Demagogue

Yesterday, in Ohio, Dick Cheney lied. That may not strike you as noteworthy, but this wasn't the usual lie. This was as blatant as lies come, and the vice president knew he was lying when he said what he said.

I just heard Cheney's latest lie on NPR. Speaking at a fundraiser Monday in northeastern Ohio, Cheney mentioned Democrats' criticism of the administration's wiretapping and surveillance program. The vice president said that Democrats were advancing the position

"... that we ought to protect al Qaeda's right to communicate."

The Dems are saying no such thing and Cheney knows it. The media keeps acting as a vehicle for this White House talking point -- rarely, if ever, challenging this ridiculous argument about the basis for the Dems' opposition.

At some point, the media has an obligation to clarify, to not simply act as conduit for this Dems-don't-want-to-monitor-terrorists nonsense.