lucky wilbury
03-07-2004, 11:09 PM
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/834llyrg.asp
Dick Cheney's Gridiron Remarks
Highlights of the vice president's remarks at last night's 2004 Gridiron dinner.
by Special to The Daily Standard
03/07/2004 12:50:00 PM
Editor's note: The following are highlights of Vice President Dick Cheney's remarks at last night's annual Gridiron dinner. Although the speech is off-the-record, they were obtained by The Daily Standard.
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Thank you, President [Al] Hunt, members of the Gridiron . . . at one point during your skits, I had a little scare. I felt a tightness in my chest. I started gasping for air and breathing irregularly. Then I realized it's called laughing. . . .
Lots of familiar faces here tonight. I always feel a genuine bond whenever I see Senator Clinton. She's the only person who's the center of more conspiracy theories than I am.
But enough of this camaraderie. This is the absolute truth: my last full-blown press conference was when I was Secretary of Defense in April of 1991. . . . Although it's only been 13 years . . . I thought you might have come up with some new questions by now. And I have here some cards on which you have done just that. . . .
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Here's an unsigned question. "Mr. Vice President, don't you think it's time to step down and let someone else add new energy and vitality to the ticket?"
No . . . I don't. And Rudy [Guiliani], you need to do a better job disguising your handwriting.
Oh . . . and Rudy has a follow up. "How can you be so sure you'll be on the ticket?"
Because the CIA told me so! . . .
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Dave Broder: "How would you accurately describe
your role in this administration? Be honest."
I would say that I am a dark, insidious force pushing Bush toward war and confrontation. . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Thomas wants to know, "How do you justify attacking innocent dictators?"
Helen, let me get back to you on that. I need to talk to Richard Perle.
Terry Hunt of AP wants to know, "Has Senator Kerry had Botox treatments?"
Terry, I have some guidance on that from Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz:
"The Administration takes this development seriously. Botox, of course, is related to the botulism toxin, which can be processed into high-grade biological weapons. We have dispatched Dr. David Kay . . . to search for the bio-warfare agents we believe hidden in Senator Kerry's forehead. If Senator Kerry has used botox as part of a wrinkle enrichment program, he is in violation of U.N. Resolution 752. Upon receiving Dr. Kay's report, the weapons of mass destruction that Senator Kerry so adamantly insists do not exist . . . may well be above his very nose." End of statement.
Susan Page of USA Today asks, "What do you think of Senator John Edwards?"
I think he's cute as a button. . . .
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Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, it's getting late . . . and Nino [Scalia] and I have to get up early to go duck hunting . . . so let me say a few words in closing.
I have known some of the journalists in this room for many years. One of Dave Broder's guests tonight is my old friend and former Washington Post reporter, Lou Canon.
The thing about reporters like Lou is that he is always looking for that scoop called truth. The effort, insight, and integrity of our finest journalists, like Lou, are especially critical to our understanding of the dangers that face America. From the hour our country was attacked on September 11th, up to the present, American journalism has produced some of its finest work ever.
Some of you have been to Iraq or Afghanistan, or to a military installation at home or abroad. And as we close this evening, I think I can safely speak for all of us in expressing pride and admiration for our people in uniform.
They have seen hard duty, long deployments, fierce fighting . . . and they have endured the loss of friends and comrades.
Along the way, they have liberated 50 million souls from tyranny . . . protected this country from terrorist violence . . . and kept the nation's enemies in desperate flight. Here in Washington, we continue to have our debates and disagreements about the course of this war. Yet there is no doubting the scale of our military's achievements, or the honor of the men and women who have carried out the missions.
Tonight we can be grateful that America's cause is in good hands.
Dick Cheney's Gridiron Remarks
Highlights of the vice president's remarks at last night's 2004 Gridiron dinner.
by Special to The Daily Standard
03/07/2004 12:50:00 PM
Editor's note: The following are highlights of Vice President Dick Cheney's remarks at last night's annual Gridiron dinner. Although the speech is off-the-record, they were obtained by The Daily Standard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you, President [Al] Hunt, members of the Gridiron . . . at one point during your skits, I had a little scare. I felt a tightness in my chest. I started gasping for air and breathing irregularly. Then I realized it's called laughing. . . .
Lots of familiar faces here tonight. I always feel a genuine bond whenever I see Senator Clinton. She's the only person who's the center of more conspiracy theories than I am.
But enough of this camaraderie. This is the absolute truth: my last full-blown press conference was when I was Secretary of Defense in April of 1991. . . . Although it's only been 13 years . . . I thought you might have come up with some new questions by now. And I have here some cards on which you have done just that. . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's an unsigned question. "Mr. Vice President, don't you think it's time to step down and let someone else add new energy and vitality to the ticket?"
No . . . I don't. And Rudy [Guiliani], you need to do a better job disguising your handwriting.
Oh . . . and Rudy has a follow up. "How can you be so sure you'll be on the ticket?"
Because the CIA told me so! . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Broder: "How would you accurately describe
your role in this administration? Be honest."
I would say that I am a dark, insidious force pushing Bush toward war and confrontation. . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Thomas wants to know, "How do you justify attacking innocent dictators?"
Helen, let me get back to you on that. I need to talk to Richard Perle.
Terry Hunt of AP wants to know, "Has Senator Kerry had Botox treatments?"
Terry, I have some guidance on that from Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz:
"The Administration takes this development seriously. Botox, of course, is related to the botulism toxin, which can be processed into high-grade biological weapons. We have dispatched Dr. David Kay . . . to search for the bio-warfare agents we believe hidden in Senator Kerry's forehead. If Senator Kerry has used botox as part of a wrinkle enrichment program, he is in violation of U.N. Resolution 752. Upon receiving Dr. Kay's report, the weapons of mass destruction that Senator Kerry so adamantly insists do not exist . . . may well be above his very nose." End of statement.
Susan Page of USA Today asks, "What do you think of Senator John Edwards?"
I think he's cute as a button. . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, it's getting late . . . and Nino [Scalia] and I have to get up early to go duck hunting . . . so let me say a few words in closing.
I have known some of the journalists in this room for many years. One of Dave Broder's guests tonight is my old friend and former Washington Post reporter, Lou Canon.
The thing about reporters like Lou is that he is always looking for that scoop called truth. The effort, insight, and integrity of our finest journalists, like Lou, are especially critical to our understanding of the dangers that face America. From the hour our country was attacked on September 11th, up to the present, American journalism has produced some of its finest work ever.
Some of you have been to Iraq or Afghanistan, or to a military installation at home or abroad. And as we close this evening, I think I can safely speak for all of us in expressing pride and admiration for our people in uniform.
They have seen hard duty, long deployments, fierce fighting . . . and they have endured the loss of friends and comrades.
Along the way, they have liberated 50 million souls from tyranny . . . protected this country from terrorist violence . . . and kept the nation's enemies in desperate flight. Here in Washington, we continue to have our debates and disagreements about the course of this war. Yet there is no doubting the scale of our military's achievements, or the honor of the men and women who have carried out the missions.
Tonight we can be grateful that America's cause is in good hands.