Ah yes... another Sunday, another week with Dick Cheney's daughter out there doing his dirty work for him and lying on Fox News. We're all shocked, right? On Fox News Sunday, Cheney apparently decided to demand that President Obama say that withdrawal from Afghanistan will be "based on conditions on the ground", ignoring the fact that he has repeatedly said exactly that.
Media Matters has more here -- Liz Cheney Has No Idea What Obama Has Said:
Liz Cheney called on President Obama to "repudiate" his policy in Afghanistan and say that decisions will be "based on conditions on the ground." In fact, Obama has repeatedly said that the transition in Afghanistan will be based on "conditions on the ground."[...]
Obama: "The Pace Of Our Troop Reduction Will Be Determined By Conditions On The Ground." Discussing the end of combat operations in Iraq on August 31, 2010...
Joint Statement From Obama and Karzai: Security Transition Process Will Be "Conditions-Based."...
Obama: "We Will Execute This Transition Responsibly, Taking Into Account Conditions On The Ground." From Obama's speech announcing the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan...
Facts seem to be stubborn things for Republicans. It doesn't matter how much of a hawk he is, it's never going to satisfy the likes of Cheney because he's got a D behind his name. It's all about politics and power with these people.
Transcript below the fold.
WALLACE: The commander-in-chief, during a surprise trip to Afghanistan Friday, telling U.S. troops success is within reach.
And we're back now with the panel.
So, Liz, there has been a lot of criticism from conservatives, I think it's fair to say, over the last year that the president was not committed to victory in Afghanistan, that he talked in the speech a year ago when he announced the troop surge of 30,000 troops, in the next sentence he talked about starting to pull troops out in July, '11. But when you take his comments during this trip, about we will never allow the Taliban to have a safe haven. When you see what he said at NATO, where he is now talking about being there for four more years before we turn things over, are you convinced this president, at least now, is all in, in Afghanistan?
CHENEY: I think he is clearly moving in the right direction. And I think that we ought to praise him for going to visit the troops. Every time a commander-in-chief does that, I think it's an important thing for him to do and important for him to send the message of support back here.
I was very pleased to see this 2014 date out there now, as opposed to just the 2011 date. You know, what I'd like to see, because I do believe that setting the 2011 deadline did cause significant damage to the effort in terms of convincing people that we're committed to be there to win, I'd like to see the president repudiate it.
I'd like to see him say, just let's be clear, we are going to make our decisions based on conditions on the ground, not based on days we set back here in Washington. And that is important not just for what is happening in Afghanistan, it's important for the Pakistanis to hear that as well so that they understand it is not in their interest at all to help to support, provide safe havens to the extent that the Taliban has safe havens in Pakistan. That message is a critically important one, and I'd like to see the president stay conditions-based, and not just deadlines set.
WALLACE: So, it has to be a full-fledged --
WILLIAMS: Boy, I tell you, moving -- you're pleased that he is moving in the right direction. It seems to me he has done everything you could have asked in terms of the Bush-Cheney agenda for Afghanistan. And so I'm surprised that you can't even just -- this wonderful Sunday morning, Liz -- say go, President Obama, you've done a wonderful job. And I know --
CHENEY: I know you'd fall out of your chair if I said that.
