Cheney Clarifies "Last Throes" Comment. Or Does He?

[JABBS]

Vice President Cheney was heavily criticized as "out of touch" when he said in a May 31 CNN interview that the Iraqi insurgency was in "the last throes."

He returned to CNN on June 23 to clarify his comments.

"If you look at what the dictionary says about throes, it can still be a violent period, the throes of a revolution." Cheney told Wolf Blitzer. "The point would be that the conflict will be intense, but it's intense because the terrorists understand if we're successful at accomplishing our objective -- standing up a democracy in Iraq -- that that's a huge defeat for them. They'll do everything they can to stop it."

So there you have it. He wasn't suggesting that the insurgency was diminishing -- as was widely interpreted, even by his defenders. He was just saying that it was almost over. Right, Dick?

BLITZER: Do you want to offer an assessment how much longer this insurgency will continue?

CHENEY: No. No, I can't say that. ...

BLITZER: But is this going to be a time frame within a year, two years, five years, how much longer will this insurgency require the troop level of the United States in Iraq right now?

CHENEY: I think the way to think about it is defining it in terms of achieving certain conditions on the ground. We don't want to stay a day longer than necessary, but we want to stay long enough to get the job done.

>>>

For more on this topic, go to http://jabbs.blogspot.com/2005/06/cheney-clarifies-comment-about-last.html

[C_U_L8R]

1. With such furious backpedalling....

Flipflop Dick could give himself a heart attack.
(oh,,, that's what we was doing at that hospital yesterday)

[Vickers]

2. Holy shit, he lifted his answer almost word-for-word from Wes Clark!

"CHENEY: I think the way to think about it is defining it in terms of achieving certain conditions on the ground."

Aw man, let me do some searching, this is pretty much what Clark said on Faux the other day...wow, he's not only the scummiest VP ever, but he plagiarizes a true American hero!

[teach1st]

3. In other words.

"The point would be that the conflict will be intense, but it's intense because the terrorists understand if we're successful at accomplishing our objective -- standing up a democracy in Iraq -- that that's a huge defeat for them. They'll do everything they can to stop it."

In other words, the other side wants to win and doesn't want to lose and so they're fighting hard. Duh!

So the insurgency is in its last throes because they want to win.

[Singular73]

4. They want to win?

They have nothing better to do.

The only thing that would "win" this war is to employ these young men..spend the billions on employing ordinary Iraqis, not lining the pockets of contractors.

But that would have had to happen a year ago. Its too late now.

30% unemployment, and dead relatives, tends to make young men edgy....

[rodeodance]

5. the fact that he tried to define it shows they have discussed the situatio

they are in.

[jmcon007]

6. ok, dumbass. you described "throes", now describe "last".

[Guaranteed]

8. Yes, then he talked about what victory meant, but neglected to tell

us when we could expect it. Which was the question.

[jrthin]

7. We've ALL misunderstood Cheney.

He meant to say that he was in his last throes, not the insurgent.

[DisassemblingHisLies]

9. His semantics games are very tiring.

I saw a movie on Lifetime Movie Channel tonight called "Texas Justice". The Texas lawyer in the movie, Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, relied on a heavy semantics game in what should have been an open & shut murder trial. His client was a rich Texas oilman, was caught on film paying a hit man, & the trial ended in a hung jury.