A tip of the hat to Jan P who sent us this story.

At last week’s AIPAC policy conference in Washington, Elizabeth Cheney, former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Near East Bureau in remarks on a panel let the truth prevail about why the Administration’s policy is ‘soft on Jihadis’. Apparently the Washington Post thought she had spoken out of turn. We don’t think that she did and applaud her for her remarks, however politically incorrect that may be viewed by the “Posties”. Ms. Cheney in our view spoke truth to power and let the chips fall where they may.

The author of the Washington Post article containing Ms. Cheney’s remarks, Michael Abramowitz, noted:

Elizabeth Cheney described the Annapolis peace process as “misguided,” said the United States had been “fundamentally mistaken” to push for elections in Gaza and suggested that the Bush administration has not been tough enough with Syria.
Witness these choice remarks on some of the keystone issues in the Middle East.

On the coddling of Syrian President Bashar Assad on the Hariri Assassination, killing troops in Iraq and support for Hezbollah

“In my view, this administration has gotten it right when we have been bold, when we have been decisive, when we have been focused, when we have used our military force when necessary,” Cheney said at the conference, according to a recording posted on the AIPAC Web site. “Where we have been less effective and less successful is when we have been unfortunately not so bold, when we have not held [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad to account for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, for the killing of American soldiers inside Iraq, for his support to Hezbollah.”

On Israel’s Performance in Second Lebanon War

She was also critical of Israel’s performance in the 2006 war in Lebanon, citing “Israel’s inability, unwillingness to do what was necessary . . . to fundamentally deal a blow to Hezbollah.”

On the Syrian Iran Hezbollah Axis in Lebanon

“I think that getting back to a situation where our enemies in the region understand that America will stand up for its friends, that America will stand up for its principles and that we have red lines is critically important,” Cheney told the friendly audience at AIPAC. “When those red lines aren’t there, when our enemies like Iran and Syria begin to believe that they can act with impunity, you see situations like you have got in Lebanon today — where Hezbollah now has a veto over that government, where Hezbollah will be able, I fear, to significantly continue its efforts to rearm in southern Lebanon, continue to threaten Israel and allow Iran a real chokehold on the region.”

On the disaster of Palestinian elections in Gaza

On Engaging Syria in Peace talks

At another point, Cheney appeared to suggest that it was a mistake for the United States to invite Syria to participate in last November’s Annapolis conference: “It makes it much easier for the Europeans, for example, to say, ‘Well, look, if you’re not isolating Syria, if you are inviting the Syrians to Annapolis for a peace conference, why should we isolate the Syrians?’ “

On the Israel Palestinian Peace Process

On the futility of talking to Iran