The 10 punches Dick Cheney landed on Barack Obama's jaw

Telegraph.co.uk ^ | May 21, 2009 at 23:21:41 | Toby Harnden

[fiodora]

So who won the fight? (it's hard to use anothing other than a martial or pugilistic metaphor).

But the very fact that Obama chose to schedule his speech (Cheney's was announced first) at exactly the same time as the former veep was a sign of some weakness. The venues for the speeches said something. Obama showily chose the National Archives, repository for many of the founding documents of the US, and spoke in front of a copy of the Constitution - cloaking himself in the flag, as Republicans were often criticised for doing.

To hear Cheney speak, we were crammed into a decidedly unglamourous and cramped conference room at AEI, favourite think tank of conservative hawks.

The former veep's speech was factual and unemotional and certainly devoid of the kind of hokey, self-obsessed, campaign-style stuff like this, from Obama's address today: "I stand here today as someone whose own life was made possible by these documents. My father came to these shores in search of the promise that they offer. My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their truths when I lived as a child in a foreign land."

In terms of Obama's purported aim for his speech - to present a plan for closing Guantanamo Bay aimed at placating Congress - he failed. The reception on Capitol Hill was lukewarm with even Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Cheney's speech wasn't stylish, there were no rhetorical flourishes and the tone was bitingly sarcastic and disdainful at times. But it was effective in many respects and Cheney showed that Obama is not invulnerable. Here are 10 of the punches he landed on the President's jaw:

[UCANSEE2]

AWESOME!

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“while the rest of the Republicans can’t find the spine to help our distinguished former VP carry the water.”
And in many ways I despise many so called “Republicans” for that very reason. Bush / Cheney may have been wrong on some policies, national security was a shining example of having to make the hard choices and not sticking your finger into the wind to see what the pundits felt about the issue. The Republican Congress turned their backs on their sitting President and it cost them. Let us never forget the DemonRATs spent the better part of 8 years bashing everything Bush did and said. They were, and are willing to cause us to lose the war if they think they can make political points out of that fact. They meet with Americas enemies and undermine foreign policy when they are not in power, and whine like little school girls if anyone dares question them. The DemonRAT leadership is more dangerous to this country than Al Qaeda ever dreamed of being, and any Republican that doesn't have the stones to stand up against them, or that enables them is worse than they are.

[50cal Smokepole]

[BwanaNdege]

"My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their truths when I lived as a child in a foreign land."

Other Westerners living in Indonesia have remarked on the difficulty of sleeping past 4:30 or 5 AM due to the high volume of the speakers at the mosque blaring the morning call to prayer.

IRC, Barack said that was the “Sweetest sound on earth”.

Probably because it awakened him early to begin his meditations on the US Constitution...... yeah, right!

[BlessingsofLiberty]

“My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their truths when I lived as a child in a foreign land.”

This, right here, is why I detest Obama. He thinks he is so clever when he lies. Actually, like a good muslim, he feels it is a great thing to lie to the infidel.

His mother was an atheist and a communist, who left the USA with her communist, muslim, second husband. If he got up early to learn anything, it sure wasn’t about the US Constitution or the Christian religion.

Keep it up Obama...Cheney today showed the world what a grown up man looks like next to a lying, uneducated little marxist know-nothing. Obama you are low class and there aren’t enough lies to fix you.

[joejm65]

From what I understand, Nobie’s mother had a bit of ‘60’s radical’ in her. I doubt there are a lot of lessons in the opressive Constitution that she’d want to share with her precious Kenyan-born son.

[Yardstick]

Cheney's speech wasn't stylish, there were no rhetorical flourishes

Does a speech have to be pretty to be stylish? I thought he had some great turns of phrase in there.

[OneWingedShark]

>> My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their truths when I lived as a child in a foreign land.”
>
>Does anyone really believe this? His mom woke him up early in Indonesia to teach him about the Constitution and the greatness of America?

LOL - Nope.
Though by ‘their truths’ he may mean Indonesian world-view and not the Constitution/DOI.

[Shelayne]

Oh my! I wish I had seen this today! It sounds as if Cheney wiped the floor with him.

Awesome!

[fso301]

As the article says, Cheney is "marking his card" in the event the US under the Obama Administration is hit again.

The problem is given the disrupted state of al qaeda, they probably won't be able to mount a large attack until after 2012. By then, all this will have been forgotten.

[petercooper]

bttt

[Texas Fossil]

Thanks for the Very Very accurate accessment of the difference.

Also Obozo is a Lying Kenyan Commie, a Born & Bred Commie.

[freekitty]

That is my favorite picture of Cheney and Obama.

[VA40]

In his biographical Dreams From My Father published in 1995 and updated in 2004, Obama wrote that "five days a week she came into my room at four in the morning, force-fed me breakfast, and proceeded to teach me English lessons for three hours before I left for school."

English, history, the call to prayer - he can't keep his stories straight.

[Christian4Bush]

bump.

Is there a transcript and video link to VP Cheney’s speech?

[4Godsoloved..Hegave]

Cheney taking it to Obama has been the only political bright spot so far I have seen since the masquerader took the oath of POTUS.

Keep it up Vice President Cheney, you are a breath of fresh air, you have and continue to serve your country well.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Does anyone really believe this? His mom woke him up early in Indonesia to teach him about the Constitution and the greatness of America?

Nope, not buying it, sorry.

[roses of sharon]

Thank you Lord, for a man like VP Cheney!

[kellynla]

Like I been saying for months, sooner or later somebody is going to “acquire” Hussein's Birth Certificate...

[nufsed]

Clinton BS