Dick Cheney's Compelling Witness

Editorial - May 22nd, 2009 - Washington Times

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's speech at the American Enterprise Institute had been scheduled for weeks before President Obama quite obviously tried to drown out Mr. Cheney by speaking on the same topic beginning exactly two minutes before Mr. Cheney was scheduled to take the AEI podium. In his 50-minute jeremiad, Mr. Obama repeatedly took nasty shots at Mr. Cheney and the administration he served, questioning not just the preceding administration's judgment, but also its motives and integrity.

Against Mr. Obama's insults, rhetoric and studied poses at his teleprompter, the former vice president answered with forceful words married to an understated tone of utter seriousness, with no electronic aids.

Barack Obama never stops campaigning in a form that is contemptible. He has mastered the technique of claiming in a simple sentence his opponent believes something that it takes a complicated explanation to prove is a lie. He then knocks down this "straw man" with glib superficial personal attacks.

To do this is hard if you are speaking extemporaneously, so Obama relies on a teleprompter to make sure he parses his words carefully enough that he does not mess up the attack. Maintaining a deceitful attack while appearing to be above that is a hard line to walk.

The MSM is gloating over how Obama won this debate with Cheney. The conservative press totally disagrees. The real question is whether the American people will watch and decide for themselves or whether they will listen to the media for their opinions. In the campaign, far too many simply took their orders from our left wing media and did no research on their own. If this continues Obama may win the argument, but America will surely lose.