Cheney renews attack on some critics, defends debate on war [View All]

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Cheney renews attack on some critics, defends debate on war


WASHINGTON (AP) - He says there's nothing wrong with dissent or debate, on the war in Iraq or on anything else. Vice President Cheney says it's the "essence of democracy."

But he's again lashing out at senators who accuse the administration of deliberately deceiving the American people on pre-war intelligence. He again called those charges "dishonest and reprehensible." And he again said that those charges come from some lawmakers who had voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

Speaking to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Cheney said it could be argued that "untruthful charges against the commander in chief" could hurt the war effort. But he said he won't make that argument himself, because he knows that the troops in Iraq "haven't wavered."

Referring specifically to Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a decorated Marine veteran who called last week for a pullout from Iraq, Cheney said Murtha is a "good man" and a "patriot" who's engaging in an "entirely legitimate discussion."