Cheney spits on troops

It's well-known that Vice President Dick Cheney is the most arrogant public figure in this country. But despite his legendary pomposity, his gall continues to astonish even those observers who thought they had gotten use to it.

Cheney started off by insisting that the biggest burden of the Iraq war was carried by George W. Bush. A man who lives in an air-conditioned mansion with taxpayer-funded four-star chefs, with the greatest security detail of any man alive, who jaunts around the world in a luxurious jumbo jet and who will retire comfortably to his ranch in 10 months time.

According to Cheney, Bush carries a far greater burden than the soldiers braving roadside bombs and suffering in the 120 degree heat or their spouses back Stateside trying to raise families alone or veterans maimed in combat vaillantly trying to rehabilitate themselves.

If poor Bush ever feels the burden is too much to handle and wants to get some rest and relaxation, he should feel free to swap jobs with a GI in the Sunni Triangle.

Cheney also pooh-poohed complaints by soldiers who are being deployed repeatedly to Iraq and risked being burnt out. They should really just shut their yaps because it's a volunteer army. Besides, they probably wanted to be sent back to the hellhole three and four times.

In a previous essay entitled 'The astonishing arrogance of the clueless privileged,' I referred to President Bush as a twat, a word I'd never used before in this blog. And yet both that title and that description could just as easily apply to the vice-president.