The Workday Liberal

Vice president Dick Cheney gave a speech to the New York National Guard today. There is one quote in particular that Mr. Cheney gives that I find very telling:

"Some have suggested by liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein we simply stirred up a hornet's nest. They overlook a fundamental fact: We were not in Iraq in September 2001 and the terrorists hit us anyway."

Erm... Mr. Cheney? By this logic the U.S. could invade ANY nation not involved with 9/11 (since Mr. Cheney is so big on not overlooking facts, let us please not forget the fact that Iraq was not involved in 9/11) and the resulting chaos when the locals rebelled and the foreigners who hate us go there to kill our troops could somehow be tied in with 9/11. I can see that speech. "They have overlooked the fundamental fact: We were not in Chile on 9/11, and the terrorists hit us anyway."

Also I think the quote is telling in so far as Mr. Cheney does not really dispute the notion that invading Iraq stirred a hornets nest. What he says is logically similar to saying "Some have suggested that the Moon orbits the Earth. They overlook the fundamental fact that the Earth orbits the sun." The two assertions in both Mr. Cheneys and my statement are in fact correct and do not cancel each other in both cases.

If the administration wishes to dispute the notion that we have stirred up a hornets nest with the invasion of Iraq, I'd love to hear their reasoning. It seems clear that we have done precisely what Mr. Cheney somehow intends to dispute with his statement. If they do try to dispute the notion in a forthright manner it would merely be another example where this administration is out of touch with reality.