It All Depends On What the Definition Of "Last Throes" Is

Cheney defends Iraq insurgency last throes remark - Yahoo! News
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday defended saying the Iraqi insurgency was in its 'last throes,' a comment that sparked criticism the White House was being too optimistic about when the violence will end.
  Cheney said he was not backing down from his remark. 'If you look at what the dictionary says about throes, it can still be a violent period, the throes of a revolution,' Cheney said in an interview with CNN.

  Umm, I'm not sure it was the "throes" part that critics found absurd. You may want to check out what the dictionary says about "last", Dick.