Vice President Dick Cheney sure is devoted, if somewhat deluded. He has no doubt that it has been the offensive actions of President Bush that has saved the US from being hit again by terrorist attacks, after September 11, 2001.
As far as Cheney is concerned, the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against potential future enemies has already paid dividends of peace and security in the homeland.
But then, Cheney was damn sure that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was a key figure of responsibility for the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. So....
As harsh as it is, I've always preferred the unproven legend that after September 11, 2001, Bush made contact with key Saudis, Pakistanis, Iranians, etc, and laid down the new law :
"If the US gets hit again by any Islamists, any terror attack whatsoever, Mecca gets nuked. You get me? Mecca gets nuked. Regardless of who is responsible for the attacks and damn the consequences."
It sounds like something out of a bad terrorist-thriller from the 1970s, and maybe it is.
Anyway, here's the story on Cheney Thinks Bush Has Saved The US From Being Attacked Again :
Speaking at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention here as the fifth anniversary of the attacks approached, Cheney said that terrorists had mounted successful attacks on targets overseas, including Madrid; London; and Jakarta, Indonesia — but not in the United States.Go here for the full story, and quotes from Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the same issues.
"No one can guarantee that we won't be struck again. But to have come this far without another attack is no accident," Cheney said, crediting "sound" decisions by President Bush and vigilance by U.S. agencies and the military.
Cheney's claim of credit for the absence of attacks, a frequent theme in his recent speeches, contrasts sharply with criticism by Democrats and others who charge the administration has left the U.S. more vulnerable to terrorism by focusing on the war in Iraq.
In his address, Cheney said that Iraq was a key part of the administration's anti-terrorism effort and that pulling out would be a mistake.
"A precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be a victory for the terrorists, an invitation to further violence against free nations, and a ruinous blow to the future security of the United States," he said. "We have only two options in Iraq — victory or defeat."
