I paraphrase, of course. However, this whole interview seems like a Freudian analysis waiting to happen. The Politico:

Vice President Cheney warned in an interview Wednesday that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would invite "further attacks" against the United States and said he has been surprised by the weakness of the Democratic Congress.

Most striking were his virtually taunting remarks of two men he described as friends from his own days in the House: Democratic Reps. John Dingell (Mich.) and John P. Murtha (Pa.).

In a 40-minute interview with Politico, he scoffed at the idea of two men who spent years accruing power showing so much deference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the big spending and energy debates of the year.

Murtha "and the other senior leaders ... march to the tune of Nancy Pelosi to an extent I had not seen, frankly, with any previous speaker," Cheney said. "I'm trying to think how to say all of this in a gentlemanly fashion, but [in] the Congress I served in, that wouldn't have happened."

But his implication was clear: When asked if these men had lost their spines, he responded, "They are not carrying the big sticks I would have expected."

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who as Democratic Caucus Chair is the party's fourth-ranking House leader, replied: "Some of us were surprised that the president didn't have a bigger stick when he could have stood up to Dick Cheney."

Bigger sticks??? My goodness, we have devolved into governing the country by pissing contests. And Dick (your choice of nickname is very revealing in this context), it appears you have some serious issues with women in authority positions.

When asked for his response, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "Dingell and Murtha still carry very big sticks." Um, okay. I think this whole analogy is starting to creep me out.