Some Thoughts for Dick Cheney

Cheney's ravings about us being less safe now than under the Bush-Cheney regime would have had a Democrat making the same allegations whisked off to some black hole of a CIA detention facility in a country where English is not even a second language.

Besides showing a lack of good judgment, Cheney proves himself to be the cowardly sort that starts at every creak of the floorboard.

I have thought much of the Bush/Cheney program rooted itself in cowardice or in what Gore Vidal calls sissiness in some of his political essays. I never understood what he meant until half way through the Bush's first term.

The following articles from The Washington Post underscore just how stupid we have been.

Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots :

"In the end, though, not a single significant plot was foiled as a result of Abu Zubaida's tortured confessions, according to former senior government officials who closely followed the interrogations. Nearly all of the leads attained through the harsh measures quickly evaporated, while most of the useful information from Abu Zubaida -- chiefly names of al-Qaeda members and associates -- was obtained before waterboarding was introduced, they said."

General's Paper Sheds Light on Counterinsurgency:

Claims that the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan handles only security "have no place in this campaign," Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, wrote in a guidance paper sent to his troops.

Instead, he directed his command to "focus on governance, development and security concurrently" because "success in Afghanistan will not come from the sole pursuit of a security line of operations by military forces."

McKiernan's three-page counterinsurgency guidance paper, which was provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week by Gen. David H. Petraeus, puts in practical terms hard lessons learned by the U.S. military over the past eight years in Iraq and Afghanistan.

rce in Afghanistan handles only security "have no place in this campaign," Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, wrote in a guidance paper sent to his troops.

Instead, he directed his command to "focus on governance, development and security concurrently" because "success in Afghanistan will not come from the sole pursuit of a security line of operations by military forces."

McKiernan's three-page counterinsurgency guidance paper, which was provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week by Gen. David H. Petraeus, puts in practical terms hard lessons learned by the U.S. military over the past eight years in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Big Idea: Want to Fight Terrorists? Try Mocking Them:

"With the Taliban regaining strength and Osama bin Laden still on the loose, President Obama announced a new strategy Friday to 'disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda' in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In addition to new funding for Pakistan's democratic institutions and more U.S. troops to train the Afghan security forces, here's another anti-terrorism tactic the president might consider: Make al-Qaeda boring."

Which might sound silly but I learned long ago that if I could get someone to laugh at an opposing party's case, that was the end of that case.

Adios, to Mr. Cheney's favorite water sport.