Vice President Cheney today took part in a remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary in honor of Veterans Day. As part of the ceremony he laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Mr. Cheney has long been a supporter of government-funded tombs for fallen soldiers. In fact, he is such a strong supporter of the idea that he has been a driving force behind the Bush administration's three-year initiative to create over two thousand new graves for veterans. With a price tag of approximately $200 billion this program has come under fire in some quarters, with critics charging that it is needlessly expensive. Today Cheney, speaking before a small gathering of press, veterans and family members of deceased soldiers, waved off such criticisms as being "counterproductive" and "sending the wrong message."
"Nothing's too good for our fallen heroes." said Mr. Cheney in a short speech after the ceremonial wreath-laying. He was then escorted by Secret Service to his limousine that waited with its motor running to transport him to the nearby airfield and the ten-minute helicopter ride back across the Potomac.
Standard disclaimer: While Vice President Cheney did attend a wreath laying, what he actually said was this:
"Approximately 25 million of our fellow citizens once carried the title of Marine, soldier, airman, sailor, Coast Guardsman, National Guardsman, merchant mariner, and now carry the title of veteran."
Also, I have no idea how long the helicopter ride takes.
I wonder if he dressed a little better for the tomb of the unknown, but definitely 100% American soldier than he did at the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
http://www.iflipflop.com/cheney_auschwitz.jpg
Posted by: Spencer at November 11, 2005 03:16 PMwhy do 2,000 graves cost $200 billion?
Posted by: amy.leblanc at November 17, 2005 04:28 PMIt's not so much the digging them, it's the filling them.
Posted by: flamingbanjo at November 17, 2005 06:03 PM