Dithering and Dick Cheney’s chutzpah

Nobody ever said Dick Cheney lacked chutzpah. He has criticized Obama for taking over the economy, even though the huge flow of cash into Wall Street came under Bush-Cheney (with Obama’s support). He excoriated Obama’s for ending torture, claiming it was making America less safe, even though John McCain, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and many others believe that the Bush-Cheney torture policy created thousands of dedicated, active enemies of America. He blasted Obama for running up huge deficits even though Bush-Cheney turned a budget surplus into the biggest deficit in American history.

But his most vile display of chutzpah and hypocrisy came this week when he said President Obama "seems afraid to make a decision" about General McChrystal’s call for 40,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"The White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in danger," Cheney said in a speech at the Center for Security Policy on Oct. 21.

Dithering, huh? How about when, in mid-2008, General McChrystal’s predecessor in Afghanistan asked for three more combat brigades—about 15,000-20,000 more troops. The request was ignored for the last eight months of Bush-Cheney. Not until February 17, 2009, was the increase approved—not by Bush-Cheney, but by President Obama on his twenty-seventh day in office.

It’s certainly legitimate for the ex-Vice President to criticize President Obama, but the savage and hypocritical carping on serious national security issues is simply ugly politics at our nation’s expense.

Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, had the right analysis of Cheney’s criticism. “What Vice President Cheney calls ‘dithering,’ President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and to the American public,” Gibbs said. “I think we’ve all seen what happens when somebody doesn’t take that responsibility seriously.”

Send Eric Cantor a copy of the Constitution

The President met today with Congressional leaders of both parties to discuss the ongoing review of American strategy on Afghanistan. After the meeting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told CNN that Democrats and Republicans said they would back Obama on whatever decision he makes.

But to the contrary, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that Republicans would support him "if he makes the right decision, which is to listen to his commanders in the field who are asking desperately for more troops."

So Cantor’s party will support the field commanders, regardless of what the Commander in Chief decides, and regardless of what Obama's chief military advisors--Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen--advise. Whatever became of civilian control? Guess it’s not in Cantor’s copy of the Constitution.

We’re all in this together…or are we?

President Obama is conducting a review of our Afghanistan strategy with the key national leaders—Secretary of Defense Gates, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, Centcom commander General Petraeus, and Afghanistan force commander, General McChrystal. Good idea, to make sure we’ve got the strategy right before we commit up to 40,000 more American troops?

Not according to House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), who accused the President of “delaying, that puts in jeopardy, I believe, our men and women."

Cantor, or his staff, had the smidge of decency to recant—somewhat. His spokesman afterward, acknowledged that the president is "entitled" to review the decision for a few weeks but should not prolong it for months.