I was just reading that piece by Nile Gardiner, the Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.
Unless he was baiting the left, brutal in no way describes Cheney’s AEI speech. He cut through the treasonous dems lies and demagoguery, leaving them naked and bleeding without removing his jacket, much less working up a sweat.
"I never gave anybody hell! I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." - Harry S Truman
Well, if definition "d" is applied :-)
Main Entry:bru·tal
Function:adjective
Date:15th century1archaic : typical of beasts : animal 2: befitting a brute: as a: grossly ruthless or unfeeling b: cruel, cold-blooded c: harsh, severe d: unpleasantly accurate and incisive e: very bad or unpleasant