Video: Cheney stumped by neocon defections

Video: Cheney reacts to neocon defections, slams press

Mike Sheehan and David EdwardsPublished: Friday November 3, 2006

Vice President Dick Cheney appeared tonight in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, in which he appeared perplexed when told of new neocon criticism of the Iraq war and the Bush administration.

Stephanopoulos told Cheney of criticisms from key neoconservatives Richard Perle, Ken Adelman and others that had just appeared in a new Vanity Fair article released that afternoon, in which they said, among other things, that "they would not have supported the invasion if they knew how incompetent the administration would be in handling it."

"[Ken Adelman] called your administration 'among the most incompetent administrations of the post-[World War II] era,'" Stephanopoulos said to Cheney. "'Individually, each team member had serious flaws; together they were deadly dysfunctional.'" Cheney, staring at Stephanopoulos as he spoke, then smirked and said, "I haven't seen the piece, I'm not gonna comment on it, George."

When pressed, Cheney added, "Well, I think there's no question, but ... it's a tough war, but it's also the right thing to do. And it's very important that we complete the mission. I just fundamentally disagree."

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