Y
Yo' Momma
Guest
His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq.
But a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was
typically feisty.
Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq
war as a "remarkable achievement" in one speech, and dismissed suggestions
his influence in Washington is waning.
At a news conference Saturday, Cheney warned that "all options" are on the
table if Iran continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran's nuclear
ambitions, leaving the door open to military action.
Cheney's support for the Iraq war _ he is considered one of the key
proponents of the 2003 invasion _ drew protesters into Sydney's streets for
two days.
But the crowds were small and the clashes brief, and Cheney enjoyed a
generally warm welcome, including lunch at Australian Prime Minister John
Howard's harborside mansion and a cruise past the Sydney Opera House.
On Saturday, he held talks with Howard _ who at one point felt compelled to
defend his friendly relations with the White House.
In Japan, Cheney asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's opposition to
President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq would "validate the al-Qaida
strategy."
A furious Pelosi complained to the White House that Cheney was impugning the
patriotism of critics of the war. Cheney refused to back down: "I said it
and I meant it," he told ABC News. "I didn't question her patriotism, I
questioned her judgment."
He took a similarly uncompromising stand on Iran, criticizing its defiance
of a U.N. deadline for freezing its uranium enrichment programs. While the
White House seeks a peaceful resolution to the problem, he said, he did not
rule out military action.
Cheney was more diplomatic, but no less direct, on Friday when he discussed
North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and China's rapid modernization of
its 2.3 million-strong military forces.
Noting that China _ an emerging economic power _ had hit a defunct weather
satellite with a missile last month, Cheney said that some of the country's
actions were at odds with its pledge to develop peacefully.
In the same speech, though, he praised China for its help in persuading
North Korea to seal its main nuclear reactor in exchange for oil. But Cheney
added North Korea had "much to prove," namely that it would honor the deal.
Michael McKinley, an expert in Australia-U.S. relations at the Australian
National University, said Cheney's association with an Iraq policy that many
see as a failure has made him unpopular, but it is too soon to write off his
influence.
Cheney is still a force in the White House, McKinley said, and "in the area
of foreign and defense policy, he is the power."
During Cheney's visit to Australia _ one of the United States' staunchest
allies in Iraq _ he said history would ultimately judge the war a success,
pointing to the end of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and Iraq's democratic
elections. The U.S., he said, has put Iraq "well on the road to establishing
a viable democracy."
Cheney told ABC News that media speculation that he had lost influence
within the Bush administration was inaccurate, just as earlier speculation
that he was the all-powerful was wrong.
"I think people fall into the trap of focusing on that and talking about it
and reporters writing about it, but it rarely reflects reality," he said.
"So I don't worry about those stories."
Howard, who faces increasing pressure to begin withdrawing Australian troops
and did not attend Cheney's speech on Friday, rejected suggestions the
government was keeping a polite distance from the vice president during the
visit. National elections are due later this year.
"It's never a political liability, ever, for the prime minister of Australia
to have a good relationship with the president and the vice president of the
United States," Howard said.
Cheney seemed comfortable knowing that not all Australians like him, telling
The Australian that not all the gestures directed as he cruises around in
his motorcade are friendly waves.
"Driving through Sydney is a lot like driving through New York City," Cheney
said. "You get some waves, and then you get some other waves. And that goes
with living in a democracy. ... That's as it should be."
But a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was
typically feisty.
Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq
war as a "remarkable achievement" in one speech, and dismissed suggestions
his influence in Washington is waning.
At a news conference Saturday, Cheney warned that "all options" are on the
table if Iran continues to defy U.N.-led efforts to end Tehran's nuclear
ambitions, leaving the door open to military action.
Cheney's support for the Iraq war _ he is considered one of the key
proponents of the 2003 invasion _ drew protesters into Sydney's streets for
two days.
But the crowds were small and the clashes brief, and Cheney enjoyed a
generally warm welcome, including lunch at Australian Prime Minister John
Howard's harborside mansion and a cruise past the Sydney Opera House.
On Saturday, he held talks with Howard _ who at one point felt compelled to
defend his friendly relations with the White House.
In Japan, Cheney asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's opposition to
President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq would "validate the al-Qaida
strategy."
A furious Pelosi complained to the White House that Cheney was impugning the
patriotism of critics of the war. Cheney refused to back down: "I said it
and I meant it," he told ABC News. "I didn't question her patriotism, I
questioned her judgment."
He took a similarly uncompromising stand on Iran, criticizing its defiance
of a U.N. deadline for freezing its uranium enrichment programs. While the
White House seeks a peaceful resolution to the problem, he said, he did not
rule out military action.
Cheney was more diplomatic, but no less direct, on Friday when he discussed
North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and China's rapid modernization of
its 2.3 million-strong military forces.
Noting that China _ an emerging economic power _ had hit a defunct weather
satellite with a missile last month, Cheney said that some of the country's
actions were at odds with its pledge to develop peacefully.
In the same speech, though, he praised China for its help in persuading
North Korea to seal its main nuclear reactor in exchange for oil. But Cheney
added North Korea had "much to prove," namely that it would honor the deal.
Michael McKinley, an expert in Australia-U.S. relations at the Australian
National University, said Cheney's association with an Iraq policy that many
see as a failure has made him unpopular, but it is too soon to write off his
influence.
Cheney is still a force in the White House, McKinley said, and "in the area
of foreign and defense policy, he is the power."
During Cheney's visit to Australia _ one of the United States' staunchest
allies in Iraq _ he said history would ultimately judge the war a success,
pointing to the end of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and Iraq's democratic
elections. The U.S., he said, has put Iraq "well on the road to establishing
a viable democracy."
Cheney told ABC News that media speculation that he had lost influence
within the Bush administration was inaccurate, just as earlier speculation
that he was the all-powerful was wrong.
"I think people fall into the trap of focusing on that and talking about it
and reporters writing about it, but it rarely reflects reality," he said.
"So I don't worry about those stories."
Howard, who faces increasing pressure to begin withdrawing Australian troops
and did not attend Cheney's speech on Friday, rejected suggestions the
government was keeping a polite distance from the vice president during the
visit. National elections are due later this year.
"It's never a political liability, ever, for the prime minister of Australia
to have a good relationship with the president and the vice president of the
United States," Howard said.
Cheney seemed comfortable knowing that not all Australians like him, telling
The Australian that not all the gestures directed as he cruises around in
his motorcade are friendly waves.
"Driving through Sydney is a lot like driving through New York City," Cheney
said. "You get some waves, and then you get some other waves. And that goes
with living in a democracy. ... That's as it should be."
