dominated the Iraqi government since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
"Among the chosen targets were the ministry of oppression known as the ministry of justice and the Baghdad provincial assembly ... The enemies only understand the language of force," said the statement.
The authenticity of the claim could not be immediately verified.
The same group has said it was behind attacks near government ministries in Baghdad that killed 95 people in August.
Officials have said two mini-buses were used in Sunday's attacks, circumventing a ban on truck traffic in heavily policed central Baghdad.
Both were driven by suicide bombers from a nearby site, according to aerial images from U.S.-operated airships that hover over the city.
The January ballot is expected to focus on security gains under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after years of war and sticky questions about the distribution of power and oil wealth.
Insurgents are widely expected to try and upset an electoral process that is meant to prepare the way for an ordered withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq.
(Reporting by Andrew Hammond)
Can I drive Joe?
So ,Class of 59,one person's de facto ruler is not another's....at least you skipped down from Olympus to compliment their spelling . What an anal show off you are "Sport Fisherman" in Fla. somebody break out the glasses for some 30 year old Scotch.If it were not for V.P. Biden's connections on the Hill and his Irish Catholic Good Fellas ,your "One" would still be a "well spoken" gleam in Saul Alinsky's eye. P.S. zippy-I thought the Richelieu' analogy was accurate enough,if not a bit partisan .But,given the toxic climate ,understandable.
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