wx247 wrote:But here is an interview with Cheney the same day on Face The Nation on CBS.
SCHIEFFER: If we do have to take action, do you think it will be a long war or a short war?
CHENEY: My own judgment based on my time as secretary of Defense, and having operated in this area in the past, I'm confident that our troops will be successful, and I think it'll go relatively quickly, but we can't...
SCHIEFFER: Weeks?
CHENEY: ...we can't count on that.
SCHIEFFER: Months?
CHENEY: Weeks rather than months. There's always the possibility of complications that you can't anticipate, but I have great confidence in our troops. The men and women who serve in our military today are superb. Our capabilities as a force are the finest the world has ever known.
They're very ably led by General Tommy Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld. And so I have great confidence in the conduct of the military campaign.
I'm glad you found this. Perfect example of media exaggeration. When asked if it would take weeks, he said that you can't count on that. When given the choice between weeks or months, he chose weeks directly expressing great confidence in our troops, but "There's always the possibility of complications that you can't anticipate, but I have great confidence in our troops."
If this is supposed to be the direct quote the media is using to indicate a definite timetable, they failed miserably. Nothing in here indicates a prediction of a short, fast, easy war. In fact, just the reverse. He makes it very clear that complications can arise and there's no way to exactly predict how long this war will last.