Controversy likely to follow Cheney to Asia

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney is set to depart Monday for a weeklong trip to Asia, and many in Washington are wondering whether he might be grateful for an excuse to high-tail it out of town. The past few weeks have not been kind to the vice president — or at least to his public image.
...
Cheney is scheduled to visit U.S. troops stationed on the Pacific island of Guam and to pay a visit to two allies who have contributed to operations in Iraq: Japan and Australia. The White House announcement said that "the president has asked the vice president to thank these two allies for their efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan."

But already there are complications. News reports from Tokyo have said Cheney would not meet with Japan's minister of defense, who has publicly criticized U.S. policy in Iraq. And in Australia, the visit may turn out to be a liability for Prime Minister John Howard, who is running for reelection. Australian polls show a strong majority disapproves of the war and Australia's contribution to it.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cheney17feb17,0,2244670.story?coll=la-home-nation

[goclark]

1. Let them keep him! nt