Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen

US & Int'l Papers

�

Click here for the Secret Decoder Ring to this issue!

National Insecurity

Rich Galen

Friday May 22, 2009

Click here for an Easy Print Version

Barack Obama is losing the PR war against Dick Cheney.

The former Vice President has been, as one of the actors said during the opening skit on Saturday Night Live last week "on TV more than Vince the ShamWOW guy."

While Democrats have been cackling about Cheney being everywhere all the time; I warned my counterpart on CNN the other day to be careful about where they go on National Security.

According to a poll released by CNN Cheney's favorable rating has gone from 29 percent when he left office in January to 37 percent in this poll. A majority, 55 percent, still have a negative view of Cheney.

The CNN polling director said that the rise in Cheney's favorables "almost certainly" had nothing to do with his outspoken criticism of the Obama Administration. She pointed that that George W. Bush's favorable rating had risen six points "and Bush has not given a single public speech since he left office."

As regular readers will attest, I'm no Einstein when it comes to statistics (or even simple addition and subtraction), but it seems to me that if Cheney were being held in the low esteem by the general public as is being bestowed upon him by the national Democrats, then the more he talks lower his approval ratings should go.

Am I wrong about this?

Yesterday both Cheney and Obama gave speeches dealing with national security.

On the day after the U.S. Senate joined their colleagues in the House and refused to provide funds to close Guantanamo until the President provides some guidance as to what he intends to do with the terrorists who have been housed there, Obama gave a speech about why it was important to close the prison.

Some of the terrorists will be moved to "supermax" prisons in the United States. In a particularly astonishing bit of sophistry, Obama said, as reported by the NY Times:

The problem of what to do with the Guantanamo detainees "was not caused by my decision to close the facility," Mr. Obama said. "The problem exists because of the decision to open Guantanamo in the first place."

Other prisoners, however, are so dangerous that Obama plans to keep them � somewhere. The New York Times, in its role as Speechwriter to the President defined the class of prisoners Obama was talking about as:

"Former Taliban commanders, Al Qaeda-trained explosives experts, acolytes of Osama bin Laden and others whose hatred of America is deep and uncompromising."

Which was far better written than the words that Obama actually used.

Obama has no answer for what to do with them, but the ACLU is on top of it, so we should be safe:

"We believe that continuing with the failed military commissions and creating a new system of indefinite detention without charge is inconsistent with the values that he expressed so eloquently at the National Archives today."

Thanks. We'll call you if we need you.

Meanwhile, across town, Cheney was presenting his view of the security situation. He claimed that the U.S. has never engaged in torture. According to the LA Times, Cheney said:

Opponents have criticized the interrogation tactics with "contrived indignation and phony moralizing," Cheney said. Intelligence officers were not trying to rough up terrorists to get vengeance -- they were trying to avert future terrorism, he said.
Cheney said, it may appear as if the new president "is on the path of reasonable compromise," but there is no middle ground when combating terrorists.

President Obama is debating former Vice President Dick Cheney. This is not good politics because the two men - no matter which you support - are being given equal coverage.

Not only that, but national security is the GOP's turf. Just as social security is the Democrats' home field. The Administration's argument that core American values will keep America safe just doesn't have the same zing as "we're gonna find 'em, lock 'em up in Cuba, and leave 'em there."

The White House knows, just as the Bush White House knew, that we are only one mistake away from another attack. That it never happened following 9/11 during the Bush-Cheney watch.

We should pray that President Obama can say as much when he leaves office.

On the Secret Decoder Ring today: Links to the CNN poll, to the text of the President's speech, to the coverage of VP Cheney's speech and - this is important - a link to this week's Nationals Notebook.

Also a Mullfoto of another "Please be advised" sign and a Catchy Caption of the Day which will make you yearn for beach volleyball season.

Become a
Paid Mullings Subscriber!

(To join the FREE mailing list or to unsubscribe Click Here)

Current Issue | Secret Decoder Ring | Past Issues | Email Rich | Rich Who?