Previous | Next :: 'dishonest and reprehensible' DC | November 22, 2005, 2:36 pm

"What is not legitimate, and what I will again say is dishonest and reprehensible, is the suggestion by some US senators that the President of the United States or any member of his administration purposely misled the American people on pre-war intelligence," Vice President Cheney said to the American Enterprise Institute.

"Disagreement, argument and debate are the essentials of democracy" Mr Cheney told the leading Washington think-tank. The speech comes with the White House apparently trying to calm a war of words that has broken out over Iraq. Democrat Congressman John Murtha last week originally stirred the hornets' nest, calling for a pull-out of US forces in Iraq. The White House then accused the Vietnam veteran of aligning himself with the extreme left-wing of his party and people like the film maker Michael Moore, they said he was endorsing a policy of surrender. But Mr Cheney told the American Enterprise Institute that Mr Murtha was "a good man, a marine and a patriot". He said there was no problem debating whether the US should have gone to war in Iraq, but he lashed out at those who have accused the president of purposely misleading the country.

A well attended press conference like this always presents problems. A forward thinking well equipped photographer attempting to do a straight forward professional press job would have a 600mm lens and a 2x converter on a tripod get there early get a good spot in the middle and sit tight. I just never do that. I really don't like those massive lenses they are useful but you can't move about with them and I just can't stand shooting from only one place. I like to move and try to shoot something different not commit to one safe image. I moved to be behind this TV cameraman he gives the interesting frame in the foreground I shot this hand held on a 200mm lens. This moving about in the dense pack is frowned upon by other press colleges especially TV guys but hey, Im better when I can move.....