BAGHDAD, May 9, 2007

Cheney: Iraq Still A Dangerous Place

Strong Explosion Rattles Embassy During Vice President's Visit

  • Play CBS Video Video Protests Greet Cheney In Iraq

    Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced stop in Baghdad, where he met with Iraq's prime minister and U.S. commanders. Gwen Belton reports that violence continued during the visit.

  • Video Cheney In Iraq, Blast In Irbil

    CBS News RAW: Vice President Dick Cheney arrived for a surprise visit to Iraq as a suicide blast in the normally peaceful Kurdish region left at least 19 people dead at the Interior Ministry.

  • Video Cheney Admits Security Issues

    The Vice President arrived in Iraq wearing body armor, a reminder that everyone is a target. He warned lawmakers not to take a two-month recess, saying time is of the essence. Mark Strassmann reports.

    • Remains of a truck are seen in front of the badly damaged Interior Ministry building in the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq, May 9, 2007.

      Remains of a truck are seen in front of the badly damaged Interior Ministry building in the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq, May 9, 2007.  (AP Photo)

    • Vice President Dick Cheney at news conference in Baghdad on May 9, 2007.

      Vice President Dick Cheney at news conference in Baghdad on May 9, 2007.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

    • Vice President Dick Cheney, center, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, left, and Gen. David Patraeus, commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq, right, takes part in a news conference in Baghdad on May 9, 2007.

      Vice President Dick Cheney, center, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, left, and Gen. David Patraeus, commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq, right, takes part in a news conference in Baghdad on May 9, 2007.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

    • Vice President Dick Cheney is greeted by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as he arrives at Baghdad International Airport on a surprise visit, May 9, 2007.

      Vice President Dick Cheney is greeted by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as he arrives at Baghdad International Airport on a surprise visit, May 9, 2007.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

    • Followers of radical anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn effigies as they rally in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, on May 9, 2007.

      Followers of radical anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn effigies as they rally in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, on May 9, 2007.  (AP Photo/Emad Sadoon)

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  • Interactive Battle For Iraq

    The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.

  • Interactive Second In Command

    A closer look at Vice President Dick Cheney's career and his much-publicized health problems.

(CBS/AP)  Vice President Dick Cheney pressed Iraq's leaders to do more to reduce violence and achieve political reconciliation Wednesday in a visit punctuated by an explosion that shook windows at the U.S. Embassy where Cheney was visiting.

Cheney acknowledged the country still has serious security problems. Iraqi leaders "believe we are making progress, but we've got a long way to go," he said.

The vice president urged that Iraq's parliament abandon plans for a two-month summer vacation while U.S. forces are fighting. With important issues pending, including how to share Iraq's oil wealth, "any undue delay would be difficult to explain," Cheney said.

As Democrats clamor for an end to the four-year-old war and President Bush sags in the polls, the White House is under intense political pressure to show that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government is making progress.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett said in Washington that Cheney's trip "gives an opportunity at a very high level for this message to be delivered."

Eight days after Bush vetoed a bill setting deadlines for U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, the White House also served notice that Bush would veto a follow-up bill drafted by House Democratic leaders that would pay for the Iraq war only into summer. At the same time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates held out hope that troops can begin withdrawing if the Iraqi government makes progress by fall.

Supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied in Baghdad and Shiite areas to the south to protest the Cheney visit and demand the withdrawal of American forces. Protesters in Baghdad and the holy city of Najaf chanted "No to the occupation" and "No to America."

In other developments:

  • A suicide truck bomb ripped through the Interior Ministry in the relatively peaceful Kurdish city of Irbil on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding dozens, officials said. Kurdish officials blamed al Qaeda-linked insurgents for the first major attack in the regional capital in more than three years.

  • Four Iraqi journalists were killed Wednesday in a drive-by shooting near the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, police said. The four worked for the independent Raad media company, which publishes several weekly newspapers and monthly magazines that are generally pro-government and deal with politics, education and arts.

  • Police found four decapitated heads in the Sabtiyah area north of Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, health officials said Wednesday. The body of a security officer was also found shot in the head and chest in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad, police said.

  • The White House said President Bush would veto any bill drafted by House Democratic leaders that would fund the Iraq war only into the summer months.

  • Some former top Iraq war commanders are taking the highly unusual step of appearing in TV ads that take on the president's policy, CBS News' Peter Maer reports. Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, a self-described lifelong Republican, said the U.S. is on a "slow grind to nowhere in an Iraq mired in civil war."

  • A new report by the group Save the Children says Iraq's child mortality rate is up 150 percent since 1990. Mark Strassmann reports that thousands of Baghdad's children live on the streets, with little to protect them from the daily violence.

    Continued



    © MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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    Add a Comment See all 358 Comments
    by j-whitman May 10, 2007 3:33 PM EDT
    Lars,,,, If you are a "Man of Valour" you should ENLIST for 4 years active duty -- But, you won't.
    Reply to this comment
    by kcstan11 May 10, 2007 12:45 PM EDT

    So "last throws" and "only a few criminals" Cheney is safely in the green zone and probably wearing an adult diaper.

    Hey Maliki, what can you do to keep that SOB there??? You probably can use him ... I heard that he knows how to use a shotgun ...

    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 12:06 PM EDT
    "Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar." Winston Churchill This call and spur to the faithful servants of Truth and Justice was quoted by Churchill in his first broadcast as Prime Minister to the British people on the BBC - May 19, 1940, London

    We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old. Winston Churchill Speech in the House of Commons (4 June 1940)
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 11:34 AM EDT
    I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.' We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Winston Churchill Speech in the House of Commons, after taking office as Prime Minister (13 May 1940)

    Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realise that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. Winston Churchill
    Reply to this comment
    by formrusmcsgt May 10, 2007 11:01 AM EDT
    The fact that, after four years of occupation, administration officials still have to sneak into and out of Iraq like terrorists proves how much security we've brought to Iraq.
    Reply to this comment
    by formrusmcsgt May 10, 2007 10:58 AM EDT
    The fact that after four years of occupation administration officials still have to sneak into and out of Iraq like terrorists proves how much security we've brought to Iraq.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 10:34 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress
    Sign this Appeal.
    This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
    It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealforcourage.org/
    Reply to this comment
    by neoconrcrazy May 10, 2007 10:32 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress

    This site is an Appeal For Redress against our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.

    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our Democratic bill for a new direction in Iraq. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively support media efforts which increase American support at home. The War in Iraq is unjust, and an illegal effort to occupy the Middle East, thus putting America in danger from further attacks.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members are against the war in Iraq and feel our President is mentally unstable and revelations by our media on how our President lied to us and about our mission serve to increase our support at home against this Bush War, thus diminishing the threat we face and resulting in less American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us in our determination to stop this madness and actively support media attacks on our deceitful government.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealto impeach Bushit.org

    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 10:24 AM EDT
    for every defeatist libscum demonic-rat general... there are 100 anti demonit-rat ones...

    It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry

    USA's PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY JFK!!

    "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
    --John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961 "

    "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." --John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961 "

    One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Winston Churchill

    Edmund Burke: All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 10:07 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress
    Sign this Appeal.
    This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
    It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealforcourage.org/
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 10:07 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress
    Sign this Appeal.
    This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
    It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealforcourage.org/
    Reply to this comment
    by radiob-2009 May 10, 2007 9:22 AM EDT
    From Debkafile a different view of Iraq and the Sharm el-Sheik conference.
    http://www1.debka.com/article.php?aid=1270
    A bit surprising from the source.
    Reply to this comment
    by neoconrcrazy May 10, 2007 9:06 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress

    This site is an Appeal For Redress against our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.

    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our Democratic bill for a new direction in Iraq. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively support media efforts which increase American support at home. The War in Iraq is unjust, and an illegal effort to occupy the Middle East, thus putting America in danger from further attacks.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members are against the war in Iraq and feel our President is mentally unstable and revelations by our media on how our President lied to us and about our mission serve to increase our support at home against this Bush War, thus diminishing the threat we face and resulting in less American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us in our determination to stop this madness and actively support media attacks on our deceitful government.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealto impeach Bushit.org
    Reply to this comment
    by patriotic9 May 10, 2007 7:11 AM EDT
    lars008

    JESUS loves you for supporting Halliburton in robbing US Tax dollars.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 7:01 AM EDT
    Appeal for Redress
    Sign this Appeal.
    This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
    An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
    It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
    The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
    As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
    If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
    Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
    This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
    http://www.appealforcourage.org/
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 6:42 AM EDT
    fascist nazi islam's plan for world domination...

    brainwash their children into being killing machines...

    tell me again who is creating terrorists???

    Mickey's mockers 'pure evil'

    Disney's daughter rips Hamas over toon terror
    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/05/09/2007-05-09_mickeys_mockers_pure_evil-2.html

    Hamas %u2018Mickey Mouse%u2019 urges armed resistance
    Costumed character appears on Palestinian children%u2019s show
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18560221/
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 6:35 AM EDT
    It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry

    USA's PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY JFK!!

    "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
    --John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961 "

    "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." --John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961 "

    One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Winston Churchill

    Edmund Burke: All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 6:27 AM EDT
    The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life. Theodore Roosevelt

    "...the man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic-the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who only talks or writes about how it ought to be done." (1891) Theodore Roosevelt

    It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things. Theodore Roosevelt

    Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big. Theodore Roosevelt

    Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind. Theodore Roosevelt

    The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. Theodore Roosevelt

    The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal warmonger. Theodore Roosevelt

    The reactionary is always willing to take a progressive attitude on any issue that is dead. Theodore Roosevelt

    The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight. Theodore Roosevelt
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 May 10, 2007 6:24 AM EDT
    %u201CIt is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.%u201D Theodore Roosevelt

    "Criticism is necessary and useful; it is often indispensable; but it can never take the place of action, or be even a poor substitute for it. The function of the mere critic is of very subordinate usefulness. It is the doer of deeds who actually counts in the battle for life, and not the man who looks on and says how the fight ought to be fought, without himself sharing the stress and the danger." (1894) Theodore Roosevelt

    To sit home, read one's favorite paper, and scoff at the misdeeds of the men who do things is easy, but it is markedly ineffective. It is what evil men count upon the good men's doing. - The Outlook December 21, 1895 Theodore Roosevelt
    Reply to this comment
    by May 10, 2007 6:06 AM EDT
    Iraq: Cheney is a fool
    Reply to this comment
    See all 358 Comments
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