Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Bush Admin RhetIraq: V.P. Cheney
Who: Vice President Dick Cheney
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
Quotes: Interview transcript with Wolf Blitzer on CNN - June 23, 2005
BLITZER: Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat, on the Foreign Relations Committee just came back from Iraq. He says that the U.S. is currently training 107 battalions of Iraqi troops and only three of those battalions are fully capable right now to take charge.
CHENEY: Well, a year ago there weren't any Iraqi battalions at all. It takes time to get a battalion up to speed where you take in the recruits, you train them, you equip them. It will take time to create a fully competent U.S. battalion if you started from scratch. We've got a lot of them in the pipeline. There are several different stages. There are three or four now that are up to the top level in terms of competence and capability, able to operate on their own. There are a lot more coming along behind them. So I feel very good about where we are with respect to training.
BLITZER: So you don't want to speculate how long it will take to get all those battalions up to speed?
CHENEY: No, but what I'd recommend you do is talk to Dave Petraeus, the former commander of the 101st, the man who is in charge of the training program over there.
BLITZER: I think the point that many Democrats, the liberals are making is they supported going to war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al Qaeda right after 9/11 --
CHENEY: Well, not --
BLITZER: -- but they didn't necessarily call for --
CHENEY: Not everybody. There were some who opposed what we did in Afghanistan.
Note: Three days after 9/11, the Senate voted 98 to 0 - and the House 420 to 1 - for a resolution authorizing Bush to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against those behind the attacks. After those votes, Bush issued a statement praising Congress for being "united so powerfully."
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
Quotes: Interview transcript with Wolf Blitzer on CNN - June 23, 2005
BLITZER: Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat, on the Foreign Relations Committee just came back from Iraq. He says that the U.S. is currently training 107 battalions of Iraqi troops and only three of those battalions are fully capable right now to take charge.
CHENEY: Well, a year ago there weren't any Iraqi battalions at all. It takes time to get a battalion up to speed where you take in the recruits, you train them, you equip them. It will take time to create a fully competent U.S. battalion if you started from scratch. We've got a lot of them in the pipeline. There are several different stages. There are three or four now that are up to the top level in terms of competence and capability, able to operate on their own. There are a lot more coming along behind them. So I feel very good about where we are with respect to training.
BLITZER: So you don't want to speculate how long it will take to get all those battalions up to speed?
CHENEY: No, but what I'd recommend you do is talk to Dave Petraeus, the former commander of the 101st, the man who is in charge of the training program over there.
BLITZER: I think the point that many Democrats, the liberals are making is they supported going to war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al Qaeda right after 9/11 --
CHENEY: Well, not --
BLITZER: -- but they didn't necessarily call for --
CHENEY: Not everybody. There were some who opposed what we did in Afghanistan.
Note: Three days after 9/11, the Senate voted 98 to 0 - and the House 420 to 1 - for a resolution authorizing Bush to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against those behind the attacks. After those votes, Bush issued a statement praising Congress for being "united so powerfully."
