Cheney argues for permanent war

Vice President Dick Cheney just completed an address to the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute in which he predictably mouthed mostly slogans and appeals to patriotic calls for how tough we are, how great the troops are, and how we'd "lose" somehow if we didn't continue to send troops to their deaths.

In his usual attempt to scare the hell out of the rubes, he falsely implied that if U.S. troops were pulled back, Osama bin Laden would then rule the country.

One phrase was notable when he said, "We will not retreat in the face of brutality, and we will never live at the mercy of tyrants or terrorists."

Isn't continuing to send our resources and human capitol to be targets for insurgents and to be killed on a daily basis doing just that? Isn't the U.S. "at the mercy" of tyrants and terrorists to a greater by virtue of our invading Iraq, the very thing Cheney feels we must continue indefinitely?.

Cheney et. al. are doing all of this in our names as U.S. citizens. Our economy is at dire risk from the simply staggering deficits this administration and the Republican congress has run up, and the costs of this war against a tactic is bleeding the country white, straining our military to the breaking point, and destroying our reputation around the world. And all along, Bush has called for no sacrifice from Americans whatsoever, only telling us to keep shopping and buying Hummers, and continuing to fight for ever larger tax cuts to those making over $200,000 a year.

As a result, everyone in this country who makes less than that is directly impacted in one way or another, in the Republicans gutting student aid, food stamps, school funding, and on and on. The direct result is higher local taxes, cutting school programs, reduced services, increased pollution, unsafe drugs, destroying our basic freedoms and the bill of rights, and thousands of other effects. And perhaps most egregious, saddling future generations with such mammoth debt that they will have to suffer even more cuts in government services and assistance.

Aren't we most certainly living "at the mercy" of terror right now, and precisely because of Republicans/Bush/Cheney/
Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Pearl, and the rest of the violence first crowd?

I invite readers to read the transcript of Cheney's remarks and see how many times they can spot ironic statements that apply more fittingly to their administration.

Please feel free to read it and offer your reactions.