Knowing that Dick Cheney's an asshole makes his comments and actions at least understandable. He's still a fuck for being an asshole, though.
Still, in all fairness, he's being mildly misquoted with his "So?" response to ABC reporter Martha Raddatz's comment that 2/3's of Americans don't feel the war is worth fighting.
I first saw this on the Daily Show. Then I received an email in which Michael Moore said this
... A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney cut her off with a one word answer: "So?"
"So?" As in, "So what?" As in, "F*** you. I could care less."
I would like every American to see Cheney flip the virtual bird at the them, the American people. Click here and pass it around. Then ask yourself why we haven't risen up and thrown him and his puppet out of the White House. ....
To Michael Moore's credit, he did link to a clip of the interview from Think Progress.
This is a vital point:Never Blindly Believe Anyone. Especially people you trust. We all make mistakes, but parroting someone else's mistake is dangerous.
I noticed something wrong with Think Progress' transcription, though
CHENEY: On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.
RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.
CHENEY: So?
RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?
CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.
(Emphasis Think Progress's)
Cheney didn't say, "No [Period: End of Sentence] I think ... ," confirming Raddatz's statement. He said, "No [Comma: Continuing] I think ... ," correcting her. The devil will always be in the details. This time, the details support the Devil.
This was enough for me to write a post. And wanting to back up my words with proof - and neatly tying in with my new fascination with YouTube - I went there to grab a clip to embed.
I wanted context, too. I wanted to kill any claims of misrepresentation by showing what ABC showed, not the snippet Think Progress showed me. Now I noticed something else: The background noise jumped up and down and words sounded clipped. The clip was chopped to hell.
Editing is necessary. Only a tiny fraction of what anybody says or does is actually interesting. The Sound Recordist and Editor, though, both should be fired. The edit was a total hack job. See/hear for yourself.
And now here's what actually was said -
THE VICE PRESIDENT: ... It's hard to go into a country that has never experienced democracy and expect to be able to flip a switch and have it turn overnight. But it is turning. They do have a democracy today. They have basic --
Q: Two-thirds of Americans say it was not worth fighting.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: They ought to go spend time, like you and I have, Martha. You know what's been happening in Iraq. You've been there as much as anybody. There has, in fact, been fundamental change and transformation, and improvement for the better. I think even you would admit that.
Q: Let me go back to the Americans. Two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting, and they're looking at the value gain versus the cost in American lives, certainly, and Iraqi lives.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So?
Q: So -- you don't care what the American people think?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No, I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls. Think about what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had paid attention to polls, if they had had polls during the Civil War. He never would have succeeded if he hadn't had a clear objective, a vision for where he wanted to go, and he was willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the political wars in order to get there. And this President has been very courageous, very consistent, very determined to continue down the course we were on and to achieve our objective. And that's victory in Iraq, that's the establishment of a democracy where there's never been a democracy, it's the establishment of a regime that respects the rights and liberties of their people, as an ally for the United States in the war against terror, and as a positive force for change in the Middle East. That's a huge accomplishment.
Pulled from the White House's transcript because ABC had split the quote across two pages.
Out of context? A little, yes. Misrepresented? Hell no! Dick Cheney still comes across as an asshole. He should be cheneyed for the smirk, alone. He was, however, polite about it.
And this is what got to me. Moore said Cheney, "cut her off," remember. He didn't. In fact, Raddatz cut him off a moment before. Think Progress wasn't thinking, either. Their transcript implies the aired segment was continuous when clearly it wasn't.
Shit stinks all on its own. No effort is required to make it repugnant. Yet, they - ABC, Think Progress, and Michael Moore - all seem to have taken that extra, needless step.
ABC can be forgiven. They're just trying to keep you hooked so they can sell commercials. Think Progress could just be the reactionaries the Right paint them as. Maybe they can't help it.
Michael Moore, though? How many films has he made? Granted, he doesn't edit his movies but knows how films are made and put together. He knows better. He knew what he was doing. Now you do.
His letter is dated 5 days after the March 19th interview and 'though it's likely a coincidence, he sent it out the same day that Cheney gave a follow up interview to Radditz that ended with him asking us to believe that he's not that big of an asshole.
Like trying to shine shit.
