Liberals Cheer Cheney on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'

The scourge of the left gets a temporary breather

For a fleeting microsecond, Dick Cheney won favor with his liberal detractors. Appearing on ABC's This Week, Cheney said "it's time to reconsider the policy" of 'don't ask, don't tell.' As a result, some of his most indefatigable critics are giving him props. Though each compliment is served with a side of "I still hate your guts," pundits are welcoming his candor:

• Better Late Than Never, writes Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post. After lambasting Cheney on national security issues, Robinson praises the former VP for his "nugget of good sense": "Cheney became perhaps the most prominent conservative voice thus far to speak out in support" of Obama's decision. "If a long-overdue policy shift that would allow gay people to serve openly in the armed forces is fine with three-fourths of the American public, the top officers in the Pentagon hierarchy and Dick Cheney, too, then the times aren't just a-changing. They've already changed."

• An Important Voice for Reform, writes John Nichols at The Nation: "This is rather a big deal. Cheney may not be a military man himself ... but he is a former Secretary of Defense who then took work as the top executive of one of the country's primary defense contractors. That makes him about as central a player in the military-industrial complex as you'll find."

• Will Hopefully Create a Snowball Effect, writes Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly: "His support for President Obama's position on DADT repeal is welcome, and adds to the momentum."