Cheney defends US policy in Iraq
Before a sold-out crowd in Tulsa Friday night, Vice President Dick Cheney urged continued support for the war on terror and the War in Iraq.
Speaking at a Republican fundraiser at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cheney said, “Our mission in Iraq is still being debated intensely on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. And there’s nothing wrong with a vigorous discussion about an issue that is so important to the future of the country.
“But from those who demand a hasty exit from Iraq — whether by a sudden, precipitous withdrawal, or an arbitrary timeline, or by a date randomly chosen on the calendar — we’ve heard very little concern about what might come afterward. Those who insist that we leave Iraq have an obligation to give some thought to what we would leave behind. And thinking the matter through, I hope they’ll remember the case of Afghanistan over the past generation.”
In the 1980s, America was helping the Mujahadeen against Soviet forces. Then America walked away and forgot about Afghanistan, Cheney said. A civil war followed and the Taliban emerged.
In 1996, Osama bin Laden was invited to Afghanistan. He set up training camps and trained thousands of terrorists, some of whom were part of the attacks here in the United States on 9/11.
“Those who now say we can afford to turn our backs on Iraq are inviting the same kind of outcome that we saw in Afghanistan: a period of chaos and recrimination, a violent power struggle won by a brutal minority, and a safe haven for the world’s worst terrorists,” Cheney said. “The difference is that now we’re in the midst of a global war on terror - so failure in Iraq would have even more serious, more far-reaching consequences.”
Cheney said failure in Iraq would send a dangerous message to our friends and enemies.
“Failure in Iraq would embolden al Qaeda and other like-minded groups by persuading them that they’re right in their strategy by handing them a staging area for further attacks, with America as the target,” Cheney said. “And it would validate America’s long-held belief - would validate the enemy’s long-held belief that America doesn’t have the stomach for a fight — that if they hit us hard enough, or hold out long enough, we’ll change our policy and run away.”
A defeat in Iraq would embolden Iran and convince that Muslim regime that America doesn’t follow through on its principles, Cheney said.
Cheney praised President Bush for his stimulus package.
“We moved promptly, on a bipartisan basis, to pass a sensible, effective stimulus package,” Cheney said. “It’s not a new spending program or set of regulations or an expansion of federal government, it’s tax relief - and it’s on the way.
“The stimulus will give the economy a needed boost. But looking down the road, there’s still more important work to do on the subject of taxes.
“Without action by the Congress, most of the tax relief that we’ve delivered over the past seven years will be taken away. If that happens, the death tax, which is presently being phased out, would suddenly reappear, at rates that exceed 50 percent. Taxes would go back up on capital gains and dividends. The rates for all taxpayers would be increased. For taxpayers in the lowest bracket, the rate would increase by some 50 percent.
“And the child tax credit would drop from $1,000 to $500 per child. The overall effect would be average increases of $1,800 a year in the tax bill of the average family of some 116 million Americans.”
Cheney praised the Oklahoma congressional delegation and voiced support for Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
“Speaking of the President,” Cheney said, “I’m proud to note that four years ago, he and I received more votes than any other presidential ticket in American history. We, for now, hold the record. But we won’t mind at all if you set a new record in November, when you help elect John McCain as the United States president.”