One last time

Ok, I know I said I was done with Dick Cheney. But all of a sudden, he's all over the place. When he was Vice President, no one ever knew where he was. He was hidden away in some bunker somewhere. I wish he would crawl back into that bunker. And I promise, I really will be done with him. In fact, here, since I posted that this morning, I'll say that I will be done with him today, so this will be my very last post on him.

I watched some snippets of his speech today and have read through the entire text. Let me quote the paragraph that stood out to me:

"So we're left to draw one of two conclusions - and here is the great dividing line in our current debate over national security. You can look at the facts and conclude that the comprehensive strategy has worked, and therefore needs to be continued as vigilantly as ever. Or you can look at the same set of facts and conclude that 9/11 was a one-off event - coordinated, devastating, but also unique and not sufficient to justify a sustained wartime effort. Whichever conclusion you arrive at, it will shape your entire view of the last seven years, and of the policies necessary to protect America for years to come."

This paragraph encapsulates for me why the Bush administration was such a colossal failure: they truly saw things as black and white, either/or. The above paragraph sets up a false dichotomy, claiming that there are only two possible conclusions to be drawn and that there can be no middle scenario. But there is. Of course there is, and anyone with any logic skills can see the deep flaw in Cheney's thinking.

Cheney's only goal is to get everyone to say the Bush administration was right, should not be questioned, and set forth a policy that we should continue to follow without alteration. He claims if he had it all to do over again, he would do everything the same "without hesitation." He views discussion, questioning, rethinking, and retooling as weakness. Thus, he reveals his, and the Bush administration's, greatest weakness: the inability, or unwillingness, to change course. Stubbornly pursuing a course of action is not good leadership. A true leader can listen to opposing viewpoints, can acknowledge when someone proposes a better idea, and can admit making a mistake.

I have now said my peace and I truly am done with Dick Cheney. He is irrelevant to me.