Be sure to take blood pressure meds before reading.
Via
Dan Froomkin. WaPo transcript here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111700365.htmlBeset by charges that President Bush misled the nation in the run-up to war in Iraq, the White House recently started lashing back at its critics. And last night, everything got kicked up a notch: Bush sent his biggest attack dog into the fight and let him loose.
Headlining a black tie dinner for a conservative research group, Vice President Cheney wasted no time making it clear he was out for blood.
Here's the transcript .
"It's a pleasure to see all of you," he said. "I'm sorry we couldn't be joined by Senators Harry Reid, John Kerry, and Jay Rockefeller. They were unable to attend due to a prior lack of commitment. (Laughter.) I'll let you think about that one for a minute. (Applause.) "
Enough with the small talk:
"Most of you know, I have spent a lot of years in public service, and first came to work in Washington back in the late 1960s. I know what it's like to operate in a highly charged political environment, in which the players on all sides of an issue feel passionately and speak forcefully. In such an environment people sometimes lose their cool, and yet in Washington you can ordinarily rely on some basic measure of truthfulness and good faith in the conduct of political debate. But in the last several weeks we have seen a wild departure from that tradition. And the suggestion that's been made by some U.S. senators that the President of the United States or any member of this administration purposely misled the American people on pre-war intelligence is one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city. (Applause.)
"Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. . . .
"What we're hearing now is some politicians contradicting their own statements and making a play for political advantage in the middle of a war. The saddest part is that our people in uniform have been subjected to these cynical and pernicious falsehoods day in and day out. American soldiers and Marines are out there every day in dangerous conditions and desert temperatures --- conducting raids, training Iraqi forces, countering attacks, seizing weapons, and capturing killers --- and back home a few opportunists are suggesting they were sent into battle for a lie.
"The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone --- but we're not going to sit by and let them rewrite history. (Applause.)
"We're going to continue throwing their own words back at them."
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