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Is Cheney your president? Why are you stuck

Posted By: on him? nm on 2009-04-14
In Reply to: Kind of like Cheney did...(sm) - Just the big bad

xx


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They'd never make fun of killing W....cuz then we would be stuck with CHENEY!!!!!

NM


LOL, stuck to or stuck WITH??


Did you even read what you stuck out
You put the article out there, it was read and I simply pointed out the person writing it is very biased. He/she obviously does have a bone to pick with whites, but as usual, when someone refuses to actually read what was written, I said nothing about having a problem with whites being a minority. You seem to be the only one obsessed with that view. Having Hispanic presence in this country does not "disturb" me, even though you seem to, as you didn't say it didn't bother you; you said it didn't "particularly" disturb you, meaning it obviously does in some way. Anyhow, you seem to be caught up in thinking illegals mean only Hispanics. Illegals are coming over from a lot of places, many many are criminals. Do you think 8000 (thousand) violent gangs in LA alone from foreign illegals is a good thing? Eight THOUSAND in one city alone multiplied by thousands more in the border states spells BIG trouble. You need to get off the "white" bandwagon and stand up for the sovereignty of your country. I'm assuming you are legal.
Regardless, it's still there, stuck on our shoes...

Aah, don't get stuck on color here.... Terrorists
they have been home grown right here in this country.....Ayers, Dohrn, just to name a couple. You know, Obama's pals that his supporters keep hearing the news media they get their info from tell everyone how he hasn't had any dealings with these two or the corrupt white multi-millionnaire realtor he has many associations with AND bought his 1.6 million dollar home from at a STEAL!

His name is Muslim. You want to pretend it's not? Now, that alone is not the issue...his Islamic relationship with terrorists in terrorist countries is the problem, of which you want to ignore. His Islamic teachings is also an issue, of which you also choose to ignore. His own family members say he is Muslim through and through. They say he is NOT a Christian, but of course, you know more than they I'm sure.


Doesn't matter.....she stuck her nose out first
xx
Grow your own. It's stuck in your little poor me world...nm

And again, they fall silent.....stuck her foot in
xx
You're stuck on pub thing aren't you.... not
prefer to think for myself unlike you who obviously needs someone to do it for ya. I don't care for government, let alone more of it.
If John McCain had stuck to his guns and been...sm
able to run as himself instead of being remolded by the right wing of his party, he probably would have sailed over the finish line. He killed any chance of winning the election when he gave control away.
You're stuck on names instead of facts
@
Republicans are Stuck to Bush - See RNC Memo Link

Republicans are Stuck to Bush

In a memo to RNC chairman Ken Mehlman, GOP pollster Jan van Lohuizen argues that it's dangerous for Republican congressional candidates to distance themselves from President Bush.

President Bush drives our image and will do so until we have real national front-runners for the '08 nomination. Attacking the President is counter productive for all Republicans, not just the candidates launching the attacks. If he drops, we all drop.
Good grief! Taxpayers get stuck with the bill...

and Franklin Raines gets a over a million per year in "retirement..."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/28/national/main663502.shtml


 


It's like trying to discuss Dante's Inferno with someone stuck in My Little Red Reader. nm
nm
Not to mention her ritzy hotel bills she stuck the state with.nm

x


If customary deference to a sitting president by president elect
for the rest of us who understand such concepts as respect and traditional protocol, it would qualify as a darned good reason.
We already have Cheney.
Cheney has the warmth and personality of a dead fish.
Cheney

Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case


Libby told the FBI in 2003 that it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to reporters. The prosecutor in that case, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, said in his closing remarks at Libby's trial that there was a "cloud" over Cheney's role in the case.


Fitzgerald told members of Congress who also sought the information that Cheney set no conditions about the use of his interview with investigators.


CREW argued that the public has a right to know the role that Cheney played in the leak and why he was not prosecuted.


A Cheney spokeswoman declined to comment on the case.


 


I hope Cehney will also be prosecuted about the Abu Ghraib torture case when Obama decides that the TIME IS RIGHT.


 


Cheney

Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case


Libby told the FBI in 2003 that it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to reporters. The prosecutor in that case, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, said in his closing remarks at Libby's trial that there was a "cloud" over Cheney's role in the case.


Fitzgerald told members of Congress who also sought the information that Cheney set no conditions about the use of his interview with investigators.


CREW argued that the public has a right to know the role that Cheney played in the leak and why he was not prosecuted.


A Cheney spokeswoman declined to comment on the case.


 


I hope Cehney will also be prosecuted about the Abu Ghraib torture case when Obama decides that the TIME IS RIGHT.


 


Cheney

Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case


Libby told the FBI in 2003 that it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to reporters. The prosecutor in that case, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, said in his closing remarks at Libby's trial that there was a "cloud" over Cheney's role in the case.


Fitzgerald told members of Congress who also sought the information that Cheney set no conditions about the use of his interview with investigators.


CREW argued that the public has a right to know the role that Cheney played in the leak and why he was not prosecuted.


A Cheney spokeswoman declined to comment on the case.


 


I hope Cheney will also be prosecuted about the Abu Ghraib torture case when Obama decides that the TIME IS RIGHT.


 


Cheney

Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case


Libby told the FBI in 2003 that it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to reporters. The prosecutor in that case, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, said in his closing remarks at Libby's trial that there was a "cloud" over Cheney's role in the case.


Fitzgerald told members of Congress who also sought the information that Cheney set no conditions about the use of his interview with investigators.


CREW argued that the public has a right to know the role that Cheney played in the leak and why he was not prosecuted.


A Cheney spokeswoman declined to comment on the case.


 


I hope Cheney will also be prosecuted about the Abu Ghraib torture case when Obama decides that the TIME IS RIGHT.


 


Hmmm, since Cheney is
perhaps Fitzgerald could use electrodes on Scooter (a grown man with that name should be a crime in itself..LOL), Rove and Cheney himself and see how he likes information extracted in this manner.
Agree 100%. Cheney is the
one of the masterminds of this adminstration.  As I said, but screwed up the post, that if they impeach Bush, they better darn well take Cheney out with him.  He is far more dangerous than Bush could ever hope to be, but will Cheney be called to task for his evildoings?  How in the United States of America did torture become a topic of conversation? Why has not anyone been called out on these things they have done in the guise of national security?  And what really gets me is that people are WILLING to give away their freedoms and rights to be safe.  So who are the cowards?  Also, and I have heard no one mention this, that after 9/11, Bush said we will not cower to the terrorists, not to change our way of life, our celebrations, to go about as we were, etc.   Hmmm, so instead, our rights and freedoms have been violated.  Now we have unauthorized NSA spies on our phone calls, emails, whatever else they want to peer into, and now the filthy Patriot Act is up, thank Goodness, but what's next?  Scary.
Yes, I was joking about Cheney. sm
I agree the bill is nuts. I can get you a link to that. It actually passed.
Cheney on warpath again?
This is a long article written by Dan Froomkin of The Washington Post, Apr. 11, 2008.


It goes to Cheney's warmongering concerning Iran (if such be the case), the difference of opinion on Iran (Gates and Rice v Cheney), clarification on the "wipe Israel off the map" comment, Cheney's recent visit to Israel, and much more. Page 5 goes into other topics; one of special interest being torture approved from the WH basement by Bush aides and Cheney.


Excellent article that covers recent comments being made by Cheney about Iran (you may recall he and Rumsfeld did the same prior to the fantisized reasons to invade Iraq).


I bring it for edification and perhaps for discussion.

Cheney deja vu all over again nm

xx


 


Maybe Cheney is a closet dem
He knows many people hate him, including me. He could be trying to lose McC's election since McC spoke out against Bush and Cheney.
D@ck Cheney was the man in the wheelchair
and wow I don't think booing is appropriate, D@ck Cheney doesn't get a free pass just because he is in a wheelchair.

Had to edit because I can't use the VP's first name
and Cheney was the bestest!!!!!

@@


You must remember, Cheney ain't your VP hon.....
nm
Yes, he was Cheney's Puppet
.
...and Bush & Cheney were most definitely
N/M
Kind of like Cheney did...(sm)
Funny how he pops up all over the place now, but while in office all he could do was hide.
I am in NO way a fan of Bush or Cheney,
but at least they're not lying about what they did. If these congressmen would just come out and say that they knew what was going on and did nothing about it, sure it would make them look bad, but not as bad as lying about it does.

I guess it shouldn't surprise us, though, that there's no taking responsibility for actions in our government - that's one of the biggest problems in our country - it's always someone else's fault.

Take 'em all down, I say. Kick every last one of them out and start anew.
Furtherance of Cheney impeachment

House Judiciary Trio Calls for Impeach Cheney Hearings


by John Nichols


Three senior members of the House Judiciary Committee have called for the immediate opening of impeachment hearings for Vice President Richard Cheney.


Democrats Robert Wexler of Florida, Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin on Friday distributed a statement, “A Case for Hearings,” that declares, “The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our constitution. The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.”


In particular, the Judiciary Committee members cite the recent revelation by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan that the Vice President and his staff purposefully gave him false information about the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert agent as part of a White House campaign to discredit her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson. On the basis of McClellan’s statements, Wexler, Gutierrez and Baldwin say, “it is even more important for Congress to investigate what may have been an intentional obstruction of justice.” The three House members argue that, “Congress should call Mr. McClellan to testify about what he described as being asked to ‘unknowingly [pass] along false information.’”


Adding to the sense of urgency, the members note that “recent revelations have shown that the Administration including Vice President Cheney may have again manipulated and exaggerated evidence about weapons of mass destruction — this time about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”


Although Wexler, Gutierrez and Baldwin are close to Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers, getting the Michigan Democrat to open hearings on impeachment will not necessarily be easy. Though Conyers was a leader in suggesting during the last Congress that both President Bush and Vice President Cheney had committed impeachable offenses, he has been under immense pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, to keep Constitutional remedies for executive excesses “off the table” in this Congress.


It is notable, however, that Baldwin maintains warm relations with Pelosi and that Wexler, a veteran member of the Judiciary Committee has historically had an amiable and effective working relationship with Conyers. There is no question that Conyers, who voted to keep open the impeachment debate on November 7, has been looking for a way to explore the charges against Cheney. The move by three of his key allies on the committee may provide the chairman with the opening he seeks, although it is likely he will need to hear from more committee members before making any kind of break with Pelosi — or perhaps convincing her that holding hearings on Cheney’s high crimes and misdemeanors is different from putting a Bush impeachment move on the table.


The most important immediate development, however, is the assertion of an “ask” for supporters of impeachment. Pulled in many directions in recent months, campaigners for presidential and vice presidential accountability have focused their attention on supporting a House proposal by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nod, to impeach Cheney. When Kucinich forced consideration of his resolution on November 7, Pelosi and her allies used procedural moves to get it sent to the Judiciary Committee for consideration. Pelosi’s hope was that the proposal would disappear into the committee’s files.


The call for hearings by Wexler, Gutierrez and Baldwin puts impeachment on the table, at least as far as activists are concerned, creating a pressure point that can serve as a reply when House Democrats who are critical of Bush but cautious about impeachment ask: “What do you want me to do?” The answer can now be: “Back the call for Judiciary Committee hearings on whether to impeach Cheney?”


“Some of us were in Congress during the impeachment hearings of President Clinton. We spent a year and a half listening to testimony about President Clinton’s personal relations. This must not be the model for impeachment inquires. A Democratic Congress can show that it takes its constitutional authority seriously and hold a sober investigation, which will stand in stark contrast to the kangaroo court convened by Republicans for President Clinton. In fact, the worst legacy of the Clinton impeachment - where the GOP pursued trumped up and insignificant allegations - would be that it discourages future Congresses from examining credible and significant allegations of a constitutional nature when they arise,” write Wexler, Gutierrez and Baldwin.


“The charges against Vice President Cheney are not personal,” the House members add. “They go to the core of the actions of this Administration, and deserve consideration in a way the Clinton scandal never did. The American people understand this, and a majority support hearings according to a November 13 poll by the American Research Group. In fact, 70 percent of voters say that Vice President Cheney has abused his powers and 43 percent say that he should be removed from office right now. The American people understand the magnitude of what has been done and what is at stake if we fail to act. It is time for Congress to catch up.”


Arguing that hearings need not distract Congress, Wexler, Gutierrez and Baldwin note that the focus is on Cheney for a reason: “These hearings involve the possible impeachment of the Vice President — not our commander in chief — and the resulting impact on the nation’s business and attention would be significantly less than the Clinton Presidential impeachment hearings.”


They also argue, correctly, that the hearings are necessary if Congress is to restore its position in the Constitutionally-defined system of checks and balances.


“Holding hearings would put the evidence on the table, and the evidence — not politics — should determine the outcome,” the Judiciary Committee members explain. “Even if the hearings do not lead to removal from office, putting these grievous abuses on the record is important for the sake of history. For an Administration that has consistently skirted the constitution and asserted that it is above the law, it is imperative for Congress to make clear that we do not accept this dangerous precedent. Our Founding Fathers provided Congress the power of impeachment for just this reason, and we must now at least consider using it.



 


Many Say War Not Worth It; Cheney: 'So?'
Did you see Cheney on the ABC News tonight? You should have seen his smirky grin when he told her "so." He doesn't care what the country thinks about the war.

"On the security front, I think there's a general consensus that we've made major progress, that the surge has worked. That's been a major success," Cheney told ABC News' Martha Raddatz.

When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?"

"You don't care what the American people think?" Raddatz asked the vice president.

Cheney has never been known as a "caring" person

Why should he care?  He's leaving office soon and none of his family or friends were at risk over there.  He and most of his cronies all were successful in shirking military service.  And he won't be around to pay the bill for this war -- our children and grandchildren are the ones who will pay in the long run if it doesn't financially ruin this country before then.


I'm sure he thought he and a few others would benefit in $$$ from this invasion, and I'm sure some folks did (like Halliburton) but instead it has backfired.  Recent news shows that the war has ultimately destabilized the flow of oil and our relations with the countries that provide our oil.  Plus the Iraqi pipeline has never gotten back to even pre-war levels.


Cheney and Gonzales indicted? sm
Applauding this one. Link below.

http://www.krgv.com/2008/11/18/1001457/Guerra-Indicts
Bush/Cheney = EVILDOERS!!!

May their sorry a$$e$ rot in helll!  What did Bush do in the first three weeks of office - clear brush in crawford? He holds the record for the most vacations.


That's what I said to my hubby When Bush and Cheney..
...decided that we should go to war in Iraq, even when AL Qaeda was in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Decided that there were WMDs in Iraq, despite being told by an impartial panel (United Nations) that there were no such things.

We knew right then and there that this country was in deep trouble. We had an arrogant excuse of a president, who was bound and determined to follow his own agenda (or daddy's)no matter what the American people wanted.

I know how you feel, but this problem is NOTHING compared to the mess that the last administration left us in!
Cheney spent SIX TIMES MORE on...

...entertainment than Bush????


Well, maybe that makes sense.  He does seem like someone who is pretty difficult to entertain.


Cheney spent SIX TIMES MORE on...

...entertainment than Bush????


Well, maybe that makes sense.  As I remember his snarling face, he did seem like someone who is pretty difficult to entertain.


Well, did Cheney give you a boo boo face too?
nm
Obama is Cheney's puppet??! WOW!
x
Unlike the Cheney Tool that was our
.
All this said, I agree with you that Cheney, Rumsfeld
and Bush should be punished for what they did. Guards in Abu Ghraib who followed orders were put on trial and imprisoned.

Torture is never justified and brings often useless, coerced confessions and devastating revenge.

“Those subjected to physical torture usually conceive undying hatred for their torturers.” One must therefore also consider the greater likelihood that American civilians (here or especially abroad) and American troops overseas will be subject to torture (or terror) by aggrieved enemies.'

Halliburton=Cheney=benefiting from war/terrorism
Check it out, lots and lots and lots written about it.  Draw your own conclusions. 
And George Bush and Dick Cheney

FBI Examines Computers in Cheney's Office

FBI Examines Computers in Cheney's Office



By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer


Thursday, October 6, 2005


 













(10-06) 23:36 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --


FBI agents examined computers in Vice President Dick Cheney's office and talked to former and current White House aides Thursday as they investigated an FBI intelligence analyst accused of passing classified information to Filipino officials.



Meantime, former Philippine President Joseph Estrada acknowledged receiving an internal U.S. government report on the Philippines from the analyst, Leandro Aragoncillo, but played down the importance of the information, comparing it to material aired in his country's media.



The FBI is looking at whether Aragoncillo, a former Marine, took classified information about the Philippines from the White House when he worked for Vice Presidents Al Gore and Cheney from 1999 to 2002.



The type of information has not been disclosed. Though Aragoncillo had top-secret clearance, that status would not have made him privy to highly sensitive intelligence.



Aragoncillo, a U.S. citizen originally from the Philippines, was charged last month with providing classified information from his FBI posting at Fort Monmouth, N.J., to former and current Philippine officials who oppose President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Philippine Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales said the criminal complaint against Aragoncillo suggests the information could have been intended to destabilize the Philippine government.



Michael Ray Aquino, a former top Philippine police official who acted as Aragoncillo's alleged go-between, was indicted by a Newark, N.J., federal grand jury Thursday on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Aragoncillo, 46, of Woodbury, N.J., and Aquino, 39, living in Queens, N.Y., have been jailed since their arrests last month.



Federal prosecutors in Newark did not seek an indictment against Aragoncillo because he is negotiating a plea, court records show.



Aquino lawyer Mark A. Berman said his client rejected a plea deal.



There's a fundamental difference between Aragoncillo and Aquino, Berman said. Aquino is not an FBI agent and had no reason to know that the information the government laid out in the indictment was classified.



While the criminal complaint is limited to Aragoncillo's time at Fort Monmouth the investigation has widened to include his stint, while a Marine, in the vice president's office. Agents examined computers and interviewed current and former vice presidential aides Thursday, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.



FBI spokesman Rich Kolko would not confirm details of the investigation, but he said, In the course of a logical investigation, the FBI will research the subject's entire career for whenever he had access to classified or sensitive information to see whether any illegal or improper activity took place.



Meantime, Estrada said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press in the Philippines that he received documents from Aragoncillo but that he did not think they contained classified information.



He was just describing how America sees the Philippines, Estrada said. I don't think that is classified. It pertains to graft and corruption, the first gentleman (Arroyo's husband).



Estrada said he met Aragoncillo during his state visit to Washington in 2000 and received about six reports from him.



He compared what Aragoncillo did with reports diplomats send back home. I don't think that's espionage, he said.



He's a kind person, the former president said of Aragoncillo. He's a good family man. He has two children.



Estrada said Aragoncillo communicated with him by mail and also spoke with him on his birthday, but he didn't say when. Estrada was toppled in massive street protests in 2001 on charges of corruption and is under house arrests while on trial.



A Philippine opposition senator has acknowledged receiving information from Aquino. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief under whom Aquino served, said he and many others received information passed by Aquino, but he played down the value of the reports, describing them as shallow information.



White House and Justice Department officials declined to comment on the investigation.



Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a former federal prosecutor who handled an FBI spy case, said the Aragoncillo case raises questions about easy access to classified materials and how long the naturalized U.S. citizen was able to pass on sensitive information before he was stopped.



If the complaint is accurate, there is a wealth of evidence which makes it all the more surprising he went undiscovered as long as he did, because it was not a very sophisticated operation, Schiff said.



Aragoncillo was hired to work at Fort Monmouth in July 2004 and began sending classified information and documents in January, often via e-mail, according to an FBI complaint made public last month. The documents' contents have not been made public.



From May to Aug. 15 of this year, he printed or downloaded 101 classified documents relating to the Philippines, of which 37 were classified secret, according to the criminal complaint.



He sent some of the material to Aquino, the complaint said.



Aragoncillo's public defender, Chester M. Keller, declined to say if his client was cooperating with investigators. It's just too sensitive right now, Keller said.



___



Associated Press reporter Jim Gomez in Manila and Jeffrey Gold in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.



Cheney Fields Tough Questions
I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency. --Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005

Hmmm, so I guess now we've progressed to the *FINAL* last throes ???

Associated Press
Update 1: Cheney Fields Tough Questions From Troops
12.18.2005, 03:18 PM
Facing tough questions from battle-weary troops, Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday cited signs of progress in Iraq and signaled that force changes could come in 2006.

Cheney rode the wave of last week's parliamentary elections during a 10-hour surprise visit to Iraq that aimed to highlight progress at a time when Americans question the mission. Military commanders and top government officials offered glowing reports, but the rank-and-file troops Cheney met did not seem to share their enthusiasm.

From our perspective, we don't see much as far as gains, said Marine Cpl. Bradley Warren, the first to question Cheney in a round-table discussion with about 30 military members. We're looking at small-picture stuff, not many gains. I was wondering what it looks like from the big side of the mountain - how Iraq's looking.

Cheney replied that remarkable progress has been made in the last year and a half.

I think when we look back from 10 years hence, we'll see that the year '05 was in fact a watershed year here in Iraq, the vice president said. We're getting the job done. It's hard to tell that from watching the news. But I guess we don't pay that much attention to the news.

Another Marine, Cpl. R.P. Zapella, asked, Sir, what are the benefits of doing all this work to get Iraq on its feet?

Cheney said the result could be a democratically elected Iraq that is unified, capable of defending itself and no longer a base for terrorists or a threat to its neighbors. We believe all that's possible, he said.

Although he said that any decision about troop levels will be made by military commanders, Cheney told the troops, I think you will see changes in our deployment patterns probably within this next year.

About 160,000 troops are in Iraq. The administration has said that troop levels are expected to return to a baseline of 138,000 after the elections, but critics of the war have called for a significant drawdown.

More than 2,100 troops have died in Iraq since the U.S. invaded in March 2003.

The round-table with the vice president came after hundreds of troops had gathered in an aircraft hangar to hear from a mystery guest. When Cheney emerged at the podium, he drew laughs when he deadpanned, I'm not Jessica Simpson.

Shouts of hooah! from the audience interrupted Cheney a few times, but mostly the service members listened intently. When he delivered the applause line, We're in this fight to win. These colors don't run, the only sound was a lone whistle.

The skepticism that Cheney faced reflects opinions back home, where most Americans say they do not approve of President Bush's handling of the war. It was unique coming from a military audience, which typically receives administration officials more enthusiastically.

Cheney became the highest-ranking administration official to visit the country since Bush's trip on Thanksgiving Day 2003. It was his first visit to Iraq since March 1991, when he was defense secretary for President George H.W. Bush.

The tour came on the same day that President Bush was giving a prime-time Oval Office address on Iraq. Cheney's aides said the timing was a coincidence, yet the two events combined in a public-relations blitz aimed at capitalizing on the elections to rebuild support for the unpopular war.

The daylong tour of Iraq was so shrouded in secrecy that even Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and President Jalal Talabani were kept in the dark. The prime minister said he was surprised when he showed up for what he thought was a meeting with the U.S. ambassador and saw Cheney.

Talabani, his finger still stained purple as proof that he had voted three days earlier, was clearly delighted. He thanked Cheney profusely for coming and called him one of the heroes of liberating Iraq.

Cheney had an hourlong briefing on the election from Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, top U.S. commander Gen. George Casey and Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. He emerged saying he was encouraged by preliminary results showing high turnout about Sunni Muslims, who make up the backbone of the insurgency.

His next visit was to Taji Air Base, where he saw tanks that Iraqis had rebuilt and watched while they practiced a vehicle sweep at a security checkpoint.

U.S. forces guarded Cheney with weapons at the ready while Iraqi soldiers, who had no weapons, held their arms out as if they were carrying imaginary guns.

The Syrian border is back under Iraq control now, U.S. Lt. Gen. Marty Dempsey told the vice president, pointing to a map of Iraqi troop locations. When people say, 'When will Iraq take control of its own security?' the answer truly is it already has.

Cheney lunched on lamb kebobs, hummus and rice with raisins along with U.S. and Iraqi soldiers who helped secure polling sites. Then he headed to his third and final stop in Iraq at al-Asad.

Cheney flew over Baghdad in a pack of eight fast-moving Blackhawk helicopters, following the airport road that has been the site of so many insurgent attacks and passing the courthouse where Saddam Hussein is being tried.

The unannounced stops in Iraq came at the beginning of a five-day tour aimed at strengthening support for the war on terror. Stops include Oman, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Cheney's staff kept the Iraq portion secret from reporters, waiting to reveal the plans when Air Force Two was preparing to refuel in the United Kingdom. Once on the ground, the entourage transferred from his conspicuous white and blue 757 to an unmarked C-17 cargo plane that would fly overnight to Baghdad International Airport.





Who the heck wants Cheney for prez? YIKES!