Valley Forge memories: The time I didn't know Richard
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Valley Forge memories: The time I didn't know Richard
So Romney is flying tonight on a plane -- having more fun sleeping over in Philly before a day of events tomorrow. There's a fundraiser at the Union League, which is just the setting to dispel the notion that he's the candidate of the 1 Percent. He also comes out to (barely) Delaware County, where he speaks at the Valley Forge Military Academy. The hard-discipline school -- which educated some kids of the Chicago mob in the 1960s, true story -- is apparently also a favorite stop for Republican candidates. In fact, it was there at VMFA in 2000, when I was the Daily News political writer and we actually went to stuff, that I "confronted" Dick Cheney face to face.
Now anyone who's been reading Attytood for the last 7-and-a-half years (or it's long forgotten "pilot" episode, called "Campaign Extra!" with an exclamation point) knows that Cheney is the bete noir of the blog, pure evil rendered into human form, walking among us lowly mortals. So you can imagine the hard-hitting questions I asked the GOP vice presidential candidate as we sat around a small table -- Cheney, his wife Lynne and a small gaggle of local reporters -- and gazed out at the football field and the late summer foliage.
Here's an excerpt from the Daily News of Sept. 7, 2000 (via Nexis, so no link):
The GOP's Dick Cheney brought his quiet quest for the vice presidency to the Philadelphia suburbs yesterday, and bowed to political reality by saying he now "probably" would support the massive Delaware County defense contract that he sought so aggressively to kill a decade ago.
Responding to a question from the Daily News, Cheney conceded that he had lost the battle to kill the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor helicopter - manufactured by the Boeing Corp. in Ridley Park - and that he would likely support the project if he and George W. Bush are elected in November.
"We're committed now, and we've made a significant upfront investment, and if I had to sit down today and decide what our needs are and given the status of the program, I'd probably go forward with it," said Cheney.
Wow. Nothing about his secret energy task force, or his ties to Halliburton, or whether he planned to invade Iraq, or what his view was of torture or "waterboarding," or his views on duck-hunting safety (heh). Because on September 6, 2000, we had no idea what Cheney had up his sleeve with that "quiet quest" that I wrote about. At that moment, Cheney was the grown-up, the "smart one," not a monster. We just didn't know.
I only bring it up because it's a reminder that for all the words and all the blather about a 2012 presidential campaign that's gone on for months and months, what will probably strike us years from now will be the things we didn't know, and the questions we didn't ask. It never would have occurred to me in a million years to ask Cheney whether he was going to invade Iraq.
So what aren't we asking Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Joe Biden and Paul Ryan?
Think about it this weekend.
Talk abotu logical fallacies. Not supporting Obama does not equal supporting Romney. You're a lawyer for chrissakes and can't even think that one through?— RG- "why I should vote for Romney,"
I'm in bizzaro world. When did I ever say you should vote for Romney?— RG - The press hasn't asked obummer a question of substance in 6 years.Where are his college records? What was he real relationship with Bill"the terrorist" Ayres. Rev. Right? Sat in that hate mongers church for 20 years. Where are his college records? Who paid for his tuition? Why? Why has he fought so hard to keep all of that secret? Why did he and his wife surrender their law licences? Just get answers to a few of these and at least try and act like a reporter. You apologists for this clown in the White House are a disgrace.— georgel
- "Not supporting Obama does not equal supporting Romney." . . LOL, no it means letting him win, dope. Why should I do that? Convince me.— montani semper liberi
- "When did I ever say you should vote for Romney?" . . . Then tell me why I shouldn't?— montani semper liberi
- Can't "let" Romney win, so you might as well vote to support murder and various other transgressions you claim to be against.— RG
- "so you might as well vote to support murder and various other transgressions you claim to be against" . . . . Because Romney's against those things, right?— montani semper liberi
"You support the murdering and terrorizing of civilian populations, as well as assualts on sovereign nations. You cannot avoid these facts."
Again with this utopian fantasy world. Drone strikes ARE the most effective way to fight an enemy which calls no nation it's home. These strikes DO prevent as much collateral damage as possible. Would I prefer zero innocent casualties? Absolutely. Is there a remote possibility of that while fighting al Queda in a foreign land, when the civilians often protect the jihadists? Absolutely not.— wokmaster- So we have to kill and terrorize civilians in order to be safe. This coming from the side that accused Bush of fearmongering for 8 years.
Face it, you are single issue voters, and that issue is basically redistribution.— RG - "Face it, you are single issue voters, and that issue is basically redistribution." . . . . And Romney isn't, right?— montani semper liberi
- RG - Stop changing the subject. I asked you what you would replace drone strikes with. You said intervention. What does that mean? sounds like your one word attack on taxes - "redistribution". Foreign policy is a complex issue. Are you proposing we do nothing at all, ala Ron Paul? Lay it on the line for all to see and stop fixating on taxes for JUST ONE MOMENT. Please clue the rest of us in on a viable alternative to drone strikes.— wokmaster
- Its good to know that instead of caring about government accountability and what the country stands for, you're solely focused on your side "winning" the election. But thats not partisan hackery.
— RG - "Because Romney's against those things, right?"
Because Obama's against these things, right? But you'll still vote for him. Romney's unelectable because he'll support these policies, but Obama gets your vote for actually overseeing these policies.
No amount of spinning can untangle you from that twisted logic.— RG - I'll address that after you articulate a strategy to replace the drone strikes. I'm waiting...— wokmaster
- "You said intervention."
No, I said intervention was the problem. You've failed reading comprehension.
"strategy to replace the drone strikes."
No drone strikes.— RG
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