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11/14/2001
WASHINGTON — The Taliban are on the run, but the United States
must rout terrorism before the mission in Afghanistan is complete, Vice
President Dick Cheney said Wednesday.
Cheney, speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce near the White House,
also pressed for congressional passage of legislation to revive the
economy.
In Afghanistan, he said, "we've got a long way to go."
"Our objectives in Afghanistan not only were to take down the Taliban
but also to wrap up the al-Qaida network ... and Osama bin Laden, who
runs it," he said.
"There's no reason for us to believe at this stage that this operation
is about to end," Cheney added. Rather, he said, the Taliban retreat
from Kabul and other key cities represents "a very good beginning."
He also commented on another subject, the possibility that the
government will try terrorism suspects who are not citizens in military
rather than civilian court.
"They don't deserve to be treated as a prisoner of war. They don't
deserve the same guarantees and safeguards that we use for an American
citizen which is the normal traditional process," he said.
Stateside, the equation for recovering from the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks that killed thousands in New York and Washington includes
rebuilding investor confidence, he said.
"We are clearly heading for an economic slowdown," Cheney said.
Part of the cure lies in passing President Bush's plan to speed income
tax rate cuts, slash corporate payroll taxes and allow businesses to
write off more capital investments, he said.
"We believe that if we're seriously interested in stimulus, the absolute
right way to go is tax relief," Cheney said.
Congress is deadlocked over that proposal and a Democratic package that
would focus on giving laid-off workers more unemployment benefits and
federal aid for health insurance.
Cheney agreed with the Democrats on one thing: the need for speed. "We
cannot afford to wait," he said.