http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=272976&;
April 24, 2007
Reid Spokesman: Cheney's Attacks Are Desperate, Lack Credibility
WASHINGTON, D.C. Jim Manley, Spokesman for
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, released the
following statement today after comments made by Vice President Dick Cheney:
Vice President Cheney should be the last person
to lecture anyone on how leaders should make decisions.
Leaders should make decisions based on facts and
reality, two words that seem to be foreign to the Vice President
This is the same guy who said Iraq has weapons of
mass destruction and that we would be greeted as
liberators. And it's the same guy who continues
to assert that Saddam Hussein had links to al
Qaeda long after our own intelligence agency
conclusively refuted this notion. To suggest he
lacks credibility would be an understatement.
The Vice President's and others' attacks on those
who disagree with their failed policies are signs
of desperation. They are lashing out because they
know the days are numbered for their failed
strategy and that the American people and a
bipartisan majority are determined to force this
Administration to change course in Iraq.
===
NY Times, April 25, 2007
White House Sees Strident Tone in Debate on Iraq Bill
By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON, April 25 The White House
acknowledged today that the tone of the exchanges
over the Iraq spending bill was growing more
strident as Congress prepared to send President
Bush legislation that would call for a withdrawal
of troops to begin by Oct. 1 despite his promise to veto it.
I think that what happens in Washington at times
of high drama and passion on both sides of the
aisle, and on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue,
that there are times when youre trying to make
your substantive point, that the rhetoric can
sometimes lead you to say things that you might
not otherwise say in a one-on-one conversation,
said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman.
Her comment came after days of tough accusations
flying between President Bush, Vice President
Dick Cheney and the Democratic leadership on
Capitol Hill in advance of a House vote later
this evening on the $124 billion spending
measure. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill on Thursday.
(clip)
In his criticism of Mr. Reid, Mr. Cheney noted
that the Democratic leader had said the
administrations troop increase ran counter to
the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.
The study group said that a troop increase might
be advisable if commanders thought it would be
useful. But Mr. Cheney failed to mention that it
also recommended a withdrawal of combat units by
the end of the first quarter of 2008, about the
same time envisioned in the legislation.
Mr. Reid fired back directly at Mr. Cheney on
Tuesday, appearing at the same microphones just
moments after the vice president.
The president sends out his attack dog often,
said Mr. Reid. Thats also known as Dick Cheney.
Defending the legislation up for a vote this
week, he said, We believe the troops should get
every penny they need and we have put our money
where our mouth is with supplemental
appropriations, but we believe there must be a
change of direction in the war in Iraq.
Mr. Reid said he was not going to engage in a
tit-for-tat with the vice president. Im not
going to get into a name-calling match with
somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating, Mr. Reid said.
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