U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney waves goodbye as he boards his aircraft at Sydney Airport February 25, 2007 after a two-day visit to Australia. (Will Burgess/Reuters)
Posted on 02/24/2007 8:11:39 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SYDNEY, Australia - Vice President Dick Cheney, in a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements during a visit to Asia, defended the Iraq war, attacked administration critics at home and warned that the U.S. would confront potential adversaries abroad.
His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. But in a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was typically feisty.
Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq war as a "remarkable achievement" in one speech, and dismissed suggestions his influence in Washington is waning.
At a news conference Saturday, Cheney warned that "all options" are on the table if Iran continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions, leaving the door open to military action.
Cheney's support for the Iraq war — he is considered one of the key proponents of the 2003 invasion — drew protesters into Sydney's streets for two days.
But the crowds were small and the clashes brief, and Cheney enjoyed a generally warm welcome, including lunch at Australian Prime Minister John Howard's harborside mansion and a cruise past the Sydney Opera House.
On Saturday, he held talks with Howard — who at one point felt compelled to defend his friendly relations with the White House. Cheney left Australia on Sunday morning.
In Japan, Cheney asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)'s opposition to President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq would "validate the al-Qaida strategy."
A furious Pelosi complained to the White House that Cheney was impugning the patriotism of critics of the war. Cheney refused to back down: "I said it and I meant it," he told ABC News. "I didn't question her patriotism, I questioned her judgment."
He took a similarly uncompromising stand on Iran, criticizing its defiance of a U.N. deadline for freezing its uranium enrichment programs. While the White House seeks a peaceful resolution to the problem, he said, he did not rule out military action.
Cheney was more diplomatic, but no less direct, on Friday when he discussed North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and China's rapid modernization of its 2.3 million-strong military forces.
Noting that China — an emerging economic power — had hit a defunct weather satellite with a missile last month, Cheney said that some of the country's actions were at odds with its pledge to develop peacefully.
In the same speech, though, he praised China for its help in persuading North Korea to seal its main nuclear reactor in exchange for oil. But Cheney added North Korea had "much to prove," namely that it would honor the deal.
Michael McKinley, an expert in Australia-U.S. relations at the Australian National University, said Cheney's association with an Iraq policy that many see as a failure has made him unpopular, but it is too soon to write off his influence.
Cheney is still a force in the White House, McKinley said, and "in the area of foreign and defense policy, he is the power."
During Cheney's visit to Australia — one of the United States' staunchest allies in Iraq — he said history would ultimately judge the war a success, pointing to the end of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and Iraq's democratic elections. The U.S., he said, has put Iraq "well on the road to establishing a viable democracy."
Cheney told ABC News that media speculation that he had lost influence within the Bush administration was inaccurate, just as earlier speculation that he was the all-powerful was wrong.
"I think people fall into the trap of focusing on that and talking about it and reporters writing about it, but it rarely reflects reality," he said. "So I don't worry about those stories."
Howard, who faces increasing pressure to begin withdrawing Australian troops and did not attend Cheney's speech on Friday, rejected suggestions the government was keeping a polite distance from the vice president during the visit. National elections are due later this year.
"It's never a political liability, ever, for the prime minister of Australia to have a good relationship with the president and the vice president of the United States," Howard said.
Cheney seemed comfortable knowing that not all Australians like him, telling The Australian that not all the gestures directed as he cruises around in his motorcade are friendly waves.
"Driving through Sydney is a lot like driving through New York City," Cheney said. "You get some waves, and then you get some other waves. And that goes with living in a democracy. ... That's as it should be."
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney waves goodbye as he boards his aircraft at Sydney Airport February 25, 2007 after a two-day visit to Australia. (Will Burgess/Reuters)
The aircraft of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney becomes airborne as two policeman standby at Sydney Airport, where Cheney left after a two-day visit to Australia, February 25, 2007 . REUTERS/Will Burgess (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, left, and US Vice President Dick Cheney, right, shake hands as they pose for photo at Howard's office in Sydney, Saturday, Feb. 24 2007. The vice president, who thanked Australia for its help in Iraq and Afghanistan, said it would be 'a serious mistake' if Iran were allowed to develop nuclear weapons. (AP Photo/Torsten Blackwood, Pool)
Cheney rocks, and I don't like the title of this article that suggests that he took "long-distance" shots, implying cheap shots from a safe distance.
Oh no, Cheney speaks his mind, up close and personal. Just ask Leahy.
US Vice President Dick Cheney appears to have an emu from the Australian coat-of-arms on his shoulder as he arrives at Australian Prime Minister John Howard's office in Sydney, Saturday, Feb. 24 2007. The vice president, who thanked Australia for its help in Iraq and Afghanistan, said it would be 'a serious mistake' if Iran were allowed to develop nuclear weapons. (AP Photo/Torsten Blackwood, Pool)
Feisty Cheney fires long-distance shots
Did Cheney go hunting again? lol, only joking, couldn't resist.
Hmmm..... I wonder how long the Leftographer waited for the Vice President, in just the right spot so he could get that ridiculous shot.
exactly!
I HATE how the Dems can dump on Cheney and Bush all day long, making up lies about them, but then the msm is concerned when Pelosi is upset by something the Administration says!
its sick!
Jesus, could you imagine Kerry in the office right now?
"A" Emu, or "AN" Emu?
anyway, Pelosi needed an enema!
An ,, I think, Thanks! :-}
and re: Nancy,, "Thar she blows!"
Awww, that pic makes me want to give him a hug. I wonder if there is any chance of him running for president? I'd vote for him in an instant.
I think he would give it a go.. if he was 10 years younger,, Even if he only did half a term and turned it over to Tommy FRanks or Duncan Hunter , I could live with that. ;-)
He would rip Hillary or Obama to shreds.
I love this guy, and the fact that he makes the nutroots foam at the mouth makes me love him even more.
I'd pay to see him rip the Hildebeast a new one. Perhaps Dick Cheney has earned the right to retire, after many years of excellent service to our country. Wish we could clone him...
I just love VP Cheney. And if this article is attempting to complain about his making statements on foreign soil, just consider that fool Carter and BJ Clintoon who make statements ATTACKING their own country on foreign soil.
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