Former Vice President Dick Cheney appears on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday with moderator John King.
(KEVIN WOLF/AP)Photos (1 of 1)
Cheney says Obama’s policies are making the U.S. less safe
By Jimmy Orr | 03.15.09
When asked if President Obama’s terrorism policies are making the US less safe, former Vice President Cheney didn’t waver.
“I do,” he said. (see video below).
Cheney appeared on CNN’s State of the Union show this morning. Host John King asked for Cheney’s reaction to President Obama’s call to close Guantanamo Bay, close CIA “black sites,” make CIA interrogators abide by the Army field manual, define waterboarding as torture, suspend trials for terrorists by military commission, and eliminate the label of enemy combatants.
“I think those programs are absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed, being able to collect the intelligence that led us to defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11.
“I think it is a great success story. It was done legally, it was done in accordance with the Constitution’s practices and principles.
“President Obama campaigned against it all across the country. Now he’s making some choices that in my mind will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people to another attack.”
Limbaugh
By the way, the former VP also spoke highly of Rush Limbaugh saying that he’d “pay” to watch the radio host debate President Obama. Click here to read that story.
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<< Limbaugh gets big time support from Dick Cheney | MainComments
2. DAn | 03.15.09
Dems ONLY want dems to succeed. Stop lying to yourself and wake up. Having presided over the last 3 sureneders. Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq. Plus having given us those wars you think they are ok. GET A Life. Ingnorance is bliss and you must be incredibly happy
3. G Libbey | 03.15.09
Evil little weasel Cheney. This is so representative of the nightmare that was the ‘Bush administration’. “Let us do whatever we want, ruin the economy, invade other countries needlessly, tear down the US constitution, caused thousands of innocent people to be killed and maimed… ” And then what? “Oh by the way - don’t hold it against us”
Thank you so much for the responsible actions you lousy republicans!
5. Lou | 03.15.09
Bush & Cheney, Inc. presided over the worst terrorist strikes against the U.S. in history on 9/11, despite explicit warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration and their own intelligence agencies.
They have been unable to point to a single instance where torture stopped any real threat. But they did sell our honor to satisfy their lust for torture and bankrupted our account of international good will.
I don’t think we want to duplicate their “successes”…
6. Joseph | 03.15.09
‘Presided over the last three surrenders’.
Yeah ok. You tell me Vietnam was a winnable war. You explain how we could have gotten back North Korea. You explain to me how it was worth the lives of thousands upon thousands of American soldiers for wars that were simply too high-cost to be doing the American people any good, and then tell me ’surrender’ (more accurately, withdrawal) wasn’t the right thing - Democratic president or no. It’s not surrender when you go in there to help. It wasn’t ‘Vietnam vs. America’, it was Vietcong vs. South Vietnam + American aid. It wasn’t ‘Korea vs. America’, it was North Korea vs. South Korea + American aid. And this time, while it may be fair to say ‘Afghanistan vs. America’, it was never ‘Iraq vs. America’, it’s simply ‘America doesn’t like you and we’re going to try to **** your **** up, oh oops, we failed’.
7. Dick Bush | 03.15.09
I admire some of the national programs Obama is trying to emplement, but his world policies are dangerous. There is NO way that we can trust the violent terrorists. He is ASKING for attacks on the U.S.
9. Dominic | 03.15.09
Anything Cheney says about anything Obama does or doesn’t do, let me just say this, “Cheney, shut your pie hole.”
10. David N.Y. City | 03.15.09
DAn wrote that it was the Democrats who presided over “sureneders” in Korea and Vietnam. It was Eisenhower who came to office pledging to leave Korea and it was the Republican Eisenhower who negotiated the cease-fire that is still in place. It was under Republicans Nixon and Ford that the Americans left Vietnam and under Ford that the last Americans fled from the rooftop in helicopters. Granted, the Republicans tend to be crazed war mongers, but DAn got the facts dead wrong.
12. Sophia | 03.15.09
How could Bush/Cheney administration talk about making U.S. unsafe, under their watch and their immense support for corporate greed and the govt. and the military complex, we are facing one of the worst economic crises, people are not safe, they have lost their jobs, houses, healthcare, more people are living far more miserably and will in the upcoming months of continued economic misery, what kind of safety is he talking about? I hope he and Bush are tried for crimes against humanity, against Iraqis, Afghanis, and americans.
13. tracker | 03.15.09
Cheney as a VP was the most evil we have seen,thank our lucky stars he was not going to be President!! the Daylight would have been unhealthy for him.
14. Eddy | 03.15.09
As retired U.S. Army & a Vietnam vet-I do agree with Cheney. We have all seen the lack of will by the majority of U.S. citizens. Also the (un)welcome home for Vietnam vets coming back. Ho Chi Minh (former North Vietnam Leader) once said that the United States did not have the will to defeat North Vietnam-He was right. Now we appear to not have the will to defeat terrorism. How do you (diplomatically) deal with people who want to rule you? Hogwash.
15. brandon | 03.15.09
“tear down the US constitution” - apparently you dont understando who Obama is or what he (and people like him) stands for. The people of this country will get what they vote for.
18. Danp | 03.15.09
‘Ingnorance is bliss and you must be incredibly happy’
-If we had it your way then we would be fighting in all fronts. I believe that the US should be promoting peace, not war. You call this a surender; yes its a surender to pointless blood shed that is actualy making America less safe. Would you want to surrender or make America more Safe? BTW, the Iraqi Gov’t will be able to handle it w/ us residule forces for the time being.
19. t carp | 03.15.09
Can Cheney point out one piece of good intelligence they gathered at the “black sites” with our high value detainees? They extracted their pound of flesh from some true bad guys and got no information. How exactly is that supposed to make me feel safer? Ridiculous - go back to your cave Cheney.
20. KRWorgul | 03.15.09
The absolute gall of this man (Dick Cheney) to criticize the present administration when “his” policies over the last 8 yrs have devastated our country- we are more vulnerable in every way thanks to him and Bush. What a despicable human being - his arrogance is sickening. Why give him any platform to spew his stupidity??
21. Jennifer Palermo | 03.15.09
Obama’s tactics are going to cause more damage than anything from the past 8 years possibly could have. I DON’T agree with the war and I AM a Conservative. I DON’T support my President no matter unquestioning, whether he is Republican or Democrat. I simply hope that there are some Americans left who have the intelligence to do the same. Don’t support without question. Use your brain and realize the man in a bigger wolf in sheep’s clothing than some of you are willing to admit! (Oh and it is also racist to only support him because he’s black, just as some of you claim we only supported McCain for being white!)
22. Tommy | 03.15.09
cheney and other from the Bush administration have given similar statements as the one Cheney gives in interview:“I think those programs are absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed, being able to collect the intelligence that led us to defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11.”
Due to “national security” we are rarely if ever given examples of these supposed attempts to attack the US on US soil. It’s easy to keep stating the same thing without providing evidence.
23. Matt | 03.15.09
Cheney may be right, but I’m not listening to anything he has to say. Give me someone who has some perspective on the issue, not an idealogue. He’s responsible for so many bad decisions, his lack of shame is incredible.
24. rjakes | 03.15.09
We are Americans first. Party affiliation and blind loyalty is hurting our country. No party can claim purity of principal when they have both proved to be more interested in their personal and political gain rather then what is best for America.
While I think Obama has good intentions I believe he is wrong on Gauntanamo. We cannot operate under the premise that terrorists have any respect for law or life. Their goal is to destroy our country and way of life.
The prisoners in Gauntanamo are enemy combatants and to think them other then that is a mistake.
25. Rich | 03.15.09
Hopefully these are the last words we ever hear from an administration that shredded the Constitution and violated every treaty that this country has signed that deals with POW’s. We invaded foriegn country’s based on lies during the Bush years, we denied even basic human rights to prisoners taken in those conflicts and we ignored the protections granted to citizens in the Constittution. Thanks to the past eight years the US has now joined other “great” nations of the world, such as; Soviet Russia, Red China, Nazi Germany and numerous others. No wonder our influence, in the world, has fallen.
I’m neither a Repulican nor a Democrat, since I don’t agree with either parties lies.
26. GW Braindead | 03.15.09
To quote Cheney’s most famous line (and the one most representative of his administration’s attitude towards everything legal) “So?”
27. arnold | 03.15.09
I thought we won in Iraq. Didn’t Bush say so and according to Bush we went to war to rid the world of Hussain. In addition Chenny always said that the Iraquis would throw flowers in our path. Unfortunately they threw IEDs instead and all we hear was “Stuff Happens” When wil Pandora’s box be closed?
28. dallas | 03.15.09
Dick Cheney was a disaster and is still a disaster. Both Deek and Dubya should be prosecuted for their crimes against Iraq and humanity.
29. Friend of America | 03.15.09
Promoting paranoia is what gave the Bush admninistration and Cheney the so-called permission to wage war on an unsound basillegally and without adequate reason and simultaenously to enabled Bush cronies to ‘trouser’ millions for their personal benefit. Jail like Madoff would be more appropriate for Cheney. Get him off the air and into a cell - crook!
30. Jack P | 03.15.09
VP Cheney is a man to be admired and appreciated for his work. When, not if, the U.S. is attacked again by Muslim terrorists I would like to hear from you loudmouths who like to bash our former VP or will you be hiding under your bed no where to be found.
31. Javier | 03.15.09
Dick talking about standing up to terrorism? He went to a military installation and hid on September 11, 2001. George took a couple of days to find his way over to NY. Valor? Leadership?
Come on, Dick, talk about something you know. Heart disease, truth bending, lies etc…
32. mayy | 03.15.09
Nalyndre, you need to start thinking independently.”Dems want ANY President to succeed.” How can you even make such an idiotic statement? The Socialist Democrats’ wanted Bush to fail at every step. They were very vocal about it. Sure Michael Moore, Soros, Code Pink, MoveOn.org, etc. etc. etc. wanted President Bush to succeed. What a sophomoric statement. Good grief. You have been brainwashed by the extreme lefts propaganda when you make such statements as “Funny how Republicans “supported their president” no matter what, yet NOW….they would rather see Obama, thus American, fail.” I don’t know one Republican that said “They want Obama to fail” the statement was “we want his socialist policies to fail”….big difference. Socialism has never worked, and we conservatives do not think your “Messiah” can bring about a miracle and do something that has never been done before. Please grow up and learn to think outside of your Socialist box.
33. lucy2008 | 03.15.09
This interview with Cheney was softball to the extreme. Considering this man circumvented our constitution to torture, spy and arrest and hold without representation our citizens, break treaties, and begin a destabilizing war on lies. What a patriot! I blame the greed of CNN to play so low for ratings.
The Iraq catastrophe has made Iran the leading power of influence and strength in the Middle East. Now that is a result we all can appreciate using our Blood and Treasure and over 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives. What a plan! What a patriot!
I have been getting most of my news from C-SPAN and the internet and do watch CNN once and awhile. Now I boycott CNN.
34. True Facts | 03.15.09
Obama IS NOT a natural born USA citizen…he can’t even prove he was born in this country. In fact he was born in a terrorist country, so does it come to any suprise that he wants to protect terrorists and open the USA to another terrorist attack while trying his best to collapse our economy? I’m not suprised at all but then again i was wise enough to not vote for him.
35. Ron | 03.15.09
As one of the people who will be paying for all this redistribution of wealth,and waiting for the next 911, allow me the one luxury left and that is free speech. So here goes…stop thinking with someone else’s brain. The comments I read here are mostly &%$# rehashed and spoken with a hatred that is born within small minds and emotion. Harry Truman was President (1st term) when I was born and I know a bit about protest, social outrage, war and bad times. I have also seen much happiness. I pray Obama and the good ole USA succeed. I also pray there are enough working taxpayers left to fund all the projects designed to help the others. I will not be one any longer. My tax filing days are over. I’ll pay what ever tax is taken from my salary, but will not pay more in April. I am moving to the interior of the USA so when the next 911 happens I am far away from either coast. Be well all and pray everyone will have better days.
36. mwrusk | 03.15.09
The only way we are less safe now is that we are allowing Cheney to drive!! He already has at least two DUI’s and he shot a crony of his while under the influence and got away with it. He probably got his ideas about the US Constitution in a drunken stupor. Can “We the People” put up with him not being in jail? I think we should exile him, at the very least.
37. iamapatriot | 03.15.09
i hope to live to see the day when key members of the Bush administration -and the senior ranking democrats that supported them - appear before The International Criminal Court and be held accountable for their actions.
38. Joe | 03.15.09
This is what I was afraid of, Obama being elected president to make the country less safe. I knew that if Obama was elected, then our country would be at a greater risk for terrorism. For that reason, I wanted McCain to be elected president. He would have kept our troops in Iraq longer to defend our country. But no, most citizens voted for Obama not caring if North Korea launches a nuclear missile that could wipe out the entire country. By ending the war in August 2010, Obama is letting our country’s guard down.
39. lauri | 03.15.09
We are so much safer now that this horrible excuse for a human being is out of office.
Where was he when we needed him?
I wish he would crawl back into the hole he hid in for the last 8 years.
40. Mike | 03.15.09
We should all just thank the Federal Reserve…They have destroyed our once great nation.Democrats and Republicans do NOT run this country. Bankers do. Fact.Wake the heck up people.
41. Brandon | 03.15.09
Tsk Tsk…….. Who even cares. Everyone thinks that the President actually runs americ. Hes just a picture figure for what actually goes on behind the sheets.
42. Suzie | 03.15.09
I see a lot of ignorance on here. Folks need to study some history…from unbiased sources. I admire, too what Obama is trying to do, and his intentions seem good, but he lacks experience, and most of his plans just create bigger government…something our consitution was designed to minimize. Our constitution was written to provide for the defense of our nation from outsiders and protect our citizens from too much government intervention…giving equal OPPORTUNITY (no guarantee of success. just the equal chance for it) to all citizens. Times have changed in dealing with outside threats. Gone are the days when you build forts on rivers and put troops along the border. Bush was dealing with a whole new type of enemy, yet was trying to protect the US under a fast changing set of unwritten rules and the laws in place made the work difficult and downright impossible at times. Folks, the terrorists don’t play by rules, and don’t care about humane treatment of their detainees (can you say Daniel Pearl?). In fact they’d love to behead every last one of us. I don’t agree with everything Bush did, but he did put the safety of America first. I am afraid with Obama, we will wind up with more government waste programs that raise our taxes and make us more dependent on uncle sam (and folks, the more we get in that position, the more danger our freedom is under from our OWN government), and we will find our nation at an even greater risk of another 911.
43. vindicated | 03.15.09
I find it strange that people who support the republican party’s policies are the ones who were hurt most by them. These people are the most easily manipulated because of their deep moral convictions and , what I find to be, a genuine sense of empathy in all human beings. These folks who support the republican party are mostly honest and noble people who are filled with love for their country and their fellow Americans. This makes them so susceptable to lies of polliticians. The power of politics is amazing. Polliticians can just toss around a couple “God Bless Americas” to appeal to the heart of these good people allowing them to put in place policies that send their children to their deaths, take thier jobs from under them, and still garner their whole-hearted support. At least the dems are not killing us with our own love. They just come right-out and tell us their ridiculous ideas hope for the best.
44. Mike | 03.15.09
We should all just thank the Federal Reserve…They have destroyed our once great nation.Democrats and Republicans do NOT run this country. The President does not run this country. Bankers, own this country. Cheney is just another tool along with Obama.
45. eddieo | 03.15.09
Dick Cheney has admitted to authorizing crimes against humanity, crimes that we ourselves defined as the highest of all crimes, crimes so grave that there is no immunity or statue of limitations. These crimes have made us less safe as we have lost respect around the world. We are bound by national and international law to prosecute these crimes. Doing so would make us safer than all the illegal wiretapping, torture and illegal war committed in our names. Indeed, to NOT prosecute makes us complicit in these horrendous crimes.
46. herb sheetinger | 03.15.09
Dick chenney has a lot of nerve…his administration participated in the torture of human beings…violative of the geneva convention and every basic human right known to man…
47. Michael Esq. | 03.15.09
The American people are uneducated and clueless. The great majority of the posts here evidence that.
The clowns on this thread calling Cheney a criminal know no law at all. Yet, they spew this ignorance.
Turn off CNN. Pick up a book, and read about Andersonville during the Civil War. Then let’s have a talk about giving Constitutional protection to foreign, combatants who are not wearing uniforms or fighting under normal rules of engagement.
Some of you people really are not qualified to vote.
48. Beth in Georgia | 03.15.09
“presided over the last three surrenders”
Dick Nixon and Gerald Ford presided over Viet Nam.
I still remember how Nixon’s henchman, Henry Kissinger, dragged that surrender on for weeks arguing over the shape of the table (round or square) at which he and the Viet Cong representatives would sit. Meanwhile hundreds more young Americans died.
Dick Cheney is evil. Or at least his actions are, since really no one but God can judge his heart. I tried over the course of 8 years to give him the benefit of the doubt,but his embrace of torture, his suspension of the Geneva Code, and his war profiteering with Halliburton are completely un-American. If he had a shred of humility (HA) he would take a vow of silence for a month and pray.
That said, I agree with rjakes that the terrorists’ goal is to destroy our country and way of life, and we need to be careful. I think there has been some question, though, that not everyone at Guantanamo is a terrorist. I have read that some men were reported as being terrorists in the early days after 9-11 by neighbors who wanted their land or had a feud going. Those men have been there ever since, and as “enemy combatants” they can continue to be held indefinitely. So there needs to be some wheat separated from the chaff down there.
49. Tom | 03.15.09
Cheney never served a day in his life in the military…he was a politcal opportunist from the beginning and continues to be, trying now to remake history. He and his ilk presided over one of the worst periods in American history and we are now paying the price in economic terms although thousands have paid the price with their lives…why anyone would want to listen to him at this point is beyond me…he should leave like his clone Rumsfeld…in disgrace. PS…I worked in the Pentagon on the JCS when he was SecDef…a jerk then and a jerk now….somew things never change.
50. Tom K | 03.15.09
Cheney is a war criminal plan and simple. He should be tried for his crimes to the world.
51. Tom | 03.15.09
Cheney never served a day in his life in the military…he was a politcal opportunist from the beginning and continues to be, trying now to remake history. He and his ilk presided over one of the worst periods in American history and we are now paying the price in economic terms although thousands have paid the price with their lives…why anyone would want to listen to him at this point is beyond me…he should leave like his clone Rumsfeld…in disgrace. PS…I worked in the Pentagon on the JCS when he was SecDef…a jerk then and a jerk now….some things never change.
52. sickofitall | 03.15.09
OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY DOESN’T THIS MAN JUST HAVE ANOTHER GRABBER AND DIE ALREADY!!!
53. Freeman | 03.15.09
Vice President Cheney is probably the best, most productive VP our nation has had. He was instrumental in helping to liberate over 50 million people, something the left wing nuts hate him for. Obama, is a true ‘little dictator’ and will end up going down in history as a miserably failed presidency that harmed America worse than even the last time the democrats controlled our government (Jimmy Carter for you libs).
Thank God Cheney has the patriotism and courage to speak out against the insanity that is going on now.
55. Jam | 03.15.09
Why are all the Bush-Cheney haters still crying? The Former VP is allowed to have an opinion that is shared by a majority of concern Americans.
56. robofish | 03.15.09
Lots of hatred and polictical jousting in the comments. Bottomline, we are at war and to win we must act like we are in a war. Business as usual does’nt work. The war on terror is unlike anything we’ve encountered and must be fought on many fronts. I applaud the actions taken by the Bush administration. The ultimate proof of success is in the results. Many want to talk and blame and politicize the war on terror but in the end decisions had to be made and I am thankful we had someone in the Presidency who was decisive and took action. We are safer and the world is safer because of his leadership.
57. Daniel Johnson | 03.15.09
“When asked if President Obama’s terrorism policies are making the US less safe, former Vice President Cheney didn’t waiver.”
That should be “waver”
58. Ernie | 03.15.09
You conservatives and all other flavors of republicans just can’t get over the fact that Americans have taken back America. We, both white and black joined together to get rid of the selfish attitude of the Republican dictator. We stood by for 8 years to let Bush do his thing and look what it got us. Now, let’s let Obama do his thing and see what it gets us. If it is the same or worse, we’ll vote him out in 4 years, but for God’s sake let’s give him a chance. As for Cheney, let’s all just ignore the idiot, he has not standing in our society any longer. Be gone Cheney.
59. Lucy2008 | 03.15.09
Historians and our State Department Middle East experts screamed to not go into Iraq. Iraq is a sectarian quagmire of ancient powers. Iraq was not involved in 9/11 and the administration knew it. The 9/11 Commission even published their report to make this clear to the public. Because of the idiocy and arrogance of ideology the Cheney has made Iran the leading power of influence and action in the Middle East. Iran the ancient dominating power of the region has risen again. This was all made possible by the lies of Cheney, his circumvention of our constitution and values, and of course our Blood and Treasure and 100,000 innocent Iraqi civilian deaths.
Bush-Cheney hacks made our government torture, murder, spy and arrest and hold without representation our own citizens, gutted regulation and science and factual reason. The Bush-Cheney hacks are responsible for the economic hurricane by not mending the levees but endlessly bulldozing them. This was all for their cronies, corporate friends, and passionate ideology.
No matter how many times Cheney and the minions try to reshape history, we have hundreds of millions of people who are fighting back to bring and keep truth in the public. Believe me cable news is nothing about truth. Cable news is about cheap punditry, ratings and profits. Real journalism is too problematic, expensive, and requires way too much gray matter ability.
60. Eliza | 03.15.09
Cheney is a liar, so if he says Obama’s policies are making the US less safe, the truth must be the opposite!
61. topits | 03.15.09
Wake up Mr. Dick Cheney! Your time was up last January 21, 2009. You’re no longer the Vice President. You’re comments or opinions are valueless now. You should have been vocal before your time was up. Kinda late now on your opinions and comments! That’s what happen when a person is “sleeping” on the job…. delayed reactions! Ha ha ha! As the saying goes in a classroom..Finish or not finish pass the papers. It’s over after that….
63. billyralph | 03.15.09
Who can take Cheney seriously? He’s gone, and good riddance.
The correct spelling in the first line is “waver.” Doesn’t the Monitor have money for editors?
64. H. Ali Tosis | 03.15.09
Dick Cheney would not know the truth if it slunk up and sank its fangs into him. But on second thought no. I heard that a dog did bite Mr. Cheney and ended up dying of rabies.
65. knerrmj | 03.15.09
We are currently engaged in an armed conflict. This is a war people, not an exercise, and not a game. A lot of people are asking for proof that the tactics used to gain information helped stop attacks againts us. Wake up, that information is classified and classified for a reason. It still holds a strategic value that if it were made public could have detrimental affects to our national security. That’s why it’s not public. I’m in the military and I think that people’s ideas of this war get construed by the liberal media. All that gets put on the news and the only things that people hear about are the bad things that go on and not the successes that we achieve. I have been to Afghanistan and I can tell you first hand that they appreciate our help. But the public will never hear that because it doesn’t make good news.
66. Scott | 03.15.09
That’s funny .I feel much more safe now that the criminals Bush & Cheney are out of there. Cheney was in charge of NORAD on 911 . He let those planes through . Yes I am saying I think he knew of the terrorist plan and used the attack as a excuse to attack Iran so his company halliburton could reap the rewards of milking BILLIONS in uncontested contracts from the American tax payers. The Bush Cheney plan to attack Iran was in place BEFORE 911. For eight years the fox was in the hen house and we are now paying for that dearly . They embarrassed and drove this country into the dirt. I am still dumbfounded how our elected representatives fell in lockstep with blinders on . Like lemmings of a cliff . Pathetic.
68. Mickey | 03.15.09
I believe Cheney is correct, as well as the military man who said our country has lost its will to be free. Both in this country (before 9/11) and in the ME where I lived extensively, I was told, along these lines, that “your country is degenerate, weak, and cowardly. We will get your technology and scientific knowledge and then destroy you. Islam will prevail.” Unless we wake up and fight sincerely I fear that may well be the outcome.
69. Harbinger | 03.15.09
Uh, “dAN,” I believe Nixon was a Republican. Ignorance is a word you probably shouldn’t use, unless, of course, you’re facing a mirror.
70. Eric | 03.15.09
Cheney already destroyed the country and did irreversable damage so bad that we banned his entire party, and now he has to lurk in the background after he was already ousted from office and try to stop the healing
72. Larry in Springfield | 03.15.09
What can you say about a president who was routinely called a buffoon (by his own cabinet), suspended Habeas Corpus, allowed the military to search US citizens without cause, ordered the assassination of a political leader, and despite extreme criticism, followed his Constitutional obligation to preserve the United States…
call him Abraham Lincoln.
73. WRichStrom | 03.15.09
Words from a “gravy train” who never earned a real living in his life which includes a five time draft deferrment, to running Haliburton into the ground in the 1990s. He is an example of those in government who somehow don’t have the intelligence nor ethics to do anything good, that somehow still get powerful jobs.
While no fan of George W. Bush I think he was badly served by Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz. I do think that George W. Bush did the right thing in not pardoning Scooter Libby (and deserves positive comment on that point) and that obviously still bothers Dick Cheney, which just proves Cheney has no respect for the written law.
Thank goodness our military leaders saved the hide of this country from the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld strategic blunders and illegalities in their conduct with the Iraq war.
I don’t see how any American (Republican or Democrat) can even give a moment notice to Mr. Cheney. He is one of the most least accomplished leaders this country has every produced.
74. Old Mo | 03.15.09
I just can’t wait for the little Harvard patsy to find out what a real war is all about.
75. Greg | 03.15.09
Re-defining a lethal threat from war to criminal isn’t something I would do concerning my family. Why would I do it concerning my country?
Borrowing money and increasing spending is not the way I would resolve my family finances? Why would I think it’s the right way to handle my country’s financial problems. I’m not saying either party is right. I’m saying they are both idiots!
76. Rich in Calif | 03.15.09
Seven years from now we will know if Obama’s plans to protect the USA have been as successful as the Bush / Cheney administrations plans. The USA did not have another attack after 911 with these programs in place. By removing them Obama is putting the lives of our citizens at more risk. Unfortunately, it will only be after people die that we see the failure of Obama’s lack of defense programs.
77. WAH from OH | 03.15.09
Eight and a half years elapsed between the first (failed) and second (successful) attack on the World Trade Center. Using time without an attack as a criteria for measuring the effectiveness of anti-terrorism policies means we still have about a year to go before we are as safe as we were on Sept 10, 2001.
78. George T. Bassett | 03.15.09
“I think there has been some question, though, that not everyone at Guantanamo is a terrorist. I have read that some men were reported as being terrorists in the early days after 9-11 by neighbors who wanted their land or had a feud going.”
I seriously doubt that was the case. There would have to be a clear reason to arrest them and an even better reason to take them out of the country to hold them. Arguments and feuds aren’t good enough reasons.
I hope no more attacks are carried out against America, but all I can say is what we have been doing must be working b/c we haven’t had anymore attacks. So why change it? Some of it may be on questionable moral ground but I would rather Americans lives were not wasted over such petty things as policy.
79. Lou | 03.15.09
“Oh and it is also racist to only support him because he’s black, just as some of you claim we only supported McCain for being white!”
–Jennifer Palermo
Ah, yes, John McCain–whose primary campaign in 2000 was destroyed by Bush campaign-planted rumors that he had fathered a “black” child.
We know which party profited from racism-baited campaign rhetoric for decades: Republicans used Democratic support for civil rights like a club for years until a majority of the voters moved on…
Your race rhetoric is as tired as your party.
80. Chad in Oregon | 03.15.09
Warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration? Yea, Clinton basically didn’t do anything to protect the country, made the Terrorists hate us even more, im outa here, you guess where the terrorists will hit. The same story time and time again. Republicans have to go in and fix what the Democrats have screwed up and then take the blame. It’s a job we will be ready to do again in hopefully four years. I hope this president does not bring us to the brink of another war as Clinton did.
82. Right on Cheney | 03.15.09
Cheney is so right on, this new idiot presdient projects Americans as weak to the rest of the world, with theses types of policies, what we going to do when the terriost do it again, slap them on the hand and Obama telling them oh we so sorry we offended you so how to do this to us, stupid idiot Obama!
83. John S | 03.15.09
Ugh. This evil troll still thinks he’s president. Will someone please put him out of our misery?
84. momo | 03.15.09
You need Evil to fight Evil, don’t you. Aren’t you tired of all those Bush haters? I sure am. this tune is so old, let’s move on, especially now that we got King Obama to save us all…
86. Ameeta | 03.15.09
Have you no constructive ideas left as journalists?
Why do you take this idiot warmonger seriously? Why don’t you ask him why he isn’t being tried for war crimes? Come on show us some spunk, instead of the cowardly analyses you indulge in after the fact, such as “Were our insipid investigations to blame for the state our country is in now?”
87. Ryan | 03.15.09
Cheney also said that “Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.” At this point, to lend credence to anything that uncle Dick says is an insult. Cheney, along with his associates should a least receive a show trial before they hang, just like Saddam got.
88. Keith | 03.15.09
1st Say what you want about Bush and Cheney, they kept America first and safe. Dem’s so quickly forget the terror after 9/11. I flew on a large jet 2 days after 9/11 and where were all the Democrats at? The plane had three people on it. They quickly forget.
2nd. Dems have spewed nothing but hate at Bush and Cheney since the beginning and wanted them to fail. Who are they trying to fool so close to the fact? It’s kind of hard to rewrite history as we live it. At least tell your lies after we are dead and no one remembers the truth.
3rd. We now have the uncanny apperance of a dirty-tricks group tied to the White House thats aim is to immediately destroy anyone who critizes Obama or his administration. Do the Democrats forget so quickly how they treated Bush and Chaney? The Republican party needs to stop being defensive and become extremely aggressive at exposing and attacking the Democrats mouth pieces in Comedy Central and other places.
4th. I want the United States Of America succeed and so do all Republicans. What I don’t want to succeed is the SOCIALIST Democratic Party and its leader - President Obama. I don’t want to live in a Socialist country and I think most Americans don’t if they truly know that BIG BRORTHER will be our new tast master to tell us what to drive and what to use to drive it and to stay off the roads when the wind doesn’t blow - Oh, and don’t run any tanks when the sun doesn’t shine. Yea, a real bunch of winners we have up in Washington. The damage being done will be written about for generations…. just wait and see.
89. Guardian | 03.15.09
Cheney also said that “Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.” At this point, to lend credence to anything that uncle **** says is an insult. Cheney, along with his associates should a least receive a show trial before they hang, just like Saddam got.
90. Mike | 03.15.09
What’s the matter can’t Cheney go back to Wyoming and shut up? You’d think with all the bulls in Wyoming that Cheney wouldn’t add too much additional bs.
91. Frank | 03.15.09
Bush/ Cheney were re-igniting the Cold War in 2000 with the Russians and the Chinese, i.e., tearing up the SALT II TREATY (signed by Bush Sr.) in order to build missile defense throughout Europe when we were attacked on 9/11. They had a policy of “disengagement in the Middle East”. GO LOOK IT UP! They were NOT FOCUSED on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. They dropped the ball, they allowed us to be attacked on 9/11. Not Clinton ( who’s administration prevented any attack on U.S. soil after 1993 WTC bombing) and certainly NOT Obama. Cheney has to keep repeating to himself that ‘They kept us safe”, to relieve his own guilt and anger about screwing up. And if anyone thinks the entire intelligence network and military intelligence is just going to stop protecting America because we close Guantanamo is about as stupid as Cheney for saying it. What a nut! And to the crazy, ranting right that wants to label anyone critical of Cheney as a Dem, or Liberal, guess what: I was a dyed in the wool Southern Republican who voted for Reagan! I’m now a registered independent.
92. Linda | 03.15.09
Why is the news media still interviewing this troll. Let him stay under his bridge!
93. Tim in LA | 03.15.09
Cheney’s an idiot, claiming they kept us safe. The plain and simple reason there have been no more attacks in the US is the terrorists are just not ready yet. Terrorists have been able to attack in Spain, London, the USS Cole etc since 9/11. Why didn’t the Cheney/Bush administration keep those from happening? There will be another attack, and when it happens Bush/Cheney/Limbaugh/Rumsfeld will all say “I told you so” and smugly claim to be the god-chosen saviors they believe they are. Personally I would rather have a humble moral decent president, democrat or republican. Just give us the truth.
94. American for America | 03.15.09
I, being neither a Rep or Dem, hope what we are currently experiencing is the “bitter pill” we have to swallow for things to eventually improve. However, it appears that DC is partisan politics as usual, and I see a socialist regime on the horizon.
95. uzanabria1 | 03.15.09
The Dems never pay taxes or they do only when they get appointed. Now they are spending money we do not have and going after the person that work and produces to pay for them and the ones that like to live of government handouts. They dream about the world being a fantastic universe of well wishers and they will get it us in a lot of trouble when the terrorists and narcos will try attach America once again.
96. RV from Ocoee | 03.15.09
He needed to say what specific intelligence was gained by his policies that protected us from terrorism. We don’t need to know the details, which could violate any secret information to the bad guys. Just something, anything, to corroborate his apparent rhetoric.
97. Larry | 03.15.09
Cheney is correct. In fact, Obama is the biggest threat to America’s national security, more so than Osama bin laden for different reasons. Obama, as a devout communists and follower of racist Jeremiah Wright and the haters of Trinity has control of the nation from the highest seat of power.
he, and the insane, inane Democratic Party controlling Congress i.e. Frank, Pelosi, Reid (the war is lost) Rangle, and the rest of the goofballs will change this country for ever, and I’m not talking about the kind of change voted for.
98. babaloo | 03.15.09
Not a perfect comparison with Lincoln: What can you say about a president who was routinely called a buffoon (by his own cabinet), suspended Habeas Corpus, allowed the military to search US citizens without cause, ordered the assassination of a political leader.
That war was INSIDE the United States. The Southern leaders committed treason by seceding and thereby earned assassination.
99. Susan | 03.15.09
The majority of these comments prove two things: One, they read no further than the headlines, if at all. Two, how “dumbed-down” America really has become, making us an increasinly easier target.
101. Dave | 03.15.09
Cheney was right, which is why the American hating radical left wing nutcases are coming unglued, as they prefer we get attacked regularly.
Notice that the same fruitcake leftist wingbuts never protest when North Korea is developing Nuke,s they remained silent when Communist Pol Pot unleashed a genocide against the Cambodia people, they remained silent when the Soviet Union, in flagrant violation of SALT 2 encrypted their missile telemetry and increased the range of their SS25’s?
No, the ONLY thing the Reagan/Helms/LImbaugh/Bush Cheney (insert your despised conservative here) haters do is protest when American defends her people and Democracies defend themselves, while they always remain silent when communists and tyrants commit human rights abuses elsewhere.
102. Don Knutsen | 03.15.09
Cheney and Bush have made america much less safe simply because they have created so many more terrorists hating america then before. When we attacked Iraq without any direct provocation against us we brought Al Queda into and created a training , recruitment grounds for terrorists, when we abused prisoners and the news came out to all the world we created many more terrorists, when we blindly support Isreal in all they do, including dropping cluster bombs and phosphorous with “made in america” on it, we created many more, on and on it goes..Dosen’t it stand to reason that we are much more likely to be attacked, if the sheer numbers of those potential threats has multiplied ? Any 5th grader can do that math…but unfortunately most republicans seem to deal in reckless idealism vs common sense. The republican party cares no more about america, they care only to regain control back of the congress and the white house, and will do anything to achieve that goal, desspite what it does to our country. Its isn’t a very big stretch to describe many aspects of what the republican party has become as a traitorous organization.
103. dhanna | 03.15.09
This guy is insane. His reality is contingent on paranoia. The reason he keeps having heart attacks is because his heart is closed and bitter. he will have a massive heart attack soon enough and we will no longer have to hear his unfounded, alarm causing lies.
What a waste of a life.
104. brent | 03.15.09
even if cheney is right, and I don’t think he is, I’d rather be in danger from terrorists over republicans. At least terrorists are honest about their intentions and while they can kill me, they can’t take away what makes this country free. Only republicans seem to have THAT agenda.
105. riverwoman | 03.15.09
We, as Americans need to be realistic about the US and the World. The policies affecting us today, specifically the housing mkt, were enacted back in the 1990’s so everyone could have a home - even if they didn’t afford/deserve it - credit was loosened as were underwriting guidelines. Money was easy to get! Under Clinton, we saw our perceived strength as a nation/warriors eroded as he never had the backbone to go after our attackers - remember the USS Cole and Mogadishu? - these were tests on our stamina and desire to stay the course until the end. And they found the answer they wanted - we will not fight back and thus you had 9/11. Remember Bush had only been in the White House for 9 months. Clinton was in there before and made a mockery of our strenght and our military. It was the US whose efforts won WWII - without our strength Europe would have been lost. Ask yourself - why have we not had another attack since 9/11 - when other countries have suffered horrendous attacks. Could it be the “vile” policies of the Bush Admin. What are you going to do when they attack again? When it is your parents, brother, sister, child who is killed? The terrorists will not stop until we and our way of life is destroyed. There is no talking with them - and to think they can be persuaded by “talk” is wrong. We are infideles and not to be trusted - but lied to and killed and erased from the face of the Earth. We are not even human to them. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue but a question of the survival of our country and until this is embraced we are doomed. Yes, not muslims want our death -but Their Book -the Koran teaches it! Get smart America - there are cells waiting to attack and using our Constitution to protect themselves. We must be strong and vigilent! Talk yes, if they agree to terms - but look at Hamas and the Iranians - they want the destruction of Israel. Of course Israel is not always right, but they do have the right to defend themselves and how would you like it if we were in their shoes and subjected to the missiles attacks they suffer? We are who we are because the world knows we will fight and have the might of our military behind us. It worked for us when this nation was formed and it will work now. If the politicians and people of this country understand that unfortunately to live in one of the greatest countries we must fight and our people will die. I hate War and wish there was another way, but it the brutality of man.
106. JWS | 03.15.09
Obama/Biden- democrats-, weak, traitorous , terorist sympathizers all. Within a year all of you pathetic ignoramous dems will be looking for bumper sticker removers!
107. Old Mo | 03.15.09
Obama does not believe in physical restraint or war. Remember what Eric Holder one of Obama’s patsys said
“Americans are a nation of cowards”. Apparently we must all repent to ALLAH. It is looking more and more all the time like Obama cares nothing about the American public. Only his agenda.
108. Dee Apple | 03.15.09
24.rjakes.Thanks. You have in just a few words “hit the nail on the head”.
We are Americans first. Party affiliation and blind loyalty is hurting our country. No party can claim purity of principal when they have both proved to be more interested in their personal and political gain rather then what is best for America.
AMEN
110. Vin | 03.15.09
Cheney policies have caused thousands to loose their lives in Iraq. Un-official record shows more than 700,000 people have died in Iraq war.
I wonder if this world knows the value of “LIFE”.
111. Jon Zank | 03.15.09
Why does the media put the scum on national TV? Simple RATINGS..
Truth? Who cares. Be thankful he is out of power. I wish him no harm but would very much so like him to “come clean” about his nefarious injustices committed against America before he has another heart attack.
112. Molly | 03.15.09
These blogs are pointless. Everyone mudslinging and offering no citations or facts to prove their point. Why don’t we all try to argue intelligently instead of emotionally?
113. dave | 03.15.09
Too Bad Russia disappeared as a super power and threat to the US. Now all we have left is to fight amongst ourselves and demonize each political party and let the press spin, polarize and propagandize. Lets see if the next global crisis, or terrorist attack will galvanize us back to being united. Because it is coming…..and it will most likely be someone’s fault, but then they will try to spin it away from the true responsible person/party’s fault…..
114. Stevo | 03.15.09
Those who call Cheney/Bush criminals, scum, etc are in a liberal-nutter vacuum. He’s creating class warfare at home, and making us look like little girls on the world front. Yeah, he sold you people some great ideas, and he gives one HECK of a speech. But sales pitches and (already) broken promises don’t make a good leader. Bush didn’t ask for 9/11 and the SEVERAL foiled attempts thereafter for attacks on American soil. Stop being sheep and jumping on the “worst 8 years ever” bandwagon. The democrats need the poor to STAY POOR in order to STAY IN POWER. Wake up America, and deal with it.
115. Chris | 03.15.09
The fact that Cheney is even given a public forum is pretty appalling to me. The sheer quantity of lies and deceipt that characterized this past administration dwarves anything in modern times. Cheney himself has not only qualified the lies but has gone so far as to say he didn’t care what the American people thought about it because the country needed to be protected. Remove ‘country’ and insert ‘corporate cronies pocketbooks’ and he would be one step closer to the truth.
People who still support this type of administration are hopelessly brainwashed, willing to discard black and white facts to support their politics. Perfect example - 911 was orchestrated by Saudi’s. A Fact ignored. Saddam had no WMDs. Another Fact simply ignored. The tactic they used so effectively was to simply repeat a lie enough times that people start accepting it as the truth. What burned me the most about Bush/Cheney? Appealing to the working class southernerers with evangelistic croonings while insituting financial and tax policies designed to screw over these same people.
They repeatedly screwed their own supporters with a big smile.
And no one in that group seems to be the wiser…
117. Vin | 03.15.09
Cheney policies have caused thousands to loose their lives in Iraq. Un-official record shows more than 700,000 people have died in Iraq war.
I wonder if this world knows the value of “LIFE”. The world is a sick place.
118. riverwoman | 03.15.09
Don’t ya just love how the nominated cabinet members don’t pay taxes, and when caught don’t pay fines or interest - HMMMM - what would happen to us commoners? Did they - our esteemed members of Congress give themselves a pay raise again - how about them taking a pay cut? Them cutting back on govt instead of expanding it? How about them not having full medical and a pension that can be taken away in an instant. When are we going to take back our country America? The people in govt and the wall street folk are laughing at us - we are stupid sheep - and we are being led to slaughter!
119. Cartman | 03.15.09
The liberal hate machine and it’s name calling can’t be stopped. But it doesn’t change facts.
If and when this country takes another terrorist hit people speaking against the former Vice President will be looking not only silly but stupid as well.
So now bad guys can’t be called “enemy combatants” anymore. Soon the word “terrorist” is likely to be removed from use as well. Just how is any of this going to make us safer? Short answer, as Cheney would no doubt agree, it isn’t.
120. Jason | 03.15.09
Cheney is anti-American in the extreme. It’s hard to think of anyone who has done more damage to American interests or American values.
Once again - if Bush and Cheney were “keeping America safe”, then why did they stop looking for bin Laden? I’ve been asking that question for years now, and not once has any of the cant-spewing “conservatives” even attempted to answer that question.
If they were “keeping us safe”, then why did they put terrorism on the back burner for the first 9 months of 2001? Why did they ignore warnings? Why didn’t they hold a single meeting of the anti-terror task force? Why didn’t they take more action on the Cole bombing? How is it magically Clinton’s fault that they ramped DOWN all aspects of anti-terror activity before 9/11?
They didn’t do jack to keep us safe before 9/11, and since then they’ve only made a bigger mess of the job, making terrorism stronger and America weaker. It would be funny if it weren’t my country.
121. Pay Triot | 03.15.09
Hilarious. Left wing moon bats all atwitter about the truth?
I love the sheeple following Barry is enjoying now.
122. Sick & tired | 03.15.09
Why are we still listening to this war criminal Cheney? If he had it his way we would be at war with every other nation on earth. Unsafe now? how was America safe with everyone else including our allies hating us for invading other countries based on lies and motivation for corporate profit? if anything there are more terrorists now than ever who want to kill us after Bush/Cheney’s unjustified invasion of Iraq, as well as the illegal capture and torture of “enemy combatants”. Come on. If any war should have been fought, it was Afghanistan right after 9/11, when we had the world’s sympathy on our side, and we had an idea of where bin Laden was. But we lost that opportunity after Bush created the distraction of Iraq. And we left that country in ruin, along with the lives thousands of US families who lost their loved ones in a mindless and needless war.
124. Frank | 03.15.09
Hey Old Mo who said:
“I just can’t wait for the Harvard pasty to find out what a real war is all about.”
We’re in two REAL WARS right now. Ask our brothers and sisters who are over there getting shot at everyday. Your comment is demeaning to our soldiers and their selfless sacrifice. And buddy, thank God most of us still look at Harvard as a venerable institution of higher learning that carries weight for anyone who has the brains and fortitude to fulfill their graduate study requirements. No small task — bubba.
125. Mark in California | 03.15.09
This guy must be suffering from some sort of memory lapse or he has no idea what the rest of the world thinks. I am no foreign policy expert but I know this for a fact. Before his dangerous pathetic corrupt administration gained the White House, only a small fraction of the Muslim world hated our guts. Within four years Bush/Cheney managed to **** off everybody and to boot (all the nerve!)created another terrorist state.
127. JihadiMind | 03.15.09
No question about it. Obama is weak does not understand Al Qeada. One must read Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” to understand why we were attacked, what Al Qeada wants and what punishment is coming to the US. The US must “heed the call to Isalm” and observe Shariah Law or die. It is that simple. Obama thinks that being nice will bring peace. Fool. Bin laden would cut his head off personally.
128. srinu | 03.15.09
Oh, what a concern for the People of America, Terrorist are only ‘Blood Spillers’, very few but what about ‘Blood Suckers’ like him, who will protect the Country from these Terrorists, wasn’t he one of Them.
129. Soloman | 03.15.09
Attention obama’s blind loyalists. Terrorism is nothing but a fabled imagery to invoke domestic police state policies.
All of you need to think for yourselves. Obama is a puppet, just like bush, just like cheney. Grow up. The great black obama hope doesnt care about you. He works for the elitist central bankers. He is just an installed character to dupe the ignorant masses. Ask yourself, how does a junior senator who was mostly absent in congress get elected by the dem party to become president?
do yourselves a favor, watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE
130. Pablo Moses | 03.15.09
This a calculated diversion from Dick Cheney. Please for goodness sake LEAVE!!!!!. You and Bush have done enough damage.
131. Same Garbage | 03.15.09
I wonder why Cheney has all of a sudden decided to come out of the cave that he’s been in for 8 years. Bush doesn’t even respect his puppet-master anymore; begging for a Libby pardon. What a joke. Those that think Obama will make the country less safe by staying within the confines of the Constitution, are just plain crazy. You gun toting conservatives always run to the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution when your right to bear arms is being threatened, yet there’s no kicking and screaming when other parts of the Constitution and various treaties and conventions are in jeopardy of being manipulated. Just because someone else cheats, does not mean that you should too. Learn by the example that Obama sets and appreciate how the USA will once again regain its elevation throughout the world. Many of you will not know how to eat your words when this happens; just recall how you thought that he could not win the election; get your bibs ready.
132. windrider | 03.15.09
2. DAn | 03.15.09
Dems ONLY want dems to succeed. Stop lying to yourself and wake up. Having presided over the last 3 sureneders. Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq.
__________________
Ummmmmmmmm, Korean War Truce signed under Eisenhower (pssst, he was a Republican. Not only that but it was Eisenhower who began America’s involvement in the Vietnamese Civil War; he was the first to send “advisors” to South Vietnam.)
Ummmmmmmmm, Vietnam War, started by Eisenhower, “peace” negotiated by and signed under Nixon in 1973; he was first elected in 1968 because he claimed he had a “secret plan to end the war” (psssst, he was a Republican, too)
Ummmmmmmmm, Iraq War agreement for withdrawal timetable, negotiated by and signed under George W. Bush (yeah, he was a Republican too).
Dan, before you slander all Democrats again, check your historical facts.
133. Andy | 03.15.09
“The fact that Cheney is even given a public forum is pretty appalling to me.” Chris, you are clearly just a brownshirt. It’s called freedom of speech. Even if you don’t agree with Cheney, don’t pull a brownshirt and say he should not be allowed to speak his opinion.
134. John B | 03.15.09
Intelligence in the Whitehouse? What is going to happen the day Obama doesn’t have a blackberry, computer or teleprompter to tell him what to do or say.
He is not better than George W.
135. riverwoman | 03.15.09
Chris, You cite “Facts” - what facts are you referring to? - You must be a Moore sympathizer. Truly it is the Liberals who will say or do anything. “Do as I say, not as I do - ex: Pelosi condemning using non-union employees then does just that in her vineyards and hotel! All politicians are crooks and liars - and looking only to keep themselves in power and forget about the “little people” - throw the dog a bone! I didn’t like all the tactics of Bush/Cheney - but it was politics as usual it is just the media wasn’t as friendly to them as they are to the dem’s - now that is a fact! Otherwise, what happened to all the “investigative” reporting on the background of Obama and his cronies. Why were his cabinet members not fully vetted? I could understand 1 or maybe two getting caught not paying taxes but how many now? 6 or 7 or other conflicting issues. And how about not earmarks - “We’ll deal with it next year”! If this was a Republican adm - the media would be having a field day!
136. Jim | 03.15.09
Whether one is Democrat, Republican or pointy-eared Martian, one would be ignorant to suggest that Cheney is not more intelligent and polite than Joe Biden. Joe Biden, beyond having a big mouth that he lacks the ability to control what comes out of, has been stuck on stupid for many, many years. This is the reason virtually no one in this country voted for him during his pathetic Prez campaign. Likewise, Obama seems incredibly “slow” and his judgement, character and courage is obviously deeply flawed or he would not have signed the largest pork-laiden bill in the history of the world right after staking (pledging) during his campaign to to rid America of veto pork-laiden bills.
Which is he, folks? A flat out liar, or weak go-along politician holding a rubber stamp for Pelosi and Reid?
Cheney is far more intelligent than Obama, the media simply hates Bush, Cheney and Republicans in general more than they hate our nations enemies. They are absolutely obsessed with bitter hatred for their fellow Americans. The media, being an extension of the Democratic Party, simply tutes their horn. Meanwhile, the media has been laying off thousands and shutting down operations all over the US for ten years because they don’t understand that half the people think they are the tail wagging the dog.
The current media groups will learn, or slowly sink under their own weight while a more balanced group of journalists slowly gains momentum.
Frankly, most of us look forward to that event . . .
137. Elvis | 03.15.09
Ever since President Obama took charged, Osama Bin Laden mysteriously stopped his usually ‘announcements’. I am at lost coz all of the sudden, all treat of ‘terrorist attacks’ have again mysteriously stopped. Something to think about…
138. RealNeil | 03.15.09
Hey Bush, Cheney, they want you guys to go to the HAGUE right away to help the world court prosecute a couple of terrorists. Go there now, they have cookies for you..
139. Mike Edwards | 03.15.09
Criticism by Cheney is the 2nd highest endorsement of the Obama plans. The only thing that would be better for Obama would be if “W” actually put in his opinion. Cheney is at best a criminal.
140. IT Guy | 03.15.09
Cheney is a sick evil man.
He advocates torture to protect American interests… but what good is protecting the interests of a country that supports torture?
We have no business calling ourselves the land of the free if we allow the horrible things that Cheney allowed.
This man deserves to be in jail.
It’s bad enough he threatened the essence of this great country while in office… now he continues to attempt to do damage despite the fact that we as a country rejected what he stood for.
America is not a police state.
141. nemo | 03.15.09
Once again the public is being duped. There is no differance between Bush and Obama’s policy. Its actions that count, not words. Why are we in Afganistan again? Obama is part of the New world order just like the Bush family.
143. srinu | 03.15.09
Lieing, looting, butchering humans, torturing humans;isn’t it Anti-Jesus Christ.Vampire Barbarian Terrorists- sucked not only our blood but the whole worlds blood; aren’t they worst terrorists not only to our nation but to the whole world, come from this land; who will protect us.
144. Jefe Carlos | 03.15.09
I find it very hard to believe anything that Mr. Cheney’s has to say. Yes, he was the VP (I would never want that job), but they are so stuck on the demand approach to negotiations and not willing to open their book for dialogue and more collaborative approaches; we have a few allies, and we can only endanger ourselves more by thinking WE are or have the solution to the world’s problems. America’s role needs to continue to be the best democracy in the world and when you have people of Mr. Cheney’s status, state that we were abiding by lawful “practices”, then I am so glad he and his crooked lied and mis-beliefs are no longer dictating our policies. The President is making some hard choices, but we ALL need to stand behind him UNITED, because if we do not then we are setting ourselves up for failure.
145. Anomyous | 03.15.09
Who cares about what Cheney has to say. He was one of the most corrupt officials in government. Why doesn’t take his millions embezzled thru the non-competitive bids for military. Better yet, why doesn’t he move to Nicaragua and live in seclusion.
146. usxer | 03.15.09
V.P. Cheney’s comments shed light on a very important definition and what the appropriate road this country should begin traveling down. In the interview Cheney describes the difference in a military and law-enforcement methedology in thinking about the appropriate response to terrorism. The terriorist attack example he uses is Oklahama City. An act by a US Citizen. He describes our response to this act as one of a collection of evidence, analization of the evidence, accusation of the accuser and the punishment given to convicted. He then describes the post 911 mentality of we are at war. Where we must harness the power of all of our assests to defend against our strategic threat.
An interesting thing occur when one thinks about the term “strategic threat” (please wikipidia strategic threat-u wont find it-then wiki-strategy and read the definition. A “strategy’ is a plan of achieving a specific goal.
so before his comment of our “strategic threat” would make sense to us we would have to know what his goal is? Because what he is saying is we have a threat to our plan to achieve our goal. Well, what’s our goal?
Is our goal to make our homeland safe from terrorism?
- If so should we direct all our power and resources towards ourselves, to protect ourselves from another Oklahoma City attack? Is this the Patriot Act? The olympic bombing, the dc snipers, the Amish school shootings, Columbine, Virigina tech, rfk, jfk, mlk, bonnie and clyde, jesses james.
Can we protect ourselves from these things and still be free? If not will we still be protected from these acts? Should the response to these acts be a military one? Should we have declared war after Oklahoma City? War on Who?
Is our goal to protect ourselves from external threats?
If so, where does this sense protection extends? does it go outside our borders? Does it extend to every place a US citizen happens to be? Is it financial protection? phyical protection? legal protection? Does it include the lands occupied by us companies overseas?
911 was an attack for what reason? What goal are we pursuing where 911 created a strategic threat to us? What goal were the hijackers trying to interefere with? Was it our strategy of our goal to transport ourselves from city to city? was it related to our strategy of our world goals? what are our world goals?
Is the goal to spread democracy through out the world?
If we get resistance to others as we implement this strategy, do they become our strategic threat? Is this all we need to determine in order to defend ourselves against an enemy, both foriegn and domestic? If so whose goal do we pursue and under whose strategy do we direct the assests of the wealthest,most powerful and technologically advanced country the world has ever known?
What is the goal? and who sets the strategy? The answers to these two questions means the difference for us all.
The difference is the rights of the individual as it relates to the pursuits of various individuals and collectives of human existence,as they implement their strategies of procurment in order to satisfy their collective and ultimately their individual goals. I hope we all start reflecting hard on the collectives we associate ourselves with, and really start honestly evaluating if the goals and strategies to accomplish those goals are truely reflective of our individual goals and strategies. Most importantly, if we determine they are not have the confidence of freedom to break from these goals and strategies no matter how entrenched we seem to be with them. In this there is freedom, liberty, safety and peace.
147. Erin Morgan | 03.15.09
During Bush’s 8 years US had the largest expansion of wealth in the history. No attacks from a well established terror network were previous administration wasn’t able to control is also a great achievement. Badly managed Iraq war will not put a dent on Bush legacy, as he always be remembered as the President that changed the dialogue in the last part of the World were without an outside push democratic societies would have taken another 20 years to establish.
148. Scott | 03.15.09
This man HIDES for the past 2 years because he knew he was wrong and under attack for “taking the money and ran” from his war profits. Give me a break.
Cheney should be put out to retire and leave the world alone.
149. Dennis | 03.15.09
The economy hit its high, stock market peak, just before the Dems took control of both houses of Congress in Nov. 2007. The downturn started then. Even before, the Dems blocked legislation (such as actual funding of No Child Left Behind) to make Bush look bad. Media (who are mainly Dems too) went along with this as part of Bush bashing.
So far, Obama has lied about taking public campaign funds and about signing legislation containing earmarks (remember him saying he would go through every bill line by line and remove the earmarks). The 2009 Budget contains over 8000 earmarks, some of which Obama put in as Senator.
The “secret” information mentioned has been used in trials to convict terrorist but has not been made public, so I don’t think the lack of you knowing the details of such intelligence is proof of anything.
150. bob wright | 03.15.09
What Cheney, and threat-obsessed paranoids in general, don’t appreciate is that there is never an end to fear. ‘Threat’ can never be expunged, and the elevation of danger over all else leads to a police state. You can never have enough locks on your door, enough surveillance, enough martial arts training, enough guns, enough vehicle mass, enough information, to protect you from ‘threats’ as you go about your daily life. If you take off your body armor to go to the Winn-Dixie does this increase the risk of death if a nut happens to go on a shooting spree? Unequivocally, yes. But most people live out their lives instead of creeping around in camoflage with one finger on the trigger, shooting at anything that moves just to be on the safe side. Who is freer, the paranoid hiding in his bunker in an undisclosed location, or the person who accepts that life entails some risk, and gets on with living it?
151. Clint Eastwood | 03.15.09
ELVIS SAID:
Pass the mash potatos, and by the way: “Ever since President Obama took charged, Osama Bin Laden mysteriously stopped his usually ‘announcements’. I am at lost coz all of the sudden, all treat of ‘terrorist attacks’ have again mysteriously stopped. Something to think about…
Clint said:
That somebody like you is given a voters registration card without being checked for some sign of brain activity
152. Kevo | 03.15.09
Cheney should be ashamed of his role in making the US a target to the world. Criminal review and prosecution of his ‘deeds’ is way overdue.
153. Jeremy | 03.15.09
If Dick Cheney feels less safe, then we are probably making significant progress towards civilization. Evil people like him should feel deep insecurity almost all of the time because they lack social mores that would otherwise restrain undesirable behavior.
People like Dick Cheney and companies like Halliburton are large dangerous creatures compared to the rest of us. Responsible dog owners of potentially dangerous breeds maintain VERY strict regimens of exercise, discipline, and lastly: affection. If a large dog feels too secure, it will attempt to assert pack dominance. Threat of reprisal must always be a clear and present danger for powerful institutions and individuals. However, this does not mean Dick and Halliburton are undeserving of compassion and affection. We should love Dick and company like anyone else, but respect their nature, like anyone else.
Trouncing the Republican ticket in the last Presidential election was like society collectively snapping taut the pinch collar on an excitable pit-bull. Instead of snarling at him, we should applaud Dick Cheney for engaging the public debate that he has snubbed for eight years. His ideas are as welcome and fallible as any. Save your energy for the substance of the debate! Good boy! This is how civilized men settle differences.
155. Floyd | 03.15.09
Obama has only his mouth. No experience what so ever. How can anyone trust him after all the lies he has told. He is destroying this country and some folk just aren’t smart enough to figure that out.
156. Rin | 03.15.09
Stop blogging if you can’t spell simple words like intelligence while trying to make a point about other people’s level of it.
“Bush & Cheney, Inc. presided over the worst terrorist strikes against the U.S. in history on 9/11, despite explicit warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration and their own intelligence agencies” This happened early on in the Bush adminstration, which means it was Clinton who didn’t have the balls to do what was necessary to stop it, funny they just “warned the bush admin, but couldn’t take care of it themselves.”
And to all those out there saying republicans don’t want the president to succeed, you are off your rocker. Everyone one wants the preseident to succeed for a better america. We may question his some of this policies like giving AIG billions off dollars while cutting the military spending enough where it’s now effecting thier level of training and ability to keep the country safe.
If I remember correctly that it was the democrats that couldn’t support their president over the last 8 years and just tore him apart publicly making our country look weak and like a bunch of whiners for the last couple years while their hasn’t been an terrorist attack in the last 7+ years.
If I remember correctly:
Clinton: 1st World Trade Center bombing - 1993 Bombing of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia - 1995
Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia - 1995
Bombing of the US Embassies in Africa - 1998
Bombing of the USS Cole - 2000
Bush: World Trade Center - 2001
Pretty telling. You will all be singing a different tune when the next one we didn’t see coming happens thanks to our cushy new country policies.
OBTW: I’ve been waterboarded for military training. Torture, whatever people. Another reason a president should have served his country in a bigger way than community planner.
157. rcagle | 03.15.09
What a wonderful team they make!Cheney and Limbaugh.Cheney needs to bury his head in the sand of Iraq. How does he sleep at night with the profits he made in Iraq on the blood of our soldiers. Limbaugh is lucky he has a talk show to support his drug habit. Who cares what Cheney thinks after what his administration did to this country. Now we have a sincere President who is tryin to clean up the mess of the past 8 years, and he has the audacity to comment on what President Obama is doing.Outrageous, please refrain from giving him air time.
158. Alferd P | 03.15.09
True facts wrote: “Obama IS NOT a natural born USA citizen…he can’t even prove he was born in this country. In fact he was born in a terrorist country,”
———————–
Hawaii is a terrorist country? Quick someone call McGarret at five oh
159. Chaos Agent | 03.15.09
Cheney is the reason for war in Iraq, an unnecessary war on terror.
The 9/11 terrorists were mostly from the Bush/Cheney ‘buddy’ state, Saudi Arabia. Plus two United Arab Emirates and one Egyptian, all based out of Yemen, trained in Afghanistan and coordinated in Hamburg, Germany.
Iraq wasn’t the country to go to war with, if we were to go to war with any specific country in the first place.
160. RG | 03.15.09
Doesn’t this guy ever shut up. I’m fed up with listening to Cheney. He’s out of office and good riddance to him!
161. dullard | 03.15.09
Well, 4000+ dead in Iraq, 10’s of thousands seriously wounded. Afghanastan is deteriorating over the last 18 months or so. 8 consecutive years of increased the debt. Throw in domestic unemployment, health insurance and investment issues. -6% growth in the final quarter of 2008. Hmmm…. If we were made more “safe” during Cheney’s tenure, then I’ll have to check my dictionary again… I obviously don’t know what “safe” means.
162. anotherview | 03.15.09
Note carefully how Mr. Cheney expresses himself in evaluating the policy changes of BHO regarding how to handle Islamic terrorists: “Now he’s making some choices that in my mind will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people to another attack.” This phrase “that in my mind . . . in fact” exposes the inherent (and apparently unconscious) mindset of Mr. Cheney wherein he equates his view with fact, instead of with opinion. Mr. Cheney, like most egotists, cannot readily distinguish between his own outlook and the factual, material existence in which he lives. He has to bend the framework of the world to match his special view, for his own ends — here political advantage. Mr. Cheney suffers from arrogance, if not hubris. Hence, his biased view plays to a destructive scenario even involving himself wherein, as he sees it, the changed BHO policies bring ruin to our nation. As a result, Mr. Cheney has immersed himself in negativity. The American voter rejected the Republican Party, along with the wrong-thinking Mr. Cheney, in the November election. Perhaps at some point Mr. Cheney may awaken to his false logic, that success may happen only his way, and failure happens the other way, when a rational person grasps that a third way may exist to a desirable end. Let us take the utterance of Mr. Cheney with a big grain of salt, while wishing him well, and hoping tomorrow he will arise from bed to leave the shadow for the sunshine.
163. dom youngross | 03.15.09
Two things are fueling the rants here about Cheney:
1) Mommy and daddy were too strict with the ranters when young — made them go to bed instead of letting them stay up all night watching TV, made them eat vegetables, and made them do their homework from school. How terrible, all that pent-up frustration when encountering authority figures; and,
2) While Bush and Cheney were dead wrong about keeping us in Iraq after no WMDs were found, THERE WAS NO CONCERTED OPPOSITION EFFORT MADE TO GET OUT OF IRAQ BY THE RANTERS’ BELOVED DEMOCRATS! For so many it seems easier and more comforting to lump all the blame in a place and way that doesn’t conflict with other cherished notions.
And now President Obama is continuing the grievous mistake of Bush and Cheney by going Alexander the Great in Afghanistan. But the Cheney ranters won’t recognize how wrong and counterproductive getting mired down in Afghanistan will be. That would confict with another of their cherished notions — that Obama is somehow smarter and better than Bush and Cheney.
164. A.J. | 03.15.09
Why can’t people understand that the key to America being safe is having a powerful economy to support a powerful military. The two go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
The Bush administration was given a thriving economy and a military in good condition (forces weren’t stretched and our equipment wasn’t bullet ridden). Obama inherited a bankrupt nation with a military in pieces. We’re so much more vulnerable now than we were before the failed war in Iraq.
We have poor military morale and 8 years of desert warfare has left our military equipment in rough shape. Torture has radicalized and created more Muslim terrorists than there were before 9/11.
And it was between 2000 - 2008 that Iran and North Korea ramped up their nuclear programs and made the most progress in building WMDs.
Yes, we’re less safe than we were in the 90s. However it is due to 8 years of ineffective Bush-Cheney foreign policy NOT 2 months of Obama foreign policy.
165. p bags | 03.15.09
The Bush administration had the worst attack in American history crash down on their watch. If you all remember they had very good public approval. Put yourself in their shoes. They had to look at the source of the problem. The source was decades of Dem and Rep administrations only caring about these small Muslim countries when they had something to gain from them. Look at Afghanistan. If we just stayed after the Soviets left and helped them rebuild, things may have been different. No, we left and didn’t care because our only goal was to bankrupt the soviets. Everyone forgets that the DEMS in congress voted for this war too. It is easy to look back now and say the war was wrong. Most of us believed in the war and still do. Everyone in Washington saw the same intelligence that was gathered from multiple sources including our NATO alighs. If you really believe there was no WMD you are wrong. The military found 50 gallon drums full of Saran gas buried in the desert and we still find equipment buried to this day. The media said the gas was old and degraded. So, degraded means that if that 50 gallon drum would have killed 10,000 people when it was new it will only kill 7000 now. I guess that is not mass destruction!!!! American’s think of nuclear weapons when they hear WMD. I am also tired of hearing Obama say he didn’t vote for the war. No kidding, since you were not in any position to have a vote. The war in Iraq will have saved us money in the long run. 95% of Americans didn’t realize that there has been at least one to two American Navy Strike Groups sitting off of the coast of Iraq since 1991. It costs a million dollars a day to operate an aircraft carrier. That doesn’t include the other ships and weapons that were used to take out radars and other things the Iraqis were not supposed to have and did. It is easy for Obama to act like a savior but think about the incidents that happened when Clinton was in office and his administration treated the world under law enforcement mentality. The USS Cole, Embassy bombings in Kenya. Those where all Al-Qaida.
166. Phineasboggs | 03.15.09
Yeah, sure. And Fidel Castro had nothing to do with the problems Cuba faces today!
And, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
167. Scott | 03.15.09
“It was done legally, it was done in accordance with the Constitution’s practices and principles.”
Thats nice Dick, the right leaning SCOTUS disagrees.
168. Phil | 03.15.09
It’s good to see that the republicans are not…..bitter?
They seem to be having a really hard time accepting the fact that they don’t run things anymore. Whether Obama turns out to be better or worse than previous administrations is left to be seen. Obama is different, and IF the republicans know all the answers then it would be nice if they talked to the current administration about it instead of running around screaming how doomed we all are now.
Republicans you need to realize that the reason you were voted out is that you had eight years and at the end of it we decided we had enough and we wanted a change. Let’s just calm the heck down, chill the heck out and try to put things back together again for the good of ALL OF US.
Also, your party just didn’t run as good of as show as the other party. You didn’t sell your product very well and the other guys did. AGAIN whether he’s the right choice in the end is left to be seen. But you have nobody to blame but yourselves for losing the election.
We need to get rid of the two party system, that’s the only way this “us vs. them” attitude in our government will ever change.
After watching the past three months I’ve noticed that the republican voice has not changed much, if at all. They talked the same way when they were in power and for some reason they seem to think we’re still listening.
We’re not.
Our country is in deep you know what right now, DEEP. And whoever is to blame is not relevant. Obama can’t fix everything, but WE can. And it’s going to take a lot longer if half the country it griping about the other half all the time instead of DOING SOMETHING.
Good God people. Can’t we all just grow up? Clocks ticking, make your choice soon.
You wanna blame someone for the economic situation, blame the FTC for meeting every 6 months for the last 5 years and deciding to just “wait and see” if things improve. If those guys had actually earned their pay they might have made the clean-up bill a little lower than it’s turning out to be.
And I don’t care if they are Dems or Republicans, the crack in my driveway could have made better decisions then those guys.
I’ll get off my soapbox now
169. Robert Therrien | 03.15.09
Its simple. Chenney is an IDIOT when it comes to foriegn diplomacy. People like him are why people around the world do not trust the United States of America. People like chenney are why Americans are so concerned about who owns and uses a gun. Cheeney needs to first take a beginers gun safty class, then he needs many mnay human rights clasees. When he’s done with those he needs to work a real job with real Americans doing real work. Maybe he can contact the guy on the dirty jobs show and learn what it is to do a true days work.When he has completed these acompliments, I will consider takeing his opinions seriously, right now he’s just a spoiled pampered toddler throwing a tantrum and will continue to spread his gloom and doom rethoric to anyone who will listen to him
170. Bamajim143 | 03.15.09
As I read these negative comments about Bush & Cheney I can’t help but pray that somehow all the “CHANGE ” that is happening doesn’t some back to haunt all of those that drank the Hussein koolaid. I pray each day that God will somehow take control of this idiot and stop him before he can do more damage to this country. HE’S DONE ENOUGH AND HE HAS NOT BEEN IN OFFICE BUT 2.5 MONTHS.
All of you koolaid drinkers need to get the facts straight before you make further fools of yourselves about who did what to this country !!
What do you think about “THE RUSSIANS COMING TO CUBA”? maybe Hussein can sale them GITMO and all the koolaid drinkers can be their guest for a while.
Please don’t be surprised when Hussein and his clowns give every thing that you have to their chosen ones!!!
171. Lew El | 03.15.09
Many of the international terrorists of today do not care about dying or pain, especially if it is in protection of their cause. What Christian would deny Jesus for the sake of living on earth only to perish in hell? When one believes as I do, that this life is not the end of all things, it diminishes the value of life’s pains and pleasures. For this reason, torture is not a catch-all method of extracting valuable information from today’s terrorists.
Obama is not being nice, he’s trying to eliminate wasteful operations that only feed more hate and help establish just cause in the minds of international terrorists.
…In response to 127. JihadiMind | 03.15.09
173. Matoosa Ferrara | 03.15.09
Really people, get a grip . . .
Take Sandra Pelosi, where are you going to find a better cheerleader for the left? Why she jumped so high so many times during his last address people thought she had ants in her pants. You know that woman is going to take good care of your investments, at least we know she won’t sit on them long.
Harry Reid? he can’t help being an ugly man that resembles a liquid-hydrogen-treated wart just prior to peeling phase. In Harry’s view, what’s the use in struggling antway? We have already lost . . . .
Obama? Obama clapped and cheered Jeremiah Wright and called him his “spiritual advisor?” from the pews of the Trinity Church of hate for TWENTY years. Watch a few of the ABC obtained videos of Mr. Obama’s mentor describing anglos, Jews and America, then tell me what part you fail to understand.
I understand that the Democratic party still has Rangle, Frank, Burris and the rest of their ilk to keep them straight, (no pun intended) however these folks aren’t quite the kind of change that I am seeking. As a Jew, I could move to Palestine and get more respect . . . I’m just sayin’
174. Kevin | 03.15.09
The hate being displayed on this thread is sad - the Congress is suppose to balance the power between the Executive and the Supreme Court. If what Mr. Cheney did was so bad, where were the Congress and the Court in it all to balance the supposed lawlessness over the last eight years?
You will not hear any politician looking to press charges because there are NO charges to file. Please quit trashing the leaders (past and present) of my country.
176. phil | 03.15.09
The thing about “hardliners” is that the hardline only works when you are completely ruthless. We are not ruthless as a society (although Dick Cheney comes close).
“Soft power” works, which is a combination of diplomacy and force (or the threat of it). Read up the cuban missile crises. Kennedy got into the mind of Kruschev and figured a way to give Kruschev something so that he could back out of cuba and still save face. The hardliners wanted to invade cuba and had we listen to them we would have possibly entered into a nuclear war -not a very desirable result.
To quote one our founding fathers:
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin
The notion that you cannot protect liberties through smart policy and at the same time ensure the security of the people is false.
Torture simply doesn’t work and it radicalizes people more against us. The “terrorists” say we are evil and if we torture we would be affirming that - ask John McCain. Besides torture doesn’t really work. At some point the torturee will say anything you want to hear, true or false. The information capability of torture is shaky. Ask any CIA interrogator.
177. SN0710 | 03.15.09
“I wanted McCain to be elected president. He would have kept our troops in Iraq longer to defend our country. But no, most citizens voted for Obama not caring if North Korea launches a nuclear missile that could wipe out the entire country.” What an assinine statement to make. Notice the pivot from Iraq to North Korea. All rational thinking people long ago conclused that the Iraq invasion was an out and out failure. Now you want to bring North Korea into the palette of Bush foreign policy successes? NORTH KOREA? Do you understand that the isolation on the part of Jong-Il and Bush opened the door for N.K. to advance nuclear weapons development? In some ways this is MORE of a long term strategic failure of President Bush, comparable to Ronald Reagan arming Saddan Hussein to fight the Iraq-Iran war in the 80s. Outcome? Iran remains a dominant regional power to which America didn’t want.
178. GrandestR | 03.15.09
Regarding:
DAn | 03.15.09
“Having presided over the last 3 sureneders. Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq.”
Check the history book, bubba. #1 Korea was occupied after WWII by the Soviets and the US. The end of the Korean War left the agreed upon dividing line between the two nuclear-armed superpowers intact. The armistice was signed in July of 1953 when Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, was President. #2 Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford were presidents during the “surrender” of Vietnam and Republicans had been in office since January of 1969. It was a war so complicated and convoluted that there will never be a final consensus. Just remember that Ho Chi Minh, like Fidel Castro, begged for U.S. help before turning against us because of the foolishly hysterical anti-communist fervor of the 40s and 50s. So, we have 2 Republicans “surrendering,” thus far. Iraq? Time shall tell. I predict that we will be there for 25 years. A misguided, resource-draining adventure that has no meaning, and will have no clear-cut effect on our safety. Cheney is a repulsive, dangerous human being and was a traitorous leader who stood for everything this country has been built upon - agreed-upon law administered in a public forum by fair-minded people. He should be jailed for life.
179. drewjones | 03.15.09
We as the U.S. cannot back down if the president of the U.S. decides that the war in Iraq is pointless and sends our armed forces home we prove to terrorists and to the world that they can do what ever they want and we will not stop them. Maybe the war in Iraq was a hasty ill-advised attempt at world peace but, once we have started something we cannot back down we must continue or Obama will look like another president during something called the Veitnam war! agree or disagree let me know what you think twitter @drewberry44
180. Joekewe | 03.15.09
Trying to argue on facts instead of politics (very hard!): The vast majority of security analysts (conservative and liberal) agree that the U.S. is significantly less secure because we invaded Iraq. Terrorists are extremists. If we continue to fight with bullets and torture instead of diplomacy and peace, we risk alienating the moderate Arabs and Muslims, not to mention the entire world. We are debating this question so strongly because it is not a black-and-white issue. We can’t completely let our guard down, nor can we nuke the entire Middle East. I’m afraid the pendulum swung too far to the right and needs to return to the middle path.
I thought there was always an understanding that outgoing administrations would not publicly comment on the incoming administration.
181. Tyler | 03.15.09
Conservatives are a plague on society, sewing the seeds of hate and fear, always blaming their predecessors for their own mistakes, then they believe that they are pure and with out sin.
All conservatives are sinners, just like every other human that ever lived. But they think that because they go to church that they are not sinners, that they are better than me, that they should be able to tell me how to live my life. All the while they sin and sin themselves toward ever lasting torment in hell.
Because when they are judged and asked if they repent. “No.” will be the answer, “I went to church, im not a sinner!” Then God says “You have to be sorry for your sins to enter heaven, you must embrace me above all else. Yet you held money and power above me. I sentence you to hell.” And the ground opens at your feet and devours your soul. Remember: You might be commiting evil in your attempt to be good.
182. Dara | 03.15.09
I’m SO SICK of hearing these right wing nutjobs go on and on about ’surrendering to terrorist’!! All Cheney and his lapdog Bush did was make the whole world less sane, and certainly less safe. How was Iraq’s invasion ‘fighting terrorism’??? Why did Bush and Cheney support the ‘moderate’ Saudis, the biggest supporter of Wahabi fundamentalists who were behind 9/11?? We finally have some sanity in DC.
183. Joseph | 03.15.09
I don’t care about that man and his opinions.
He was a terrible influence on my country, and I hope that he quickly becomes irrelevant in politics.
Now that he is gone, I don’t even think I could listen to a whole news segment of him talking without turning the tube off.
184. Benjamin Franklin | 03.15.09
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.
186. peteathome | 03.15.09
Yes, Americans have less interest in pursuing necessary wars because of Cheney. He distorts intelligence and uses political pressure to get Congress to approve of a war under false pretentious and then horribly mismanages the resulting war.
If we needed to broaden our approach against terror beyond Bin Laden, perhaps at the detriment of catching him, if Iraq was essential for a new approach towards the Middle East, it should have been sold on that and not with misleading arguments that Iraq was somehow a direct threat to the US.
The American people finally caught on and it has made them suspicious of all intelligence about military necessities given them by the White House. And this may bite us when something real is coming over the horizon. Cheney played the boy who cried wolf and this has hurt national security.
Meanwhile, when the next terrorist attack does come, I hope we can remember that the values of this country, for which patriots pledged their fortunes and lives, are much more important than the questionable information that we can get by torture.
187. Jeff | 03.15.09
I would definately pay to see Rush destroy, I mean, “debate” Obama, assuming Obama can’t use his magic teleprompter. Torture is only sometimes effective at gaining information, however letting the terrorists go is only useful for giving them another chance to kill Americans.
188. Byron | 03.15.09
The great peril we as a nation face is becoming a Fascist state rather than external threats. With Bush/Cheney we did largely operate that way. We are fortunate they screwed it up so badly.
189. Steve | 03.15.09
Obama has four years to create and institute policies good for both democrats and republicans. Different factions in America will always be in disagreement with anything the new man on the job tries. He said something to the effect of, ‘if after four years I fail, then I will can be voted out of office.’ If he fails this will happen. As it should be, unless he cheats and deceives by rigging up the next election. In politics anything is possible, as we have seen.
The GOP, Bush and Cheney’s platform promised they would make America a safer, better place to live, raise children and enjoy a higher standard of living. They had eight years to do this. They did achieve this for some, but it was through an illusion of smoke and mirrors which preyed on the majority of the working classes’ hard earned money. The majority of people saw through this deception and opted for radical change. Now the rubber meets the road and Obama must make good on his promises. Thanks to all the dissenting opinion and the right of free speech for all, he should be able to at least stay on the road we call, We The People Avenue.
G.W. Bush was no mental giant and will be put out to pasture, but Dick Cheney is a different type of political animal. There is no doubt that the man is intelligent and should not be underestimated as to his continuing influence with the remaining neo-conservative old guard and entrenched money interests. He’ll will continue to have influence on American life and politics as a facilitator of the military-industrial machine and the make war - make money infinite loop. We are not going to teach this old dog new tricks.
Of course Obama’s policies are making America less safe. I believe the president is reaching out to a world that is violently hostile and will always be hostile for the most part. His action can backfire. Anytime a person or country reaches out to another person or country for change it is a very risky business. The choices are; ignore a problem until it evolves into total chaos, destroy part or all of a problem physically, or meet with neighbors and find the common ground.
Finding the common ground is always compromise. Information technology is advanced enough now that America can no longer ignore deteriorating situations worldwide that detract from our proud national heritage of helping. We have discovered by some very hard lessons learned that it are counter productive to physically destroy countries and/or its ideas(Iraq, Vietnam, North Korea,etc). Whatever faith and circumspect determination we can muster towards other peoples must be put into the ‘less safe’ option of diplomacy, respect for legitimate ideas, and enlightened rational thought between mature parties. Gee, that sounds a lot like the golden rule or the basic tenets of religious teachings since the first diplomats sat down in that cold stone age cave with a roaring fire and realized it is possible to get along with your neighbors.
190. Patriot | 03.15.09
Chenny is right. We can’t be nice with the terrorists. They take advange of our constitution to kill innocent people. I believe Bush and Chenny did the best of American’s interest. They keep us safe since Sep 11. I don’t trust Obama can defend us better than Bush. He has no experience at all
191. Jill Again | 03.15.09
Actually, it’s Cheney that made the United States less safe. His policies were among the worst the nation has ever seen.
192. Expatriot | 03.15.09
Patriot, I daresay that Bush and Cheney took advantage of our constitution to kill innocent people. For that reason, they could be regarded as terrorists.
Keep us safe? Look at how they mishandled the Katrina crisis in New Orleans.
They didn’t keep us safe. We weren’t safe, and we aren’t safe. And none of their failed policies and rhetoric stands a chance of making us safe.
193. frank | 03.15.09
To all of you people out there that are calling Obama, cushy and soft, etc. He has been doing his job the way a real President should… U.S. military drones have ben firing missiles into Pakistan killing insurgents weekly, he’s amping up the troop levels in Afghanistan, and he’s not beating his chest like Bush: “They want a war, they got a war. ” And “Bring it on.” Obama’s no wuss because he uses his brains and isn’t frothing at the mouth talking tough, like Cheney who NEVER SERVED IN MILITARY. What does he know about it!! He’s killed friends of mine in a country that wants us out, not because we’re pulling out!! And I will say it here an now. Within a year, Obama will kill or capture Bin Laden. Write it down.
194. Jason | 03.15.09
“Patriot”, the people who died from anthrax and snipers would like to have a word with you about that “keep us safe” thing.
Our soldiers aren’t safer - now the enemy can torture them and point at our behavior. Our streets aren’t safer, our data isn’t safer, our food and water aren’t safer, and they dealt the worst blow to the world economy in 70 years by naive deregulation and “faith” in the markets to do something other than try to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible.
Our planes aren’t safer - cargo is still unscanned, though you ARE safe from large amounts of toothpaste and shampoo, hooray! Our ports aren’t safer - remember when Bush wanted to turn over port security to the UAE? If terrorists got a nuclear bomb, the easiest way to deliver it is via container ship - and the Bush admin response was not to close that loophole, but to turn over security to a state whose capital is the global gateway for smugglers.
The facts show that conservatives just aren’t serious about protecting America from real threats - they are having too much fun protecting us from imaginary ones.
After 8 long years of irresponsible chickenhawks, looters, and perpetual frat boys with affluenza running the show, it’s a breath of fresh air to have responsible adults back in charge. They won’t be perfect, they won’t be spotless, they won’t be seen as saviors by anyone on the left or right, but at least they won’t be trying to cram our throats with a radical ideology held by a very small minority of Americans - and that is change you don’t have to believe in, you can take it to the bank.
195. Jacob | 03.16.09
I won’t claim to know what goes on in Cheney’s head….but I think it’s really time to realize how dangerous of a person he is. Maybe Cheney is right, maybe Obama’s policies do allow for a greater possibility of a terrorist attack. But the fact that he continuously calls for unquestioning support and unquestioning loyalty makes him a dangerous man.
Maybe torturing terrorist suspects does make us more safe, or maybe it doesn’t. Does this matter? How long are we prepared to use torture? In any case, Obama’s policies will bring us greater credibility in the Arab world….credibility that we need to win the war on terror. Cheney’s insistence on ignoring this aspect of the conflict and pursuing a scorched earth policy goes against all morality and everything our country stands for.
196. Noah | 03.16.09
I just don’t understand some people. I try, but I don’t. Bush was handed a document that stated that Bin Laden was going to use airplanes to attack us. He was on vacation at the time. He did nothing. We were attacked. Somehow, he is painted as a savior of the republic, and Obama the destroyer. How do they reconcile that cognitive dissonance. Like the billboard in Florida that showed the World Trade Center being hit by a plane, with the caption “Please vote Republican”. Um….hello???
The republican party is just chock full of idiots like Joe, who said that “North Korea launches a nuclear missile that could wipe out the entire country”. How many factual errors are present in that statement? One missle? The whole country? Really? Is he hoping the fallout from off the coast of Alaska (which is the farthest their missles can go) is going to slowly take us all out? Or Joe, how about the fact that W’s axis of evil has two nuclear states, and we went after the third. “He would have kept the troops in Iraq longer to protect out country.” From what, exactly? What part of Iraq is in any position to hurt America?
Further…for the last time. America was attacked on 9/11 because of us using Saudi Arabia as a base for the first Gulf War. Not because they hate our freedom. Sorry, not ever going to be true, no matter how many times the neo-cons repeat it, ad nauseum. Now, I am not the least bit interested in debating the incredibly complex issue of whether we should have done those things that a first year Islamic Studies major could tell you would infuriate the most radical portion of the Islamic fundamentalists beyond all consolation. But for the love of Space Daddy, please stop pretending that invading a Muslim land for whatever reason is going to make our country safer.
If someone bombed your house when you were a child, and made you an orphan, how many years would it take you to forget which country did it? 3 years? 9? How about 100 years? Would 100 years be enough to soothe the hatred for the country that killed your parents? Also, how much would the motives of the country that did that to you, as altruistic as those motives may be, play in to letting you forget your anger? I am going to guess none.
197. buckheaddad | 03.16.09
This man no longer is an elected or appointed official of the U.S. government.
Why does the press continue to give him a forum?
Just another psychologically insecure individual who (through hook and crook)
rose to power.
Think not? Answer (for yourself & to yourself):
Would you let this man marry your daughter?
198. Mr. Tyler Crook | 03.16.09
I think there is an easy equation at work here: The good guys do GOOD things, The bad guys do BAD things. Torture is bad. Detaining people with out the right of habeas corpus is bad. Leaders lying to their people for selfish gain is bad.
Therefore Cheney is a bad guy.
I don’t think you can do bad things in the name of good and still be good.
199. marc | 03.18.09
Hey Dan, I believe Eisenhower was at the helm for Korea’s end, Nixon for Vietnam, & this one aint over yet so we will see.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Nalyndre | 03.15.09
Wow, of all the nerve for Cheney to even say ANYTHING!! 8 Of some of the worse years in U.S. history.
Thank the Universe that inteligence is back in the White House, though reversing the past few years will be tough.
Funny how Republicans “supported their president” no matter what, yet NOW….they would rather see Obama, thus American, fail.
So much for supporting your country?
Dems want ANY President to succeed. Let’s not pretend it was Bush or Cheney.