RECENT POSTS
- President Obama: Asia Trip Helped Usher in a New Era of American Engagement
- Secretary Sebelius Celebrates the Tenth Anniversary of National Adoption Day
- Organizing for America Targets Sarah Palin
- Obama Administration Starts to Publicly Raise Issue of Detained US Citizen Xue Feng
- President Obama Gives Interview (of Sorts) to Dissident Cuban Blogger
- "You Guys Make a Pretty Good Photo Op," President Obama Jokes to Troops at Osan Air Base
- Did the Chinese Government Crack Down on an Obama Interview?
- Our Trip to the DMZ
- President Obama Greets U.S. Troops in South Korea, Wraps Up Week in Asia
- White House: We’re Not in the “Immediate Gratification Business”
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
At Bush Administration Reunion, Cheney Attacks Obama ... Again
October 21, 2009 10:56 PM
Jake Tapper and Ely Brown report:
At Washington, D.C.'s Union Station this evening, former Vice President Dick Cheney received the Keeper of the Flame award, given by the Center for Security Policy for "those individuals who have enhanced American security through their commitment to a strong military, the propagation of democracy and respect for individual rights throughout the world."
Also receiving an honor -- the Service Before Self award -- was Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a convicted felon whose sentence was commuted by President Bush. Libby received a standing ovation. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and undersecretary Doug Feith were also in attendance.
As is his wont, Cheney took the time to criticize President Obama. Speaking of strategy in Afghanistan, former Vice President Cheney said, “President Obama now seems afraid to make a decision, and unable to provide his commander on the ground with the troops he needs to complete his mission.”
Cheney also suggested that the strategy Obama announced in March was, well, his.
Cheney said, in the fall of 2008, the Bush administration "dug into every aspect of Afghanistan policy," assembling a team that reviewed all options and recommendations, and briefing President-elect Obama’s team. "They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed," Cheney said according to his prepared remarks, "giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt."
The new strategy, Cheney said, according to the prepared remarks, "they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them." He called that a good decision, but said Obama now seems to be "pulling back and blaming others for their failure to implement the strategy they embraced."
Of the president's plans to alter missile defense plans in Eastern Europe, Cheney said, "I consider the abandonment of missile defense in Eastern Europe to be a strategic blunder and a breach of good faith.”
On Iran, the former vice president said President Obama “has moved blindly forward to engage Iran's authoritarian regime. Unless the Islamic Republic fears real consequences from the United States and the international community, it is hard to see how diplomacy will work.”
He also went on at length once again defending the Bush administration’s use of “enhanced interrogation” techniques, many of which are widely considered torture.
“It certainly is not a good sign when the Justice Department is set on a political mission to discredit, disbar, or otherwise persecute the very people who helped protect our nation in the years after 9/11," Cheney said. "There are policy differences, and then there are affronts that have to be answered every time without equivocation, and this is one of them. We cannot protect this country by putting politics over security, and turning the guns on our own guys”
-- Jake Tapper and Ely Brown
October 21, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (123)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I know right wingers require amnesia to forget the awful things they have done but seriously how do you forget the terrorist attacks on 9/11?
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 5:11:03 PM
******
Require amnesia? This doesn't make sense. You've been on the boards too long, dear.
Posted by: Jenny | Oct 22, 2009 8:53:57 PM
Bush and Cheney kept us safe??? Weren't they in charge when we were attacked on 9/11? And then they "defended" us by attacking the wrong country, and took care of Katrina victims by putting incompetents in charge.
Cheney's comments are incredible, with the only thing more unbelievable being the award to Libby.
Posted by: Maria | Oct 22, 2009 8:15:00 PM
Thank you Bush and Cheney and our troops for keeking America safe. GOD Bless you guy's and GOD bless America!!!
Posted by: John Demeter | Oct 22, 2009 5:31:02 PM
"Americans need to thank Bush and Cheney for keeping us citizens safe during their watch."
I know right wingers require amnesia to forget the awful things they have done but seriously how do you forget the terrorist attacks on 9/11?
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 5:11:03 PM
Americans need to thank Bush and Cheney for keeping us citizens safe during their watch. How do Democrats contribute to our safety by demonizing citizens that back our troops while they are in the battle zone? How does it make Democrats better citizens? Ask your self what have you done? Nothing! Except demonize Bush and Cheney for having the guts to defend our country. Look your self in the mirror and tell your self how brave you are-not!!!
Posted by: John Demeter | Oct 22, 2009 5:06:04 PM
I do allot of veterans tax returns and they can't get the simple things that they need after they lost there legs arms, etc in fighting in Iraq. the towns that they live in have gotten together to furnish then with homes and wheelchairs adequate enough to fit there needs. The previous Administration said that our soldiers would be treated fairly, well here is a reality check, THEY ARE NOT
Posted by: Ken | Oct 22, 2009 5:01:01 PM
not only did the busch administration fail this country by going into Iraq when the primary objective was osama bin landen and al queda, but the plan for the war in Iraq was lead by cheney and Rumsfeld, not Powell. This led to the loss of lives, limbs and minds and financial costs that are still hurting us and have contributed greatly to the tremendous deficit that we face today. i am a CPA and a registered Republican but after the last 8 years of complete mistakes and unaccountability by our elected officials, History will show and prove this to be one of the great reasons why the country is in the weak state that it is now.
Afganistan isn't Obama's war, it is a mess he inherited from Busch and Cheney and now has to find a way to fix it without putting our country is worse shape, all of these so called experts love to take shots at Obama, lets see one of them come up with a solution that fixes the whole problem. Cheney had his chance and blew it, Thank God for free Speech, but every time he opens up his mouth, people with an IQ over 50 turn him off more and more and if you don't, simply do the math and start with the cost of the Iraq war with no way to fund it and how we treated our veterans when they came home
Posted by: Ken | Oct 22, 2009 4:56:47 PM
"Joe Wilson-the (Democrat)
lied about Saddam not trying to buy yellow cake in Niger."
Except he did not. Saddam didn't buy yellow cake from Niger.
"Our troops found ton's of iit in Iraq that was secretly removed in coperation with our alies."
ROFLMAO!
yes quite a few tons were found leftover from the 80's. It was sold to Canada I think and none of it done in secret.
"Later, U.N. inspectors documented and safeguarded the yellowcake, which had been stored in aging drums and containers since before the 1991 Gulf War. There was no evidence of any yellowcake dating from after 1991, the official said."
The right wing...stuck on stupid.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 4:48:19 PM
Democrat's have no idea how ignorant they are simply because they believe their own lies!Joe Wilson-the (Democrat)
lied about Saddam not trying to buy yellow cake in Niger.Our troops found ton's of iit in Iraq that was secretly removed in coperation with our alies.
Bush and our alies new it was there and they removed it.Hey Democrat's! You need to graduate out of the 3rd grade!!!
Posted by: John Demeter | Oct 22, 2009 4:42:16 PM
"As we all suspected, some right wingers have no clue. You think Rahm "can't let the liberal wing dominate the agenda" Emanuel is liberal?"
Right wingers are largely unaware of the differences between the DLC, Blue Dogs and Progressive coalitions within the Democratic party.
They can't understand why everyone is not in lock step.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 4:13:49 PM
rahm emmanual database for liberal talking points
***
As we all suspected, some right wingers have no clue. You think Rahm "can't let the liberal wing dominate the agenda" Emanuel is liberal?
Posted by: GwenTenn | Oct 22, 2009 4:07:31 PM
"In fact, I usually vote Green Party because I despise politicians in both parties"
Votes Green party but calls everyone to the left of Cheney a socialist?
The right wing...when in doubt just make it up and hope no one listening has a brain(also known as the Beck corollary).
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:56:22 PM
"Sorry Ryan - your post can be found."
Of course it can.
What do you think I was referencing?
I think its in the huge FoxNews thread.
" You were telling someone that only 40% of people were conservative the and rest were liberal (grouping moderates with your false numbers)."
ROFLMAO!
I never claimed that 60% of the country was liberal.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:38:26 PM
"Ryan, I'm so glad you learned such a big word like projection but do you really know what it means"
Why not explain to me how you are a reflective material while I am an adhesive?
The unintentional comedy here is gold!
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:29:37 PM
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:24:49 PM
******
Sorry Ryan - your post can be found. I don't know if you want to go there. You were telling someone that only 40% of people were conservative the and rest were liberal (grouping moderates with your false numbers). You lie.
Posted by: Jenny | Oct 22, 2009 3:26:34 PM
"Yesterday you grouped liberal and moderate together and said only 40% were conservative, trying to insinuate the liberal grouping was larger."
No, I corrected a right winger who said that conservatives were the majority according to Gallup.
My line was
"Actually conservatives represent 40% with moderates and liberals filling out the rest."
"They are not your own - they despise the liberals and obama now that his true colors are exposed."
According to Gallup's polling, 40% of Democrats consider themselves moderate vs on 24% of Republicans considering themselves moderate.
ABC Exit Polling 2008:
Moderates were 44% of the electorate and voted for Obama 60% to 39%
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:24:49 PM
I’ll check in later to see what you did to “little ol’ me”.
Posted by: ErnestNM | Oct 22, 2009 3:10:20 PM
**********
I don't find your post offensive at all and I appreciate the respectful tone of it. I am not a Republican either. In fact, I usually vote Green Party because I despise politicians in both parties. They are both equally offensive to me whether they are cheating, lying, stealing, having marital affairs or whatever. But unlike you, I find the conservative side of the republican party more acceptable than the liberal side of the democrat party.
Posted by: Jenny | Oct 22, 2009 3:16:12 PM
You grouped liberals and moderates yesterday to help your argument."
"You grouped liberals and moderates yesterday to help your argument."
Except that I did not do that.
"They don't belong together - moderates do not want to be grouped with insane liberals."
Using Gallup's numbers, moderates would much rather be associated with Democrats or list themselves as Independent.
40% of Democrats consider themselves moderate.
45% of independents also consider themselves moderates.
24% of Republicans consider themselves moderate, the rest had to wait till Rush told them what to think.
"As always, you lie."
Projection...its whats for dinner.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 3:08:31 PM
"Your credibility is shot, Ryan "ROFLMAO" C. These are Gallup numbers that you used yesterday"
You added conservatives + moderate + republicans and claimed they were all against liberals which is just plain stupid for two reasons.
1) There are right and left leaning moderates.
2) Adding Republicans and conservatives together means you are counting some twice.
Again you just made up the numbers.
The lesson as always? right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 2:56:59 PM
"Ryan "ROFLMAO" C is at it again! Moderates, Conservatives and Republicans equal 75%."
ROFLMAO!
When in doubt the right wing just makes up the numbers!
Poor nutty right wingers, their facade that the country agrees with them has been crumbling for years and it just continues.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 22, 2009 2:48:19 PM
Post a comment


