Establishing Democracy in Iraq Worthy Cause, Cheney Says

American Forces Press Service ^ | Steven Donald Smith

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2007 – Retreating from Iraq will endanger U.S. national security and stunt democracy in the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney said today on CBS's “Face the Nation”

“What happens over there is absolutely vital from the standpoint of U.S. security,” he said.

Cheney said leaving Iraq without fully establishing a stable and democratic government would lead the country down the path to becoming a safe haven for extremists, while sending the wrong message to U.S. allies in the region about America’s commitment to democracy there. “Establishing in Iraq a democratic government that can defend itself: that’s basically our mission,” he said.

The vice president acknowledged that the mission in Iraq is difficult, but said the U.S. has a good strategy and strong commanders in place to make it a reality. “It’s absolutely essential we get it right,” he said.

Cheney pointed to Iraqi elections in 2005, when 12 million people braved threats of terror to participate in their first free elections, and the country’s new constitution as indicators that progress has already been made there.

“In the broad sweep of history, those would have been major turning points in the war in Iraq,” he said. “I do believe we can win in Iraq. I think it is a worthy cause. And I think the United States of America at the beginning of the 21st century is perfectly capable of winning this fight.”

Cheney also talked about the emergency war-spending bill yet to be sent to the White House. He said Congress should send the president a clean bill that he can sign immediately.

“We’re trying to work out procedures to get the bill passed,” he said. “It’s absolutely essential we have it …for the troops in the field.”

If the bill is not signed by the end of April, combat units will start to run out of money, he said. “The Defense Department has some flexibility in terms of reprogramming and so forth, but it begins to bite fairly early on,” he said. “What happens is that we’ll have to pull money out of other accounts in order to fund forces in combat.”

This reallocation of funds will have a negative impact on training and readiness for troops prior to deployment, and on equipment refurbishing, he said.

“It is an urgent supplemental that needs to be passed right away,” Cheney said.

Related Sites:
Vice President Richard B. Cheney

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

[Zeroisanumber]

Well, Cheney and his boys got us into this mess, but dollars to doughnuts it won’t be him that gets us back out.

[pillut48]

Did you forget you /sarc tag?

If not, then I’m sorry, you seemed to have posted in the wrong forum! I believe you are looking for the DU...

[ex-snook]

mission creep

[Zeroisanumber]

If not, then I’m sorry, you seemed to have posted in the wrong forum! I believe you are looking for the DU...

You going to argue that Cheney and his boys weren't the primary force behind going to war in Iraq? That it isn't a mess? And that continuing with the VP's policies is the best way to move forward?

[mjaneangels@aolcom]

“You going to argue that Cheney and his boys weren’t the primary force behind going to war in Iraq? That it isn’t a mess? And that continuing with the VP’s policies is the best way to move forward?”

I take it that you would prefer terrorist attacks here rather than there.

I prefer terrorist attacks anywhere but here. This is National Security whether you approve or not. No matter who the primary force behind it is.

No, Iraq is not a mess. The media and the anti-Americans that want everyone to believe it is a mess are withholding a huge amount of truth that shows it is not a mess. Perfect, no. Fabulous, no. A walk in the park, no. But a mess, that is also no.

[Zeroisanumber]

I take it that you would prefer terrorist attacks here rather than there.

I stopped proving negatives back in high school.

I prefer terrorist attacks anywhere but here. This is National Security whether you approve or not. No matter who the primary force behind it is.

Cheney's policies as articulated by himself and his seconds have been disastrous. They've forced us to spend thousands of lives and billions of dollars fighting an insurgency that didn't have to be. They're fools, and should be labeled as such. The fact that he has an "R" in front of his name doesn't change that.

No, Iraq is not a mess. The media and the anti-Americans that want everyone to believe it is a mess are withholding a huge amount of truth that shows it is not a mess. Perfect, no. Fabulous, no. A walk in the park, no. But a mess, that is also no.

It's a mess. It's a big mess of tribal, factional, political, and sectarian infighting. The fact that it hasn't exploded into full-blown civil war is a testament to just how good our boys are, and the fact that it was allowed to get to this point is a testament to just how moronic our strategic planning has been.

And what's almost worse than our strategic blunders has been this insipid, "Focus on the positive" that my side of the political aisle is obsessed with. Things are NOT positive in Iraq, they are righteously f-ed up, and focusing on the positive blinds us to the major problems that we still face on the ground. I don't give a hoot in hell about how many schools we've built or how many little girls got eyeglasses, or any of that crap while there are still jihadi knuckleheads setting off gas bombs in downtown Baghdad.

[BlackbirdSST]

Just a thought. You’re arguing with the willfully blinded. Blackbird.