Last Throws

It would seem that our vice-president's grasp on reality is about as good as his marksmanship. On Sunday, he did Face the Nation. During the interview, the following exchange took place:

SCHIEFFER: Mr. Vice President, all along the government has been very optimistic. You remain optimistic. But I remember when you were saying we'd be greeted as liberators, you played down the insurgency 10 months ago. You said it was in its last throes. Do you believe that these optimistic statements may be one of the reasons that people seem to be more skeptical in this country about whether we ought to be in Iraq?

CHENEY: No. I think it has less to do with the statements we've made, which I think were basically accurate and reflect reality, than it does with the fact that there's a constant sort of perception, if you will, that's created because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad. It's not all the work that went on that day in 15 other provinces in terms of making progress towards rebuilding Iraq

That's right, he really said that his ten-month old claim that the insurgency is in its "last throes", and other similar claims, were "basically accurate and reflect reality".

I caught that on the air when it happened. One of my neighbors was there, too. I think he probably put it best when he said, "if you believe everything they say in Washington, the insurgents have had more last throes than a nymphomaniac in a frat house."