Cheney fearmongers: Obama is ‘making some choices’ that ‘raise the risk…of another attack.’
Weeks after President Obama was inaugurated, former Vice President Cheney warned that Obama’s policy promises — including closing the Guantanamo Bay prison and ending torture — would lead to a nuclear attack on U.S. soil. Today, in a new interview with CNN, Cheney upped his fearmongering, insisting Obama has made Americans “less safe”:
KING: I’d like to simply ask you, yes or no, by taking these steps do you believe the President of the United States has made Americans less safe?
CHENEY: I do. I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11. I think that’s a great success story. … President Obama campaigned against it all across the country. And now he is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack.
For the last time: Torture made Americans — both at home and those serving overseas — less safe. In fact, former FBI special agent Jack Cloonan testified that the Bush-Cheney policies had convinced him that “revenge in the form of a catastrophic attack on the homeland is coming.”
Cheney’s Excuse For Economic Failures Under His Watch: ‘Stuff Happens’
During an interview with Dick Cheney this morning, CNN host John King asked the former vice president why “we should listen to you” for economic advice. To make his case, King noted the following statistical changes that occurred under the Bush/Cheney administration:
Unemployment rate: Rose from 4.2 percent to 7.6 percent
Poverty: Jumped from 32.9 million individuals to 37.3 million
Uninsured: Escalated from 41.2 million individuals to 45.7 million
Budget deficit: Inherited budget surplus of $128 billion and left office with $1.3 trillion deficit
“So what would you say to someone out there watching this who’s saying why should they listen to you?” King asked. Cheney responded that there’s “all kinds of arguments that could be made,” but he emphasized that there is “something more important than” the specific numbers King cited — namely, 9/11.
Cheney argued the Bush administration had to spend (without paying for it) because it went into “wartime mode.” Cheney also referenced the need to spend money after the Katrina disaster:
All of these things required us to spend money that we had not originally planned to spend or weren’t originally part of the budget. Stuff happens. And the administration has to be able to respond to that, and we did.
Recall, Cheney’s good friend — former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — said shortly after the invasion of Iraq: “Stuff happens…freedom’s untidy. And people are free to make mistakes.”
By Cheney’s logic, the U.S. could no longer care about poverty, the uninsured, or the unemployed after 9/11. Those issues were not deemed “important” enough to address.
In recent weeks, Rush Limbaugh has become so controversial that some top GOP leaders are trying to distance themselves from the divisive radio host. But not Dick Cheney. In his first TV interview since leaving office, Cheney said he adores Limbaugh and even said he wants to see President Obama debate him:
CHENEY: Rush is a good friend. I love him. I think he does great work and has for years. He has now offered to debate President Obama on his radio show. Hell, I’d pay to see that. … I think Rush is a good man and serves a very important purpose.
Limbaugh was extremely close to the Bush administration. In January, President Bush invited Limbaugh to the Medal of Freedom ceremony and hosted a private birthday party for him. Last summer, Cheney sent Limbaugh a recorded message, calling him “one of the great names in broadcasting history.” In 2007, Karl Rove granted his first post-resignation interview to Limbaugh.
For the oppressed, peace is the absence of oppression, but for the oppressor, peace is the absence of resistance.
Cheney: Don't blame Bush team for economic woes
Sunday March 15, 9:13 am ET
Cheney says economic woes are not Bush team's fault, cites global financial problem
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Don't blame the Bush administration for all the country's economic problems.
That's the message from former Vice President Dick Cheney.
President Barack Obama constantly talks about the enormous economic troubles that he inherited when he took office in January. Cheney agrees that Obama did indeed came into power amid very difficult economic circumstances.
But Cheney says he doesn't think the Bush administration can be blamed for creating the economic woes. Cheney says it's a global financial problem. He says the idea that fault can assigned to the previous administration is "interesting rhetoric" but he doesn't think people care about that.
A debate between Obama and Limbaugh? Why would anyone care to watch the presidential campaign again? Rush would do nothing but spout inaccurate 'facts' or severely twisted truths and have nothing to lose by doing so while Obama would stick to the truth and spend almost all of his time having to point out how full of shit Limbaugh is. There's nothing interesting in that. We saw it for months between McCain and Obama already.
Besides, I'd rather see Limbaugh take a bullet between the eyes than listen to that fat fuck speak a single word. And to be fair, I can't fucking stand watching Olberman (sp) speak either. Wrap them both in diapers and drop them in the middle of the Mississippi with a canoe.
Star Wars quote that comes to mind every time I see Dick Cheney: "He's more machine than man now."
I was writing an article for the school newspaper and a girl refused to be named because her last name was Cheney. No other reason. I was interviewing her about some positive stuff, and it was not even in the realm of a 'gotcha!' moment. That's power! Cheney is my hero!
Siji wrote:Besides, I'd rather see Limbaugh take a bullet between the eyes than listen to that fat fuck speak a single word. And to be fair, I can't fucking stand watching Olberman (sp) speak either. Wrap them both in diapers and drop them in the middle of the Mississippi with a canoe.
