REUTERS/Jason Reed

"The president carries the biggest burden, obviously," Cheney said. "He's the one who has to make the decision to commit young Americans, but we are fortunate to have a group of men and women, the all-volunteer force, who voluntarily put on the uniform and go in harm's way for the rest of us."

Jane described this comment as "narcissistic callousness." I think it's far worse than that. I think it qualifies as "wilful and wanton disregard" for life. When you take a moment to consider that we've been "governed" for the past seven years by a cabal of sociopaths, everything really comes into focus. Move over, Ed Gein and Ted Bundy - whether it's soldiers' lives or war profiteering, BushCo knows from killing!

These people are mad as hatters.  After all, how can we forget such heart-warming, Norman Rockwellian moments such as the interview George and Laura gave Peggy "Magic Dolphins" Noonan about 9/11:

President Bush: But the day ended on a relatively humorous note. The agents said, "You'll be sleeping downstairs. Washington's still a dangerous place." And I said no, I can't sleep down there, the bed didn't look comfortable. I was really tired, Laura was tired, we like our own bed. We like our own routine. You know, kind of a nester. Like the way things are. I knew I had to deal with the issue the next day and provide strength and comfort to the country, and so I needed rest in order to be mentally prepared. . . . . And the agent comes running up and says, "We're under attack. We need you downstairs," and so there we go. I'm in my running shorts and my T-shirt, and I'm barefooted. Got the dog in one hand, Laura had a cat, I'm holding Laura --
Mrs. Bush: I don't have my contacts in, and I'm in my fuzzy house slippers --
President Bush: And this guy's out of breath, and we're heading straight down to the basement because there's an incoming unidentified airplane, which is coming toward the White House. Then the guy says it's a friendly airplane. And we hustle all the way back upstairs and go to bed.
Mrs. Bush: [laughs] And we just lay there thinking about the way we must have looked.
Noonan: So the day starts in tragedy and ends in Marx Brothers.
President Bush: That's right -- we got a laugh out of it.

These people know from suffering! Remember Ann Curry's tongue-bathing of Laura Bush? Our Lady of Perpetual Dress Barn marked the solemnity of 3,300 dead soldiers with a measured and thoughtful response:

"[N]o one suffers more than their President and I do."

So we shouldn't be surprised that Dick Cheney, the reigning Prince of Darkness, (1) makes a comment like that, while simultaneously (2) wriggling out of taking any of the blame for the Iraq War.  It's hard to be empathetic without a conscience.