Give Cohen credit for being open

I came across a rather interesting article recently in "The Washington Post." It was written by Richard Cohen, somebody I don't usually agree with politically. In this case, however, I do have to give him some credit, as he's willing to take a chance on a hunch instead of just blindly spouting off against someone he admits he doesn't like. Cohen ends his article with this: "If even a stopped clock is right twice a day, this could be Cheney's time." That's right, he was talking about former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Interestingly, while Cohen says that "Cheney is a one-man credibility gap," he also thinks we should at least check out what it is the former VP has been saying on the news outlets of late, i.e., that he (Cheney) "- knows of two CIA memos that support his contention that the harsh interrogation methods worked and that many lives were saved." He has asked that these memos be released for public scrutiny. Cohen says that he thinks that "The Obama administration ought to call Cheney's bluff," and release those memos. I heartily agree.

Like I said, I'm no fan of Richard Cohen, but I have to give him credit for at least being open to the possibility that Cheney wasn't bluffing - unlike some folks I've read about lately. What does it say about a person's reasoning capacity when s/he says things like, "Former Vice President Dick Cheney is at it again with his venomous rants on the Sunday morning news show circuit - (he) still snarls his untruths - He is as offensive and inaccurate as a Scud missile and nothing he says should be newsworthy to the American public -" That sounds to me like someone who is simply terrified that the truth might not be what s/he thought it was, someone who has put on blinders and refuses to remove them no matter what.

Cohen, I know, is a professional journalist, but what about these other folks who let their emotions run wild like this? Well, let's just say that I seriously doubt that their resumes include anything even remotely related to critical thinking.

John Babush

Big Rock