TIME.com -- Joe Klein: Cheney's Thousand-Yard Stare

TIME.com -- Joe Klein: Cheney's Thousand-Yard Stare

"There were the attempts to inflate the belated revelation of the accident into a metaphor for the arrogance and secrecy that have defined the Bush Administration. And yes, the Vice President's behavior did seem to be another manifestation of his well-known disdain for accountability."

According to Klein, Cheney's not rushing to the press could be "a consequence of the incoherence and confusion that come with emotional trauma."

Adding, "In fact, he sounded a lot like the combat veterans I've spoken with over the years, for whom the living nightmare of firing a weapon under questionable circumstances is a constant theme." Huh?

Then Joe, lets Bob Kerrey in with, '"Cheney's the sort of guy who thinks in terms of black and white," former Senator Bob Kerrey, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, said. "But now he's used a weapon the way a soldier often does, with unexpected results that come in shades of gray. Maybe now he'll have a better sense of what he has sent our troops out to do."' HUH?

Then on about Cheney's draft deferments and the consequences it has had for Bill Clinton, who "often seemed daunted and uncertain in his dealings with the military." To Bush and Cheney, who "rushed to war in Iraq without adequate cause or preparation."

"The most common complaint I've heard from troops recently returned from Iraq is that Americans are oblivious to what soldiers have to do every day over there." Which the misleading media could go a long way to clarifying for those of us who are not serving right now. One way, would be to appear to appreciate their sacrifices by printing good things that happen. Or not insisting that this is an "illegal war," as the parroting media is so wont to do.

Joe finishes up with this as the "neatest summary I've seen of the public debate surrounding the Bush Administration's war in Iraq. Absent further evidence, the Administration seems guilty of negligence—(Cheney could have been charged with this for the hunting accident according to a NYTimes piece), a cavalier insensitivity to the unimaginable calamities that attend the use of lethal force."

Through the twists and curves that are the nuanced Joe Klein, we no longer have a hunting accident, but a lesson about rushing to war. Bush and Cheney rushed without any consideration for those that have volunteered to serve; so don't use them. Since Joe considers Iraq illegitimate this all fits.

Question Joe: How do you define "rush to war?" Did the clock start in 1991 or late 2002 or early 2003?