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Biden: Cheney 'Dead Wrong'; Terror Policies Have Created More Terrorists
December 21, 2008 9:00 AM
What does the future vice president really think about Vice President Dick Cheney?
In our exclusive interview for "This Week" -- VP-Elect Joe Biden didn't mince words about his predecessor.
"I don't agree with the vice president," Biden said, "I think the recommendations, the advice that he has given to President Bush -- and maybe advice the president already had decided on before he got it -- I'm not making that judgment -- has been not healthy for our foreign policy, not healthy for our national security, and it has not been consistent with our Constitution, in my view."
"His notion of a unitary executive, meaning that, in time of war, essentially all power, you know, goes to the executive, I think is dead wrong. I think it was mistaken," Biden said.
"I think that it caused this administration in adopting that notion to overstep its constitutional bounds, but at a minimum to weaken our standing the world and weaken our security. I stand by that, that judgment," Biden said.
"He still thinks we should have gone into Iraq, knowing exactly what we knew and the way we did," Biden said, He also stands by the fact that we still should keep Guantanamo Bay open and so on. So -- so we have fundamentally different view."
Biden refuted Cheney's recent comments that the more people learn about the threats facing the nation and read the intelligence reports, the more they will come around to the Bush administration's point of view on their counterterrorist policies.
"As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, unless they were lying to me all along, I knew the details of the threat. I was one of those four people that had access to all that information, excuse me, one of those eight people the -- that had access to that information," Biden said.
"Secondly, I have been getting what they call that presidential briefing you get every morning from the intelligence community since the day we have been -- since the day we were elected, not sworn in. I have learned nothing thus far that would change my view."
Nothing? I asked him.
"Nothing thus far that would change my fundamental view that Guantanamo should close, number one, that, number two, the way in which we have conducted our policy, in terms of both surveillance as well as the detainees, has hurt our reputation around the world.
And to quote from a previous national security report put out by the -- the intelligence community, we have -- we have created, not dissuaded, more terrorists as a consequence of this policy. Nothing I've learned thus far has changed my fundamental view on the constitutional as well as the practical positions we should take relative to the issues of torture and others," he said.
--George Stephanopoulos
December 21, 2008 in This Week with George Stephanopoulos | Permalink | Share | User Comments (34)
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Right on the money Kevin. We get these nit-wits who love their trailer park existence and wrap themselves in the flag and salute everytime Bush or Cheney consent to another unbiased Fox interview. Disagree with them and you're "socialist, communist, unpatriotic, etc., etc. Trouble with them is that America finally stood up for its ideals and made a major statement the last two elections. Even that evil Cheney in his final days, get on Fox (surprise, surprise!) and says the most abhorent things ever. He was behind Rumsfelt, stands behind the decision to go to war, stands behind torture... all of this from someone who got 6 deferments to stay out of the service and when asked why said, "I don't have time for that". He sleeps the sleep of angels with 4000+ of our brave soldiers deaths on his hands and 100's of thousands of innocent Iraqi's. This is truely an EVIL, EVIL man!
Posted by: bill1037 | Dec 22, 2008 11:21:54 AM
It's comical to see the liberals are still in denial about the clinton and obama.
Whom ever disagreed with their warp view are trailer trash and those who fights the enemy of the country are how how getting dupe by Bush and Cheney. They talked a good game about supporting our troops then stabbed them in the back. Our enemies just loves these people.
Cherry picking and taking things out of context to fit it into their skewed vision is what they do best. They thinked msnbc and cnn is factual news. biden got 5 deferrements to stay out of the service and it's ok but anyone elses are an issues. Hypocrite.
Posted by: USA-No1 | Dec 22, 2008 12:28:12 PM
Certainly Bush and Cheney didn't spend time in the military. They brought the world a whole new view of the US. They believe in no diplomacy, no humility, and created a world that hates us. I have not been able to fly an American flag at home for 6 years. No pride in being an American these days. Hopefully Obama can bring back our place and respect to the world community.
Posted by: Frank | Dec 22, 2008 12:49:59 PM
Frank, the reason you can't fly the US flag at home is that your friends keep setting it on fire when they come over to your house.
Posted by: Jama | Dec 22, 2008 4:01:00 PM
Yup that's right USA, your way to support the troops is send em into battle with people who aren't even our enemy and made no hostile advances towards us. Now the 4000+ dead USA soldiers blood is on your hands too. Enjoy it to your grave. Oh and BTW, the 100 thousand plus innocent Iraqi's that are dead, their on your hands too. Just keep listening to the spewings of Rush and Sean, now here is some factual news.
Posted by: bill1037 | Dec 22, 2008 6:18:26 PM
"His notion of a unitary executive, meaning that, in time of war, essentially all power, you know, goes to the executive, I think is dead wrong. I think it was mistaken," Biden said.
Once again Dopey Joe is wrong!
The President of the United States is
also Commander-In-Chief of the
Armed Forces and as such can commit
our forces to any region of the world
without a declaration of war or
Congressional Consent!
I guess Dopey Joe is still looking for
those photos of FDR going on TV
during the Stock Market Crash of 1929
to reassure the American People! Duh!
Posted by: reaganfan | Dec 23, 2008 1:26:03 PM
ABC NEWS crosses the line of fabrication as usual here. Stop telling us what you think we should read, hear and write. Your censorship is horrendous. Thanks alot ABC news for censoring my posts so frequently. You are trying to control the media and the people by doing this. If a comment does not "fit in" with your articles point( and of course it must agree with you) It is censored or even taken out completely. This is sad that ABC news must do this, because they are trying to be an unbiased and valid news source.......well I have news for you guys ABC, you are just as bad as FOX news- which is the absolute worst news source known to humankind. I will not come to your low-end news source unless it is to write an article like this. You are pathetic, and should take comments OFF of your site ENTIRELY because you are manipulating news and what people are really saying. Great work geniuses.
Posted by: tehevo | Dec 23, 2008 3:39:45 PM
bill1037, terrorists kill our troops and many civilians as they could to get people liked you to help them out.
saddamm have been shooting at us for years when we were enforcing the no fly zone. And you think that they're not our enemy and made no hostile advances towards us.
And how's removing a tyrant who commits mass murder with WMD and violated countless of UN resolution are unjust? Why do you want to support the terrorists?
Posted by: USA-No1 | Dec 25, 2008 11:30:48 PM
OK USA, let's get some facts straight. Rumsfeld provided Saddam with the WMD. Second of all, imagine yourself living in Iraq, you have a decent life, a home, family, etc., yea you hate your leader (but that is a familiar mantra), now an outside country comes in that youhad no aggressiontoward, destroys your home, your life, probably kills some of your family, now you are ticked off. Know what, being ticked off at what we did to you, makes you a terrorist. Do you understan, even your own beloved Bush said Al Qaeda and the Taliban were not in Iraq because Saddam hated them. Now you can step back and wrap yourself in our flag and keep saluting everytime these pathetic, evil people try to justify what they did, but the truth of the matter is it makes you just as guilty. Enjoy the blood of 100's of thousands of innocent deaths on your hands. And you talk about Saddams WMD's?, let's count these innocent deaths on Bush and CHeney's hands. These are truely war crimes.
Posted by: bill1037 | Dec 26, 2008 6:14:30 AM
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