No Deterrents in U.S. War on Terror – Cheney

The United States will not pursue deterrence or containment policies in its so-called war on terrorism but would instead seek to utterly destroy its enemies, Vice President Dick Cheney said on Saturday. In a speech to the 2003 graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy, Cheney also warned that the United States remained willing to use its military might against any nation supporting terrorists. “The battle of Iraq was a major victory in the war on terror but the war itself is far from over,” Cheney told the more than 840 graduating cadets, most of whom will pursue careers as officers in the U.S. Army. “We cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent, we cannot forget that the terrorists remain determined to kill as many Americans as possible both abroad and here at home, and they are still seeking weapons of mass destruction to use against,” he said. “With such an enemy, no peace treaty is possible, no policy of containment or deterrent will prove effective — the only way to deal with this threat is to destroy it completely and utterly, and President Bush is absolutely determined to do just that.” Full Story