Cheney Addresses Oklahoma Republicans

Air Force Two and a motorcade can only mean one thing:  Vice President Dick Cheney made a stop in Tulsa on Friday.  News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports he was raising money for the Republican Party.

Vice President Cheney spoke at an Oklahoma GOP fundraiser on the eve of their state convention.  His speech was quick, but covered a lot of issues.

The vice president has exited Air Force Two onto Oklahoma soil more than any other veep in the history of the United States.  Most of his visits have been to campaign for Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe.

"Oklahoma leans Republican, but we don't want to take any votes for granted and so that's why we're here today and with your support we'll build a strong foundation for Republican victories come November," said Vice President Dick Cheney.

Cheney covered a broad spectrum of topics in his 15 minute speech, everything from the economy and the need to keep as much money in Americans' pockets as possible to the need for more American refineries and, of course, the war in Iraq.  He said it would be dangerous to elect a Democrat and put a timeline on troop withdrawals there.

"Our new strategy has succeeded by careful planning and by close attention to changing conditions on the battlefield. The same will be true of any drawdown of troops. On behalf of our president, I can assure you that the decision will be based on what is right for our security and what is best for our troops without regard to polls, elite opinions or flip-flops by politicians in Washington, DC," said Vice President Dick Cheney.

Outside, protestors screamed for Cheney's impeachment.  They were more than miffed when the vice president's motorcade took a shortcut, missing their demonstration and their message.

With the swift movement of the Secret Service and Tulsa Police, Cheney was headed back to the airport and back to Air Force Two just two hours after landing on Sooner soil.

Related Story:

05/01/2008 Security Ready For Vice President's Visit