Sensitive Men

Out on the campaign trail, Vice President Dick Cheney is making fun of John Kerry for wanting to conduct the "war on terror" in a more "sensitive" fashion. I won't bother to skewer this at length since Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" did a fantastic job on that front last night. If you missed it, catch the replay tonight at 7 pm ET.

Bottom line: Kerry's use of the word "sensitive" was in a string of adjectives describing how he would better conduct the "war on terror." Stewart twice showed film of President Bush describing the sensitivity of America's mission and also went "live" to Rob Corddry in Najaf...where American forces did not attack al-Sadr forces at a mosque. Stewart noted this reflected American cultural sensitivity (and some might add the laws of war).

I think this was the Bush quote:

Now in terms of the balance between running down intelligence and bringing people to justice obviously is -- we need to be very sensitive on that.

That's from August 6, 2004, so the flip-flopping of this administration can be quite speedy.

Poking some more around the White House website, I found this quote from former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar:

PRESIDENT AZNAR: I'd like to underscore the extreme sensitivity of President Bush with regard to Ibero-American issues, as was evidenced by the various initiatives he has implemented since becoming President of the United States, and which I, myself, have been able to see during our discussions today.

...And obviously, his sensitivity is demonstrated in a very intense way.

Aznar said this at a joint press conference with Bush in Madrid.

This is the Vice President himself, earlier this year:

We are currently involved in thinking about what our force posture ought to be on a worldwide basis, not just with respect to the Pacific and Japan, but forces in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. And it's conceivable as part of that some adjustments will be made in the posture of U.S. forces in the years ahead. And certainly, as we go through that process, we'll want to take into account the need to be sensitive to the concerns of local folks.

Who's the sensitive man now?

Or the Veep on "60 Minutes II" in November 2001:

A lot of things are changing. We're going to be more sensitive, I think, with respect to what goes on around us. The American people have to be.

Wait, there's more than one way to be "sensitive"?


Footnote: Bush repeatedly says the debate about gay marriage is sensitive and he also often uses the word when describing the resolution of Israeli-Palestinian relations.