Cheney to grads: War will not drag on indefinitely

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Vice President Dick Cheney told newly minted Coast Guard officers Wednesday that the war on terrorism would be won on their watch and dismissed fears that fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan would drag on indefinitely.

Cheney, sporting a 10-gallon hat, said the troop surge in Iraq "has succeeded brilliantly."

"The war on terror is a lengthy enterprise, but it does not have to go on forever," he told more than 200 graduating cadets during the 127th commencement at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

"The only way to lose this fight is to quit. That would be irresponsible," Cheney said. "More than that, quitting would be an act of betrayal and dishonor."

The commencement address was Cheney's second in four years at the academy. He was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. President Bush addressed graduates last year.

Cheney noted that the cadets entered the academy during the Iraq war and that it continues as they graduate.

"I am absolutely convinced that we will succeed in the war on terror, and I'm also convinced that it will happen on your watch," he said.

The ceremony, held overlooking the Thames River, was rich in tradition and precision. The vice president was greeted with a thunderous 19-gun salute. A jet and helicopter flew over as cadets tossed their hats in the air.

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Cheney told graduates that they will lead a branch of service that is more capable and agile than at any time in its 217-year history.

"From this day forward, you will be America's lifesavers and guardians of the seas," Cheney said. "You'll be there to provide security and to defend our American sovereignty and to enforce this nation's laws against drugs and human smuggling."

He told the cadets they have been given "an immense set of duties" that will cover some 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline. He praised the Coast Guard for rescuing people, including more than 33,000 people trapped by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"Every night a lot of people are thanking God for the United States Coast Guard," he said.

The vice president's visit was both cheered and jeered by demonstrators who arrived early outside the main gates.

Ted Bakacs said he drove down from Boston to join about two dozen war supporters, members of a group dubbed Gathering of Eagles. They waved American flags and toted signs saying "Proud to be an American" and "Support our Troops."

"We're proud of our government," said Bakacs, an Air Force veteran. "We're proud to be American."

Their message was countered by the more than 100 war protesters, who gathered in the center of this waterfront city and marched silently to the sounds of a slow drum beat to the academy gates. They carried placards that said, "War is Death" and "Dick Cheney: War Criminal."

Jason Ortiz, a 24-year-old University of Connecticut student, arrived early dressed as the grim reaper.

"I'm against people getting slaughtered so other people can make this money off of it," Ortiz said.

Comments

[realpolitic]

The next time Cheney places his hand on the bible and is sworn in, I hope it is at a war crimes trial.

[TurgidCaterwauling]

Declaring victory over terrorism will be about as effective as declaring victory over rain.

[ggmome]

They will just do like Hillary and change the name! Sea Hag and Cheney are the same.

[nikto]

You can pretty much count on just about any public statement Cheney
makes as being 180-degree­s-from-rig­ht, WRONG.

If Cheney says the sky is blue, you'd better go outside and look up.
(It'll probably be raining)

[libmatters]

All asshat
no cattle

[LeftHandedBrain]

Can you imagine him standing in front of a mirror getting that hat on "just right"?

He pictures himself a cowboy, but we all know he's no "straight shooter" in any sense of the phrase. Just ask his hunting buddies.

[goodog]

Considering the fact that he's been absolutely dead-wrong about everything else, this is an ominous statement of dark portent.

Raised in Texas, I have authority to say the hat looks stupid, especially in Connecticut.

[EdRocktober]

FYI
Dick's new lid is not a "10 Gallon Hat"

It's a TEN DOLLARS A GALLON HAT

We'll all be wearing one soon

[magen]

Cheney to grads-The War on Terror will not last forever, we are going to have to invent and create other wars to keep us in business.

[Mercedes]

All the blood money that Cheney has made will never pay to get him a ticket out of eternal Hell...

[willisbones]

If people like Bush, Cheney, Rove and all their talking heads on TV really believe in heaven and hell, as they all profess they do, then I am guessing they are all a little fearful of what awaits them in their inevitable eternal hell. Since congress seems inclined to let these criminals against humanity off the hook, I can only pray there will be a judgement day that sentences every one of them to burn for eternity. They deserve it.

[robertlockwoodmills]

If Cheney had wanted to tell the truth to these academy graudates, his talk would have gone something like this:

"I'm wearing this cowboy hat, because someone suggested it would give me a more manly appearance. You see, guys, when I was your age I wasn't much of a man. I was flunking out of college, seeking one draft deferment after another, and piling up driving-wh­ile-intoxi­cated citations. Before the last deferment ran out, my wife got pregnant and I was off the hook for good.

Whew! That was a relief. God forbid I should have had to go to that sinkhole called Vietnam. I might have gotten killed! Anyway, I stayed home and got involved in politics. And guess what? It was O.K. to have had a misspent youth, because a bunch of other guys had done the same thing and gotten away with it because Vietnam was such a disaster.

So I got involved in politics. But the people who sponsored me didn't think Vietnam was a disaster. So I couldn't say that. In fact, I had to say the opposite...that Americans had died for a good cause. I knew it was bullshit, but look here, sailors; life is about compromises. Except on terrorism, that is.

[sugarmoes]

"The only way to lose this fight is to quit. That would be irresponsible," Cheney said.

would that be MORE or LESS irresponsible than lying to start and expand a war that never needed to be?

[Economike]

The cowboy hat doesn't really look believable. He has more in common with the guy who puts a stocking over his head and robs the local 7-11.

[darcy]

As a resident of the CGA area, I was ashamed to have the traitor cheney visit. How he can stand up there and speak such bullshit is beyond me.

[bmora]

Wearing that obscenely large and ridiculous hat shows no respect for the servicemen and women. This is a commencement speach not a hootenanny. What’s with non-cowboys wearing cowboy hats.

[TocinoHumano]

What do you expect from a schmuck who wore ski gear to the memorial service at Auschwitz?

[izzat7]

Shhhh- that's where the WMD's are.