Cheney: "Dishonest and Reprehensible"

Cheney making major speech on war on terror and Democrat mendacity as I write.

"Dishonest and reprehensible"
"corrupt and shameless revisionism"

is what Cheney calls the recent attacks on the President and the "Bush lied, People died" meme.

Some of the most irresponsible comments have come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence materials. They are known to have a high opinion of their own analytical capabilities. And they were free to reach their own judgments based upon the evidence. They concluded, as the President and I had concluded, and as the previous administration had concluded, that Saddam Hussein was a threat."

Opens with the headlines describing his speech last week as dishonest and inaccurate.
   "It is a lie to say the President lied to the American people".
Notable quotes:

"Revisionism of the most shameless kind"

"Men and women serving the highest ideals, freedom"
"War on terror...loose network in many countries"
"cause mass death in the United States"
RE: created terrorists "we were not in-Iraq on 9/11" cites withdrawal in Beirut, Somalia, Cole, and our inaction led to striking with impunity
"Saddam defied the International community"
"operated on the best intelligence we had"
"US troops conduct should make the American people proud"

"self defeating pessimism comes at a time of real success" in Iraq
"all benchmarks met" in Iraq
"leaders in Iraq steady and courageous"
"Iraqi citizens doing all" this under threat of daily terror

"we will succeed in this mission"
"we have never had a fight like this"

"THE ONLY CHANCE OF VICTORY IS IF WE WALK AWAY FROM THE FIGHT"
"WE WILL NOT RETREAT FROM THE BRUTALITY"

THE UNITED STATES  IS A GOOD COUNTRY, A DECENT COUNTRY"

ahhhhhhhhhh, finally the Republicans are fighting back. Go to it Sisyphus
My only advice at this point is DO NOT STOP, for a moment....... the lefty wolf smells blood.
(Anybody got video? It was a great speech)

UPDATE: Video here at Political Teen.........

UPDATE: Typical LL nonsense here from RHOG;

Chris Matthews "If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective."

oyish

More here on the (very) BIG LIE from Barone here

UPDATE: Truth gets stranger and stranger and the Liberal left media bias gets stranger and stranger. This from Drudge

CNN MARKS CHENEY: NETWORK FLASHES 'X' OVER VP'S FACE DURING LIVE SPEECH
                              

At 11:04:45 AM ET Monday CNN was airing Vice President Dick Cheney's speech live from the American Enterprise Institute in Washington -- when a large black 'X' repeatedly flashed over the vice president's face

...... 'X' flashed over Cheney's face CNN ran a headline at the bottom of its screen: "CHENEY: I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS WRONG TO CRITICIZE."

One top White House source expressed concern about what was aired over CNN.

"Is someone in Atlanta trying to tell us something?"

A CNN spokesman did not return repeated calls late Monday night.

CNN subsequently responded to taunting on FOX News' Hannity and Colmes claiming a "technical director's" equipment glitch.

Uh huh
UPDATE: HOLY SMOKES!

CNN Employee On Tape: Cheney "X" Is "Freedom of Speech" - "Tell Bush And Cheney To Stop Lying"

EXCLUSIVE - MUST CREDIT BILL QUICK OF DAILY PUNDIT

*** SEE LATEST UPDATE BELOW - PRESKA THOMAS DEFENDS AUTHENTICITY OF TAPE ***

Listen to the tape here.

Listen to the tape! Hat tip Red Satellites and LGF

UPDATE: This is may very be a hoax, but what a delicious one eh?.........Will keep you posted

UPDATE November 25th: CNN explains 'X' glitch over Cheney's face
How come this "glitch" only happened with Cheney? I, for one, don't believe them. But hery, that's just me.

Washington, D.C.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: "Several days ago, I commented briefly on some recent statements that have been made by some members of Congress about Iraq. Within hours of my speech, a report went out on the wires under the headline, quote, Cheney says War Critics Dishonest, Reprehensible, end quote.

"One thing I've learned in the last five years is that when you're Vice President you're lucky if your speeches get any attention at all. But I do have a quarrel with that headline, and it's important to make this point at the outset.  I do not believe it is wrong to criticize the War on Terror or any aspect thereof. Disagreement, argument and debate are the essence of democracy, and none of us should want it any other way.

"For my part, I've spent a career in public service, run for office eight times, six statewide offices and twice nationally. I served in the House of Representatives for better than a decade, most of that time as a member of the leadership of the minority party. To me, energetic debate on issues facing our country is more than just a sign of a healthy political system. It's also something I enjoy. It's one of the reasons I've stayed in the business. And I believe the feeling is probably the same for most of us in public life. For those of us who don't mind debating, there's plenty to keep us busy these days, and it's not likely to change any time soon.

"On the question of national security, feelings run especially strong. And there are deeply held differences of opinion on how to best protect the United States and our friends against the dangers of our time. Recently my friend and former colleague Jack Murtha called for a complete withdrawal of American forces now serving in Iraq, with a drawdown to begin at once. I disagree with Jack and believe his proposal would not serve the best interest of this Nation. But he's a good man, a Marine, a patriot, and he's taking a clear stand in an entirely legitimate discussion.

"Nor is there any problem with debating whether the United States and our allies should have liberated Iraq in the first place. Here, as well, the differing views are very passionately and forcefully stated. But nobody is saying we should not be having this discussion or that you cannot reexamine a decision made by the President and the Congress some years ago. To the contrary, I believe it is critical that we continue to remind ourselves why this Nation took action and why Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror and why we have a duty to persevere.

"What is not legitimate, and what I will again say is dishonest and reprehensible, is the suggestion by some U.S. Senators that the President of the United States or any member of his administration purposely misled the American people on prewar intelligence.

"Some of the most irresponsible comments have come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence materials. They are known to have a high opinion of their own analytical capabilities. And they were free to reach their own judgments based upon the evidence. They concluded, as the President and I had concluded, and as the previous administration had concluded, that Saddam Hussein was a threat."

Comments

[Kevin Mark Smith]

I agree that Republicans must fight back and not let cowardly liberals win the most essential debate of the 21st century, but aren't more credible and respected Republicans available as mouthpieces of the Bush administration's terrorist strategy? Surely we can do better than Cheney, especially when a second grand jury is likely to indict Rover or Cheney (Fitzgerald won't rest until then), or both.

[Locrian]

I wish our side had started fighting back two years ago.

[nikko]

Grand jury likely to indict Rover or Cheney? WTF? I think the two "Super Spies" are more likely going down for treason.

[wrapper]

There were about 150 dems in the House and Senate who voted against the use of force resolution in 2002 so I'm agreeing the dems who voted aye and now complaining should sit down and let those congressman who recognized the W admin's distortions and clear intent to invade Iraq no matter what he said to the contrary take the lead in pointing out the lies.

I knew he was lying and had every intention of starting a war and I have little patience for congressman with more resources who probably knew he was lying also but put their political career ahead of their country.

Clearly the push back from the admin is nonsense but what can they do? They can't remain silent, they have to say something. Unfortunately for them, the growing weight of evidence of their lies and distortions has had a great impact on the public who obviously resent being deceived.

About 5 months from now someone will notice that the admin is doing the exact thing Murtha suggested.

[jumbo lyah]

whenever i want idiotic, ra!ra!ra! republican ranting, it's good to know i can find it here on this blog.

this entire post completely ignores the fact that cheney & co. did NOT share ALL the intelligence with the congress.

that said, i second wrapper's sentiment--if we, the patriotic, anti-war crowd knew these guys were full of crap, shame on the dems in congress for towing the line so as not to risk their re-election. idiots.

the entire executive and legislative branches of the federal government need recall elections, ASAP. this is a disaster and it's gone on long enough.

[E2M]

Hey Einstein! We haven't stopped trying to figure out the other side; we figured them out years ago! That's why we know what must be done. If you're still trying to figure it out, that's your deficiency, not ours.

[monkyboy]

"I wish our side had started fighting back two years ago."

Actually, it was just a little over two years ago that Bush gave a series of interviews to local news outlets because he felt the American people "weren't hearing about how well things were going in Iraq."

[docdave]

Hey, wrapper, it's good to know if I want idiotic leftist ranting I can find it in your posting. You've made a lot of outrageous statements without providing any proof of your 'facts' but that is the way of your ilk, isn't it? The only thing you got right is that the Dems reps are afraid to back your defeatist liberal line because if they did they might not be reelected. What does that tell you about the people in general not buying your lies and bs? Hopefully after the 2006 election, there will be even less of your kind in Washington.

As far as Chris Mathews equally idiotic statement "If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective", I wonder what kind of perspective he would have just before the 'other side' lops off his head.

[monkyboy]

I think Cheney is trying to cloud the issue. The question isn't the intelligence, but where it came from.

Cheney set up his own intel shop with in the Pentagon and used it to play up intelligence that supported going into Iraq no matter how shady and self-interested the source.

The administration then passed this "intelligence" on to Congress and their mouthpieces in the press without revealing how low-quality it was.

Everybody had the same intelligence, but only the administration knew it was phony:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4714031-103681,00.html

[Conservatus Maximus]

Wrapper:

Once again, you're calling anyone who disagrees with you a "liar."

And to think, you were accusing me last night of having my head stuck somewhere.

Guess what? We HAD this national debate in late 2002 and early 2003 and your side LOST. We're not going to let your pals in the Democrat party who voted for this war weasel out by insulting OUR intelligence and trying to tell us what we heard come out of their mouths about what Saddam had and didn't have.

Now,all of the lefty lies about "war for oil" have come up dry, the "insurgency" is imploding (Zarqawi's own family has disowned him), parlimentary elections will be held soon, and (whether or not we get the credit) democracy seems to be on the march elsewhere in the middle east.

Aside from Iran, which has continued to pursue its nuclear program, things are looking a damn sight better in the middle east than they were when the Slickster left office.

And that's just plain bad news for the left.

[lowandslow]

There's your problem monkyboy, you use the Guardian to obtain your "facts".

[C Maximus]

Monkyboy:

Right, don't believe Cheney, believe the mouthpiece for Trotskyist socializm, the Manchester Guardian.

Heaven knows, the Guardian wouldn't have an agenda; nor any reason to lie about Cheney, now would it?

[C Maximus]

Monkyboy:

According to your friends at the Guardian, "Mr Tenet has officially taken responsibility for the president's unsubstantiated claim in January that Saddam Hussein's regime had been trying to buy uranium in Africa, but he also said his agency was under pressure to justify a war that the administration had already decided on."

If George Tenet had said that the administration had already decided to attack Saddam and was putting pressure on the CIA, I missed it.

[Ed Poinsett]

The DNC today announced that they will no longer be playing "Happy Days are Here Again" at conventions, etc. They've selected a new song: "Born to Lose"!

[lowandslow]

Wrapper writes

About 5 months from now someone will notice that the admin is doing the exact thing Murtha suggested.

Murtha didn't suggest anything, he called for an immediate withdrawal. From his resolution, "I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy." If in five months we start decreasing our troops in Iraq, how can anyone consider that anything remotely what "Murtha suggested"?

[C Maximus]

Hey, Monkyboy, here's what George Tenet REALLY said on February 6, 2004:

"[N]o one pressured [the CIA] what to say;" nor told "analysts how to say it."

You guys on the left still think you can get away with slipping people the weenie when it comes to where they stood way back when. Those days are over.

The balance of the Guardian article is nothing more than an editorial rant in which the above quote is about the only "fact" asserted.

If you want to read a REAL reporter's work on the Plame affair, may I suggest the following article, which actually states that the "secret" White House team referred to in the Guardian article asked the CIA to TONE DOWN its references to yellowcake in the National Security Estimate released the October before Bush said the sixteen words.

In other words, the Guardian is nothing but a socializt rag, peddling anti-Bush, anti-capitalist agitprop without any regard whatsoever to whether it was true or not. But I already knew that, just needed to prove it to you.

Here's the article, read it and rationalize. I can't wait to hear your raspy reaction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051115/ts_csm/ayellowcake_1

[C Maximus]

Murtha's a phony grandstander. He knows the plan is already in the works to start drawing down troops soon, and the Dhimmicrats want to be able to take credit for "forcing" the administration to take that step.

What a steaming pool of bile the Democrat party is. Still no word on how much money Murtha's brother (and Murtha) made off those government contracts Murtha steered his way.

[wrapper]

docdave

Could you be more specific about the parts of my post with which you disagree? Thanks.

[Craig]

Last week it was Diambalaya, this week it's Jumbo laya?

Did someone hand out a Sartre memo where we each pretend to be a bowl of gumbo?

Inquiring minds need to know.

[bunkerbuster]

nice headline. Cheney: Dishonest and Reprehensible

amen

[lowandslow]

Wow bunkerbuster, you really slayed us there with your rapier wit, and it only took you 11 hrs. to come up with it.

[Wild Thing]

I wish our side would have stood strong a few years ago. They are now and that is great, I just pray they keep it up and not give in to the left.

[Timmer ~ Righting America]

ATLAS -

Maybe it's me, but I it would seem that President Bush, who is famous for NOT paying attention to opinion polls (like any great leader), has been far too busy with the BUSINESS AT HAND to stop and respond to these ridiculous smear tactics from the moonbats. Yes, it was time to hit back...but say what you must about the guy - so far, he has shown a GREAT DEAL of restraint and class.

I think that is a lesson he might have learned from the 2000 campaing against McCain...the nastiness of politics can come back to bite you. And I happen to like a Commander-in-Chief who can remain aloof, above the fray (whenever possible).

Great post - as usual!!! ;-)

[monkyboy]

I read the article, CMax. It makes the administration look pretty bad:

2002

Oct. 2: CIA deputy director testifies before Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Of reports of Iraq's interest in Niger and yellowcake, he says: "We don't think they are very credible."

Oct. 4: NSC sends CIA a draft of a speech President Bush is scheduled to give in Cincinnati. It contains a reference to the possible yellowcake deal. CIA Director George Tenet ultimately calls the White House to get it removed.

2003

Jan. 13: Iraq nuclear analyst at State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research circulates an e-mail to counterparts in the intelligence community denouncing Niger documents as "clearly a forgery."

March 3: IAEA informs the US that it believes the Niger papers to be forged.

March 11: CIA circulates a limited-distribution assessment that does not dispute IAEA's findings.

[C Max]

Monkyboy:

Do you understand the difference between saying British intelligence reported that Iraq had sought to purchase Uranium in Africa, and saying Iraq sought to purchase it in Niger? Last time I looked, "Niger" is a subset of "Africa." British intelligence still stands by that report, by the way

And do you understand that Joe Wilson claimed in an interview that he was originally so "outraged" because he knew these documents were fakes when he went to Niger; then it turned out the documents weren't even given to our government until months after he came back? That's known as a "lie," not what Bush did.

And did you understand the portion of the article that said that it was a member of Cheney's "secret" group of people filtering through this stuff that told the CIA NOT to play up the credibility of the Niger connection in its intelligence estimate?

And, do you understand that Tenet has said that he never read the State of the Union address Bush gave, and if he had, the "sixteen words" might have been taken out of the speech?

How is this at all damaging to the Bush administration? It ought to be damaging to the CIA that it sent a clown -- and a political hack to boot -- to do an professional's work. What could the CIA possibly hope to learn by sending a besotted fool poking around Niger sipping mint tea poolside? He's stated himself that his wife told him the claim was B.S. before he ever got on the plane.

To me, this looks like a little stink-bomb cooked up by some Democrat flunkies at the CIA to really stick it to the administration. It's pretty clear whoever sent Wavy Gravy Wilson down there wasn't expecting any real detective work to get done.

[monkyboy]

CMax,

The five instances listed above came before Bush gave the order to invade Iraq.

The administration went to war based on what it knew to be at least questionable intelligence...

[Pamela aka Atlas]

9/11 wasn't "questionable intelligence"

Neither were all the events/attacks on America leading up to 9/11 "questionable intelligence".

Basta.

If you can't deduce, produce, process or extrapolate, go get help.

[monkyboy]

9/11, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, the Khobar Tower bombing and probably the U.S. African embassies attacks were all funded, planned and carried out by Saudis.

No credible connection between the terrorists and Saddam were found before or after our invasion of Iraq.

Why would those attacks be a reason for invading Iraq?

[C Max]

Monkyboy:

Right. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good lie. The fact is, Bush had the same information the lying weasel Democrats had, no matter how loud you lying asshole dissemblers try to say it isn't so.

Also, don't insult my intelligence by telling me that WMD was the only reason given by the Bush administration. Speech after speech Bush made shows that to be nothing but a bald faced lie as well. Once again, I HEARD this with my own ears. If you claim you didn't, then you're incapable of the truth.

Also, there were plenty of connections between Saddam and international terrorism in general, and al Qaeda in particular. Once again, you lying dissemblers just think if you shout the lie long enough and loud enough, it will become the truth.

In addition, Bush NEVER claimed he wanted to go after Saddam because Saddam was responsible for September 11. This is another liberal lie. He said that Saddam had plenty of connections with international terrorism, which he did; that Saddam had used WMD, which he had; that he had defied umpteen UN resolutions to come clean about his WMD, which was the truth; and that this couldn't be tolerated in a post September 11 world, which almost everyone here agreed with.

Liars like you make me sick. You guys are like modern day holocaust deniers. You actually believe that your incessant repetition of lies and revisionism are going to change the facts. They won't. You just can't lie about things that are a matter of record -- even in the fantasy world of the left.

[wrapper]

quote

"Also, there were plenty of connections between Saddam and international terrorism in general, and al Qaeda in particular. Once again, you lying dissemblers just think if you shout the lie long enough and loud enough, it will become the truth."

That's just wrong. Hang in there m-boy.

[wrapper]

Murtha's resolution

1) Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in

2) Congress assembled,

3) That:

4) Section 1. The deployment of United States forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is

5) hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable

6) date.

7) Section 2. A quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S Marines

8) shall be deployed in the region.

9) Section 3 The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq

10) through diplomacy.

That's what the W is gonna do. His debilitating insecurity will not allow himself or members of his admin to even entertain the thought that someone else might suggest something that intrudes on the W's turf. The president's mental problems are directly behind the GOP's distorted description of what Murtha actually suggests. A president like that is cause for concern. A party captive to an unstable leader is also troubling.

[C Max]

Right, Wrapper, it's "just wrong." You are hopeless.

You still haven't responded to the fact that I caught your pals at the Guardian dead bang in a big fat, stinky lie about what George Tenet has supposedly "admitted" about the Bush administration. Turns out, Tenet has said the exact opposite, based on a TRANSCRIPT of his own statements.

Also, while we're in that vein, just where do you think the Guardian got ahold of a transcript of Tenet's testimony in a CLOSED Senate hearing held a day or two ago?

The answer, they DIDN'T, because the whole article was nothing more than a made up lie, which YOU used to propagate yet another made up lie just a few posts above.

YOU said, based on the lying, dissembling article in the Guardian, that Cheney's "secret" "shadow" intelligence service somehow had access to information nobody else had and that's the proof that Bush "lied" us into this war.

Care to retract that bold accusation which now turns out to be based on nothing but socializt agitprop?

Still waiting for that liberal action plan on the war, Monkyboy. Murtha seems to think there's no plan, as the military goes about its business. Seems like the upcoming elections in Iraq show there is a plan, and it's working, much to the lefty's dismay.

[wrapper]

I haven't mentioned the Guardian and I haven't based anything on the Guardian. Tenet is my pal? You must be confusing me with someone else. You should give up your shouting and provide evidence of your claims of "plenty of connections between Saddam and international terrorism in general, and al Qaeda in particular."

[Craig]

"The president's mental problems are directly behind the GOP's distorted description of what Murtha actually suggests."

Saranwrapper,

Say what? W was in Asia. And Duncan Hunter (R-CA), author of the GOP smackdown on Murtha, was in D.C. So Bush called Hunter and told him to fire up a resolution calling Murtha's bluff?

Uh, wrong fishwrap. The entire House GOP had had enough of the MUCH publicized Murtha rant about immediate withdrawal.

And so had some of his fellow dems.

[C Max]

Wrapper:

I was referring to Monkyboy, who above linked to a Guardian article that claimed George Tenet had said the exact opposite of what he has actually said according to a transcript of his public statements. The article also claimed to have information about what happened in a closed Senate hearing that no other news agency in the world seems to have.

As for your comment above that the President is "unstable," this is yet another standard vicious leftist tactic: claim that anybody who disagrees with you is "unstable" and that those who support them have something "wrong" with them. Ever read The Fountainhead, jerk?

Why is it nazis and socialists are always trying to get their political opponents put into an asylum? You're a broad caricature of the Gestapo, Wrapper, and you're too dense even to see that.

I'm not going to go over all the evidence of connections between Saddam and international terrorism. You can start with the 9/11 Report, which discusses this issue. Its only conclusion is that there's no verifiable evidence linking Saddam with September 11. Even at that, BUSH NEVER SAID THERE WAS. The closest the administration ever came was to say it was possible.

Also, the articles and books on coordination between Iraq and al Qaeda are legion. The Weekly Standard has had several recent articles -- accompanied by appropriate citation to sources, names, dates, places, meetings, etc. -- detailing the connections between them.

There are plenty of adults in this country who pay attention to facts, not political drivel spewed by mindless hacks who argue like children and refuse to face the truth.

It does no use to cite facts to nabobs like you. You simply blow by them.

[Polunatic]

What more proof does anyone need than the fact that the offending letter was an "X"? Why not a "G" (as in God) or any other letter?

Cheney & The X-Files

[wrapper]

Soooooo. When you are referring to m-boy, c-max, you should use his name instead of someone else's. I note that you can't even paraphrase any of the proof you claim. I'll take that as evidence of your alligator mouth coupled with your hummingbird ass.

[wrapper]

Craig

Can you imagine that the GOP would automatically provide cover for the pres of the same party? I know you can, I know you can, who's my bright boy? You are, you are!

[Craig]

HipHopWrapper,

You're the lightbulb Westinghouse.

[C Max]

Wrapper:

Right, back to the insults.

Always the last word with a liberal. Insults aren't admissible in the court of reality. Sorry if I haven't followed Roberts' Rules either; but I throw in some facts with my insults, and a lie's a lie, no matter how you cut it.

[wrapper]

Try not to pretend that insults are only coming from one direction, young feller. You made an assertion, you can't back it up, let's just move on.

[C Max]

Wrapper:

I made an assertion... I can't back it up?

Sorry, pal; but you're the one who never cites any facts, just lies, dissembling, phony arguments, questions about sanity, more dissembling, more lies, then. . . change the subject.

Unfortunately, the President has to govern, so he doesn't have time for lies, dissembling, political maneuvering, and parlor tricks.

News flash: The 200,000 Jordanians who turned out the other day weren't protesting abu Ghraib, they were protesting Abu Musab al Zarqawi. It seems they have no stomach for your liberal lies, dissembling, maneuvering and parlor tricks with their future either.

Guess who tipped off the military that Zarqawi was in the safe house in Mosul the other day? Iraqis.

Not even the Iraqis believe your B.S., so why not just give it up?

[wrapper]

C-max

If I make an assertion that you disagree with, tell me what it is and tell me to prove it. I agree with you that it is a 2 way street.

As I'm sure you're aware, I 'm discussing things with you so I"m not aware of why you're talking about the W having no time to discuss. I'm not discussing things with 200k Jordanians either, nor Iraqis.

So, are we ready to drop it and move on?