Day: January 25, 2007

Pelosi Says Bush Did Not Consult Her on War Escalation

Jon Ponder

George W. Bush is not the only American aristocrat in office today. But Ted Kennedy, Jay Rockefeller and others see themselves as public servants. On the other hand, Bush sees himself as a king, with all the royal entitlements thereto ascribed:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that President George W. Bush did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq — a sign that, despite the cozy rhetoric, the relationship between Washington’s two powerhouses has already had its share of friction.

In an interview, Pelosi also said she was puzzled by what she considered the president’s minimalist explanation for his confidence in the new surge of 21,500 U.S. troops that he has presented as the crux of a new “way forward” for U.S. forces in Iraq.

“He’s tried this two times — it’s failed twice,” the California Democrat said. “I asked him at the White House, ‘Mr. President, why do you think this time it’s going to work?’ And he said, ‘Because I told them it had to.’ ”

Asked if the president had elaborated, she added that he simply said, ” ‘I told them that they had to.’ That was the end of it. That’s the way it is.”

Cheney Refuses to Defend Gay Daughter Against Rightwing Attacks

Jon Ponder

Despicable: Vice Pres. Dick Cheney is apparently deeply ashamed of his gay daughter, Mary. In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer yesterday, the vice president refused to defend Mary against Christian extremist smears directed at her pregnancy. Instead, Cheney resorted to attacking Blitzer for asking the question:

“I think that family members ought to be off the limits.”
— White House spokesman Tony Snow

BLITZER: You know, we’re out of time, but a couple of issues I want to raise with you: your daughter, Mary. She’s pregnant. All of us are happy she’s going to have a baby. You’re going to have another grandchild. Some of the — some critics are suggesting — for example, a statement from someone representing Focus on the Family, “Mary Cheney’s pregnancy raises the question of what’s best for children. Just because it’s possible to conceive a child outside of the relationship of a married mother and father doesn’t mean that it’s best for the child.” Do you want to respond to that?

CHENEY: No.

BLITZER: She’s, obviously, a good daughter —

CHENEY: I’m delighted I’m about to have a sixth grandchild, Wolf. And obviously I think the world of both my daughters and all of my grandchildren. And I think, frankly, you’re out of line with that question.

BLITZER: I think all of us appreciate —

CHENEY: I think you’re out of line.

BLITZER: We like your daughters. Believe me, I’m very sympathetic to Liz and to Mary. I like them both. That was a question that’s come up, and it’s a responsible, fair question.

CHENEY: I just fundamentally disagree with you.

BLITZER: I want to congratulate you on having another grandchild.

What a horrendous man Dick Cheney is. There are any number of ways he could have fielded this question — a gentle punt, for example, “We’re all entitled to our opinions, Wolf. I just respectfully disagree with the criticism” — but instead he chose a political tactic: Attack the messenger, Blizter, a representative of the purported liberal media, which will play well with his troglodyte base.

Later, White House spokesman Tony Snow had this outrageous reaction:

“People should not be trying to draw family members in,” Snow said on Fox News Channel. “I think that family members ought to be off the limits.”

Unless the “people” drawing family members in are Republicans, and the families in question belong to Democrats such as Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.