Vice President Dick Cheney, once again demonstrating that image management is more important than reality to the administration, had this to say regarding Iraq on Monday:
I think it has been a remarkable success story to date, when you look at what has been accomplished overall. I think the President deserves great credit for it.
This kind of stuff would be laughable except that there are so many Americans willing to lap up whatever this bunch dishes out.
Unfortunately for Bush, apparently not everyone in the government is buying the success story, as Josh Marshall points out. Because people keep revealing dirty laundry to the press:
Who over there [at the Pentagon] is trying to stick it to the president?
Look at two big news stories on Tuesday, the Washington Post report that the White House plans to ask for some $70 billion more in Iraq spending just a week or two after the election and this USA Today piece reporting that the Pentagon is planning to add roughly 20,000 more troops to the force in Iraq in anticipation of the elections in January.
Just on the basis of logical inference, I’m gonna bet those leaks didn’t come from Scott McClellan.
And don’t forget the leak about the CIA’s 9/11 report, which allegedly names names in the administration.
Clearly there are inside people who haven’t been happy with things that have happened the past four years. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we see unnamed government sources offer a few additional news scoops in the next six days.
Cheney: “the President deserves great credit for it.”
Well, I certainly agree with that!
I find it odd that that Bush even today is claiming his administration “didn’t do it.” When it comes to things like Abu Ghraib, Al QaQaa, the huge increase in terrorism/insurgency, failing water/electric utility programs, oil piplines, Bush refuses to take credit…
,,,Now Cheney is saying that not only is this administration taking credit, but should be commended on it? Talk about one huge flip-flop!