[Peace-discuss] Cheney and Democrats attack Hagel

[C. G. Estabrook]

[A note from Jeff St. Clair, editor of CounterPunch.]

There are only two politicians that Cheney has attacked head on: Hagel 
and Murtha. These two obviously pose the biggest danger to the Bush war 
machine. It's a cue to the Democrats to follow suit, as they did in 
fragging Murtha. Now Democratic websites, like Thinkprogress and 
Wonkette, are smearing Hagel over the minimum wage of all thing, as 
their darling Hillary says she has no regrets about supporting the war.--jsc

	Cheney Responds to Hagel's Criticism
	
WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney shot back at Republican 
Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who has accused the Bush administration of 
playing "a pingpong game with American lives" by sending more U.S. 
troops into Iraq.

"Let's say I believe firmly in Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment: Thou 
shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican," Cheney said. "But it's very 
hard sometimes to adhere to that where Chuck Hagel is involved."

Cheney's comments came in a Newsweek interview released Sunday.

Hagel, a potential presidential candidate, has been outspoken in his 
criticism that the Republican White House lacks a coherent strategy in Iraq.

His "pingpong" remark came Wednesday as the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee debated a nonbinding resolution that condemned Bush's troop 
buildup in Iraq. Hagel co-sponsored the measure, which the committee 
approved in a 12-9 vote.

He was the only Republican to vote for it.

In the interview, Cheney also said he doesn't spend any time worrying 
about how the public or the media view him. When pressed to react to 
personal criticism from people with whom he has worked before, Cheney 
said: "Well, I'm vice president and they're not."

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