Demagogue

In a June 23 interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Vice President Dick Cheney had this to say about criticism over the administration’s handling of the Iraq war:

“The fact of the matter is, [Washington, D.C.] has got a lot of people in it who are armchair quarterbacks, or who like to comment on the passing scene.”

Yes, there are a lot of armchair quarterbacks in Washington -- a few examples come to mind, although something tells me these weren't the ones Cheney was complaining about:

“Dick Cheney said Thursday that if he and George W. Bush are elected they would look at crafting an exit strategy to get U.S. troops out of the Balkans. European allies could take on "a bigger share of the burden there," the Republican vice presidential candidate said. … Cheney also said President Clinton has no clear plan for removing troops from the Balkans. "I haven't seen yet any proposal from the administration to get out of Kosovo or Bosnia," he said while campaigning for the GOP ticket …”

Associated Press story, Aug. 31, 2000

“…Clinton has yet to outline a convincing "exit strategy" for the U.S. -- to define clearly the conditions that must be met in order to get the troops back home (from Haiti) ... the Clinton Administration is underestimating the troubles U.S. forces will face in Haiti.”

Heritage Foundation, Sept. 20, 1994

“We must have a clear mission, an achievable goal and a credible exit strategy. The ultimate question is, ‘Will this military action lead to the goal of ending the conflict and bringing peace and stability to the action?’ ”

Statement of Gov. George W. Bush on Clinton’s air campaign in Kosovo, April 1999

“I think [Clinton advisers] made a serious over-reach in Somalia when they went beyond just ending starvation and tried to do nation-building. I think Haiti was a waste of American effort.”

Deputy Defense Sec. Paul Wolfowitz, interview on May 9, 2003