This morning, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, ABC’s Good Morning America aired an interview with Vice President Cheney on the war. During the segment, Cheney flatly told White House correspondent Martha Raddatz that he doesn’t care about the American public’s views on the war:
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.
Watch it:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/19/cheney-poll-iraq/
You have to love when the leader of a countries attitude towards his own people is 'so'? And openly states he doesn't care what the American people think. I mean, we all knew this, but seriously, when it comes to the point they aren't even trying to hide it, thats pretty appaling.
The question then is - if 2/3rds of a countries people is against something, and it's leaders still do it, and they openly express the fact they don't care what the people in their own country think - is that a dictatorship?
By definition, it is.
If a small cadre is running the country they want and ignoring the will of the masses, that is the text book definition of a dictatorship.
Again, nothing new, but I think everyone needs to see the clip. Cheny actually smirks and laughs when they ask him about the American people and their views. He openly mocks the American people, and states he really doesn't care what they think.
Then there is the fact Cheney spent Wednesday, the 5th anniversary of the war, not mourning the dead he killed, but fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht with members of the Saudi royal family.
Could he be anymore like a classic dictator? While his own nation is in the worst financial crisis since the great depression and the country is in a war that is spiraling out of control, he casually spends his days out of the country on yachts drinking champagne with other dictators.
