Cheney Fields Tough Questions From Troops

SF Gate/ AP via Drudge ^ | Sunday, December 18, 2005 | NEDRA PICKLER

[woofie]

Facing tough questions from battle-weary troops, Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday cited signs of progress in Iraq and signaled that force changes could come in 2006.

Cheney rode the wave of last week's parliamentary elections during a 10-hour surprise visit to Iraq that aimed to highlight progress at a time when Americans question the mission. Military commanders and top government officials offered glowing reports, but the rank-and-file troops Cheney met did not seem to share their enthusiasm.

"From our perspective, we don't see much as far as gains," said Marine Cpl. Bradley Warren, the first to question Cheney in a round-table discussion with about 30 military members. "We're looking at small-picture stuff, not many gains. I was wondering what it looks like from the big side of the mountain — how Iraq's looking."

Cheney replied that remarkable progress has been made in the last year and a half.

"I think when we look back from 10 years hence, we'll see that the year '05 was in fact a watershed year here in Iraq," the vice president said. "We're getting the job done. It's hard to tell that from watching the news. But I guess we don't pay that much attention to the news."

Another Marine, Cpl. R.P. Zapella, asked, "Sir, what are the benefits of doing all this work to get Iraq on its feet?"

[woofie]

The skepticism that Cheney faced reflects opinions back home, where most Americans say they do not approve of President Bush's handling of the war. It was unique coming from a military audience, which typically receives administration officials more enthusiastically.

[GeronL]

Like I am going to believe anything from this source

[woofie]

Nedra needs a laxative

[GeronL]

Probably forgot to bring her own bottled water or toilet paper or something and blames Bush

[sissyjane]

You forgot the BARF Alert.

[msnimje]

Nedra Pickler? Nedra Pickler? I would write a negative story about a positive event if my name was Nedra Pickler too.

[Old Sarge]

They played bait-and-switch with the troop questions with Rumsfeld last year, they're playing bait-and-switch with the troop questions with Cheney this year.

[woofie]

I always forget....sorry

[balch3]

Either this is more MSM spin, or some of these troops need to be "counseled" about what's expected of them when they meet someone like the Vice President. Or maybe some junior officer with RAT sympathies sabotaged the whole thing by rounding up a bunch of malcontents.

You don't ask questions like this, no matter what the "official" reason for the meeting is. You smile, shake his hand, and shut up. Anything else is disrespectful and plays into the hands of the enemy and their leftist supporters at home. Somebody's head ought to roll for this.

[Bob J]

The supporting documentation offered for the writers premise that "the rank-and-file troops Cheney met did not seem to share their enthusiasm" borders on professional negligence.

Nedra is not a reporter nor a journalist, she (he?) is a flat out propagandist.

But, that's what the AP has been hiring for 40 years.

[woofie]

Did any other reporters have this take?

[Windsong]

You smile, shake his hand, and shut up. Anything else is disrespectful and plays into the hands of the enemy and their leftist supporters at home. Somebody's head ought to roll for this.

You sound like a Marine yourself!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Nedra Pickler. Associated Press. Enough said.

I'll wait for the real story from Rush or NewsMax.

[endthematrix]

Video? I call BS.

[balch3]

No, I just know that when you meet the VP, it's not because he needs your advice, or so he can justify himself to you. YOU are there for HIS purposes, and not the other way around. Very dumb that they let this happen....if it really did happen this way and not just MSM hokum.

[Republican Wildcat]

but the rank-and-file troops Cheney met did not seem to share their enthusiasm.

Yet another editorial masquerading as a news story.

[af_vet_rr]

Sounds like some of the questions were spoonfed to the troops beforehand (which happens - happened when I was in, I assume it still happens now). There were two questions I saw, one about gains and what the big picture looks like, and the other about benefits of getting Iraq back on its feet. Both of those gave Cheney a chance for broad soundbites to be carried out to the troops, back home and to the Iraqi people.

It very well could be that some Marine doesn't see the big picture and was curious, and it could very well be that another was curious how the VP would respond to a "what's the point?" type of question, but it would have been hard for Cheney to get questions any better than that.

[endthematrix]

It was a round-table discussion. Those (2) TWO questions the author chose to highlight weren't at all terrible.

Marine Cpl. Bradley Warren: "From our perspective, we don't see much as far as gains...we're looking at small-picture stuff, not many gains. I was wondering what it looks like from the big side of the mountain — how Iraq's looking?"

Marine Cpl. R.P. Zapella: "Sir, what are the benefits of doing all this work to get Iraq on its feet?"

[Lumper20]

SFgate.com.

And who posted this?