WaPo: Administration would do "exactly" same thing in Iraq

Cheney admits a few problems to Russert - from ajc.com: "Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday unapologetically defended the 2003 invasion of Iraq, saying the administration would have done 'exactly the same thing' even if it knew before the war what he acknowledged knowing now --- that Iraq did not have stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

Yet Cheney, appearing on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' also gave a bit of ground, as he was pressed repeatedly by interviewer Tim Russert about past statements that turned out to be wrong or damaging to his credibility.

The vice president acknowledged he had been overly optimistic in predicting a quick demise to the Iraqi insurgency that continues to bedevil U.S. forces. In May 2005, Cheney proclaimed the insurgency was in its 'last throes,' but since then more than 1,000 additional U.S. troops have died and sectarian violence has intensified.

'I think there's no question ... that the insurgency's gone on longer and been more difficult that I had anticipated,' Cheney said. But he added that 2005 will be seen as a 'turning point' in Iraq's history because of elections that have led to a democratic government."