WhackyNation

Vice President Cheney stuck it to Speaker Pelosi and her surrender Democrats today saying their call for a withdrawal of most American troops from Iraq by August 2008 was nothing more than a “full validation of the Al Queda strategy.”

Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Council this afternoon, Cheney said, “they’re telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out.”

“Some apparently believe that getting out of Iraq before the job is done will actually strengthen America’s hand in the fight against terrorists. This myth is dangerous because it represents a full validation of the al Qaeda strategy. The terrorists don’t expect to beat us in a standup fight. They never have. They’re not likely to try.”

Not pulling any punches, Cheney added, “When members of Congress pursue an antiwar strategy that’s been called ‘slow-bleed,’ they’re not supporting the troops, they are undermining them.”

Good for you, Mr. Vice President.  Too bad you’re not running for President.

Top Secret

The Bush administration is notorious for its “background briefings” in which reporters are barred from identifying the “senior administration official” who answers questions. But sometimes there are subtle clues as to the briefer’s identity. See if you can out this anonymous source, from an official White House press office transcript titled “INTERVIEW OF A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL, BY THE TRAVELING PRESS, Aboard Air Force Two, En Route Muscat, Oman.”

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: “Let me just make one editorial comment here. I’ve seen some press reporting says, ‘Cheney went in to beat up on them, threaten them.’ That’s not the way I work. I don’t know who writes that, or maybe somebody gets it from some source who doesn’t know what I’m doing, or isn’t involved in it. But the idea that I’d go in and threaten someone is an invalid misreading of the way I do business.

“I would describe my sessions both in Pakistan and Afghanistan as very productive. We’ve had notable successes in both places. I’ve often said before and I believe it’s still true that we’ve captured and killed more al Qaeda in Pakistan than anyplace else. And I think we’re making progress in Afghanistan.” –Jess Bravin

One commentor wrote: “it’s Bush.”