On Principle not Polls

Doug, who is no fan of Cheney, nevertheless, makes my day with this excerpt of his Flopping Aces comment:

In an interview with Cheney by ABC’s Martha Raddatz finds Cheney’s “principle”:

Raddatz: ‘Tell me what you said to the Iraqi leadership and how far you’re willing to push them.’

V.P.: ‘On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. … That’s been a major success.’

Raddatz: ‘Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.’

Cheney, smiling: ‘So?’

Raddatz: ‘So? You don’t care what the American people think?’

Cheney: ‘No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public-opinion polls. … There has, in fact, been fundamental change and transformation and improvement for the better. … That’s a huge accomplishment.’