Obama, who was giving the speech largely because he'd convinced the American public the Iraq war was a mistake and he should lead them, disputed virtual every Cheney premise. Not only were our means not effective, they made us less secure, tarnished our image, and involved rigging the record.
That last point might need its own spotlight. When a president accuses a predecessor of having "trimmed fact and evidence" to support an ideologically-driven cause, that's rough. Obama thus called Cheney & Co. liars and cheats in this national security grudge match.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/05/obama-and-cheney-no-love-lost/18055/
