Cheney Won't Budge On Pelosi Criticism

[babylonsister]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/23/politics/main2508722.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_2508722

Cheney Won't Budge On Pelosi Criticism
VP Refuses To Take Back Charge That Speaker's Anti-War Stance Emboldens Al Qaeda

(AP) Vice President Dick Cheney refused Friday to take back his charge that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's opposition to President Bush's Iraq war buildup is playing into the hands of the al Qaeda terrorist network.

"If you're going to advocate a course of action that basically is withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, then you don't get to just do the fun part of that, that says, 'We'll, we're going to get out,' and appeal to your constituents on that basis," Cheney said.

The vice president had voiced the same criticism of Pelosi earlier this week during a visit to Japan, and the California Democrat accused the vice president of questioning her patriotism, saying she was going to call President Bush directly with her complaint.

"I hope the president will repudiate and distance himself from the vice president's remarks," Pelosi said. She ended up talking with White House chief of staff Josh Bolten instead of Bush.

The long-distance quarrel began in Tokyo, where Cheney earlier this week used an interview to criticize Pelosi and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., over their plan to place restrictions on Bush's request for an additional $93 billion for the Iraq war to make it difficult or impossible to send 21,500 extra troops to Iraq.

During Friday's interview in Sydney with ABC News, Cheney said, "I'm not sure what part of it is that Nancy disagreed with. She accused me of questioning her patriotism. I didn't question her patriotism. I questioned her judgment."

"You also have to be accountable for the results. What are the consequences of that? What happens if we withdraw from Iraq?," he said. "And the point I made and I'll make it again is that al Qaeda functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That's their fundamental underlying strategy, that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we'll quit and go home. And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of al Qaeda. I said it and I meant it."

Asked if he was willing to take back his criticism of Pelosi, Cheney replied, "I'm not backing down."

[durrrty libby]

1. Hey Dick......No one cares what you think

[Boo Boo]

3. Well, that makes it even, because...

he doesn't give a rat's ass what any of us think either.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. He's down under with the Moe, Curly, and Shemp's kid brother

John Howard, the fourth stooge.

[Frustratedlady]

4. Why do I get the feeling they are baiting and hoping the Dems

push for a withdrawal so they can blame them for the chaos that follows....and, we know bloody chaos will follow no matter who lays out the plans. I keep getting a feeling that Cheney and Bush are throwing out these pieces of meat, hoping the majority will grab them and run...that they really want out, but don't know how to do it and are just marking their time until they are out of office.

When the Dems were criticizing the way the war was going, the Administration kept saying, "Well, give us your take on how to make it better or shut up." If the Dems had come up with an idea, the Administration would have grabbed it, put a different twist to camouflage it, taken credit if it worked, or laid blame if it didn't.

[frogcycle]

6. because that is fact

[nolabels]

5. Mr Deferment talks tought about war

I will have to write Speaker Pelosi a letter. I will to indicate to her that all us people who have already served our time in the military do not need the talk of Mr Deferment. A Mr Deferment talking tough about things that he has demonstrated he really knows little about. In the process this Mr Deferment talking tough about things military is getting other people killed needlessly. Even Mr Deferment's personal actions in the wounding of his friend with a shotgun is a demonstration of Mr Deferment's lack of knowledge about personal safety issues.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. Hrmm...

"I'm not sure what part of it is that Nancy disagreed with."


She needs to start calling him Dick.