I've always been a very big fan of former Vice President Dick Cheney. I think it safe to say that the individual currently serving as our vice president rests quite comfortably at the opposite end of the spectrum in every meaningful way. I've always had a great deal of respect for him, viewing him as someone who's a straight shooter and a guy willing to tell you what's on his mind, if you ask his opinion, with very little, if any, sugarcoating. Or, just way it should be. And he’s also a guy not prone to exaggeration or distortion of the facts at hand. So when he said this past Saturday night that Barry "Almighty" has jeopardized U.S. national security by nominating substandard candidates for key cabinet posts and by degrading the U.S. military, I believe him. "The performance now of Barack Obama as he staffs up the national security team for the second term is dismal," Cheney said in comments to about 300 members of the Wyoming Republican Party. But let's be serious, when your gene pool is as shallow as it is for the Democrat Party, it's difficult to find candidates who are worthy, and who are actually up to the task at hand. And when they do go looking outside of their ranks, they tend to gravitate toward those who think like they do.
Mr. Cheney, a Wyoming native, said it was vital to the nation’s national security that "good folks" hold such positions as secretary of state, CIA director and secretary of defense. Speaking of Barry, he said, "Frankly, what he has appointed are second-rate people." John Kerry-Heinz, the failed 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, has now been confirmed as secretary of state and has officially reported for duty. God help us. CIA designate John Brennan, who is rumored to be a Muslim plant, and defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, the hater of Israel, are both still awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation. Wyoming’s two U.S. senators, Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, actually voted for Kerry-Heinz’s confirmation. Cheney said Hagel, a former Nebraska U.S. senator, was chosen for no other reason than because Barry "wants to have a Republican that he can use to take the heat for what he plans to do to the Department of Defense." He said Barry’s plans are to allow severe cuts in U.S. defense spending, which would limit the capability of the U.S. military to respond to future foreign crises well after Barry has left office. "He is today … establishing what limitations will be on future presidents," Cheney said. And you know, you just couldn't say it any clearer than that.
Mr. Cheney made note of the fact that the security situation in the Middle East and North Africa has worsened considerably under Barry’s watch and Iran continues to make progress, pretty much unabated, in it effort to actively pursue it's desire to possess nuclear weapons. And he also pointed out that turmoil continues to escalate in Egypt, Syria, Mali and elsewhere. "That part of the world is as dangerous now as it has ever been," he said. The Obama administration’s response has been to pull back U.S. military presence and influence, resulting in rising mistrust of the U.S. from allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, he said. Despite Barry’s re-election victory, Cheney said he hopes Republicans can revive their political fortunes by holding to conservative principles. "I believe we’re all going to pull together, work hard, dig in and do what needs to be done," he said. I pray that he's right! And while I’ve always liked to think of myself as being a glass-is-half-full kinda guy, these days I'm having a rather difficult time remaining as confident and as optimistic as Mr. Cheney appears to be. I wish I could be confident that there are enough of those on our side who are actually willing to hold to those conservative principles that he mentioned. But I just don’t see enough proof that that’s the case.
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