Cheney says U.S. 'unflinching' on Israel
Mar 12 09:41 PM US/Eastern
WASHINGTON, March 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. vice president said support for Israel is "unflinching and steadfast" in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference.
Dick Cheney told an audience of more than 6,000 gathered for breakfast in Washington Monday the Bush administration "remains committed" to Israel and Palestine as two democratic states side-by-side.
Cheney called the war on terror a "battlefield of ideas" and said the United States will "stay on the offensive until the enemy is destroyed," the Houston Chronicle reported. The vice president said abandoning Iraq would cause "consequences" in the Middle East.
Cheney's remarks drew a standing ovation.
AIPAC members are mostly Democrats, but the organization's Web site says its purpose is to ensure U.S. support for Israel remains strong. A Gallup poll shows 63 percent of U.S. residents hold a favorable view of the Jewish state.
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also was scheduled to speak.