Cheney Should Shut Up and Do His Job

Feb. 26, 2007 — -- For the first time in six years, I can finally say it: I agree with Dick Cheney!

The vice president questioned the Democrats' strategy on Iraq earlier in the week and said Nancy Pelosi's tactics would "validate the al Qaeda strategy." That's not the part I agree with.

Then, Nancy Pelosi shot back that she was going to call her mommy, I mean the president, and tell on Cheney. I know she's trying to pressure the president to either stand with his vitriolic vice president or repudiate him. It's not a bad strategy, but it was carried off in a way that made me feel like she was whining.

Here, look at this quote from Pelosi about Cheney's comments:

"And you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to call the president and tell him I disapprove of what the vice president said."

Oh, are you? Wow.

But this is not my main point. The real reason I think Cheney is right is because the wrong strategy can help al Qaeda. There are things the United States can do that would hurt al Qaeda and there are other things we can do to help strengthen them and validate their strategy.

As it happens, the policies Dick Cheney has advocated and this White House has adopted has led to the former. In fact, Cheney has validated the al Qaeda strategy more than anyone else in the world.

Al Qaeda said we would attack oil-rich Middle Eastern countries -- and Cheney did. Al Qaeda said that we would get stuck fighting these wars and squander our national treasure doing so -- and Cheney did. Al Qaeda said our real goal was to occupy the Middle East and hold Muslims in the region down -- and Cheney did.

Now Cheney promises to validate al Qaeda's strategy even more by attacking another oil-rich, Middle Eastern country. This would lead us into another unwinnable war, further occupation of Muslim lands, and waste even more of our money.

Osama bin Laden made a tape right before the 2004 election. The Republicans and Fox News Channel spun it by saying Osama wanted Americans to vote for John Kerry. But that's not what he said in the tape at all. Quite the opposite. He said how happy he was that we had invaded Iraq and that we were going to bankrupt ourselves there just like the Soviet Union bankrupted itself fighting Muslim forces in Afghanistan.

Cenk Uygur is the main host of "Young Turks" on Air America Radio.