Posted on 05/21/2009 11:35:37 AM PDT by jazusamo
President Obama on Thursday defended some of his most controversial national security decisions since assuming the Oval Office while legitimizing former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has emerged as one of his harshest critics.
Obama, speaking at the National Archives and surrounded by the nation's most prized documents, slammed the Bush administration for an "anything goes" policy on legal terrorism matters and reminded his critics that it is he, as commander in chief, who bears the responsibility of keeping the country safe.
"As commander in chief, I see the intelligence. I bear responsibility for keeping this country safe, and I categorically reject the assertion that these are the most effective means of interrogation," Obama said.
Obama argued that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, created an atmosphere of fear that led to a lapse in the application of fundamental American values, saying, "We went off course."
But in a speech timed to begin just after Obama's ended, Cheney made the case that the Sept. 11 attacks were the moment that forced a fundamental shift in American thinking.
"9/11 made necessary a shift of policy, aimed at a clear strategic threat," Cheney told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute. "Wars cannot be won on the defensive."
"You can look at the facts and conclude that the comprehensive strategy has worked, and therefore needs to be continued as vigilantly as ever. Or you can conclude that 9/11 was a one-off event — coordinated, devastating but also unique and not sufficient to justify a sustained wartime effort."
Cheney's speech is the latest in a months-long campaign the former vice president has waged in defending the Bush administration's decisions in the wake of the 2001 attacks.
And while Democrats and some critics have said Cheney is the wrong person to be making the argument, given nearly record-low approval ratings for his administration, Republicans say Cheney has provided them a new opportunity to renew a national security debate. With a speech on the same day as Cheney's, the president could be seen to legitimize the former vice president as an opponent worthy of the same stage.
In an interview with MSNBC, senior White House advisor David Axelrod acknowledged the administration was aware they would be sharing the stage with Cheney when they scheduled the national security speech for Thursday. But although Axelrod said Obama's speech simply fit into the calendar, the president made clear he had Cheney at least somewhat in mind.
"I know some have argued that brutal methods like waterboarding were necessary to keep us safe," Obama said in a thinly veiled reference to the former vice president. "I could not disagree more."
"Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. And I believe that those decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people," the president said. "But I also believe that — too often — our government made decisions based upon fear rather than foresight, and all too often trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions."
"Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, we too often set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And in this season of fear, too many of us — Democrats and Republicans, politicians, journalists and citizens — fell silent."
Obama and Cheney also sparred on the president's proposal to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, an issue on which the White House has found itself at odds even with Congressional Democrats, who say they will not fund the closing without a coherent plan the White House has yet to offer.
Obama offered a broad outline of a new plan for transferring the remaining 240 detainees, but he likely set off a bigger firestorm by acknowledging that some detainees would be transferred to federal "SuperMax" prisons on U.S. soil.
"In dealing with this situation, we do not have the luxury of starting from scratch," Obama said. "We are cleaning up something that is — quite simply — a mess; a misguided experiment that has left in its wake a flood of legal challenges that my administration is forced to deal with on a constant basis, and that consumes the time of government officials whose time should be spent on better protecting our country."
Obama said his administration would not release any prisoners who remain a threat to U.S. national security or detainees who endanger Americans. In doing so, the president acknowledged that while the Guantanamo prison is closed, some of the detainees will be kept in American custody likely in perpetuity.
While Obama's approach to releasing controversial interrogation memos, which he did, and potentially incendiary photographs of those interrogations, which he decided against, seems to be searching for a middle ground, Cheney insisted the revelations were counter to national security interests.
"Releasing the interrogation memos was flatly contrary to the national security interest of the United States," Cheney said. "The harm done only begins with top-secret information now in the hands of the terrorists, who have just received a lengthy insert for their training manual."
Cheney accused Obama of being less than honest by reserving the right to once again order the use of enhanced interrogation techniques in the name of national security.
"It's almost gone unnoticed that the president has retained the power to order the same methods in the same circumstances," Cheney said.
The two do agree that a "truth commission" is an option that should not be pursued, a move that could irk those on the left who want the Obama administration to investigate Bush administration officials for their actions.
"Nothing will contribute more to that than an extended re-litigation of the last eight years," Obama said. "Already, we have seen how that kind of effort only leads those in Washington to different sides laying blame, and can distract us from focusing our time, our effort and our politics on the challenges of the future."
Tough few days for Obama. First he is forced to acknowledge the Pro-Lifers in a very big way, now Cheney.
Obama qualified it. Does that mean he will releast detainees within the U.S. if he decides they aren't a danger?
Anybody seen George Bush?
Obama is a child. Chaney is a grown-up.
“But in a speech timed to begin just after Obama’s ended, Cheney made the case that the Sept. 11 attacks were the moment that forced a fundamental shift in American thinking.”
You just can’t trust anybody today. It was Obama who timed his speech to begin BEFORE Cheney started.
Lies, lies, lies. I HATE the media.
Cheney is the man! He won this dueling speeches!
It was simply beautiful to watch and listen to the clubbing Cheney gave the boy president this morning. I’ve been basking in the delight of it all afternoon.
A real President would have remained above the fray. O-bowma isn't a real President though.
Since his inauguration he has acted more the juvenile than a statesman, it’s pathetic.
“I know some have argued that brutal methods like waterboarding were necessary to keep us safe,” Obama said in a thinly veiled reference to the former vice president. “I could not disagree more.”
The first question to him after the next terrorist attack will be “could this have been prevented by water boarding”.
Checkmate.
That's sure what it looks like. It doesn't take a genius to know those terrorists are in Gitmo because they're a danger to us.
I hope everyone understands that Cheney is not "defending Bush administration decisions" but rather he is clearly on the offensive to get Zer0 to own up to the seriousness of terrorism against America and to employ the necessary means to stop it.
God bless Dick Cheney, IMO he's dedicated himself to protecting America no matter who's in the Oval Office.
Obama does not allow any dissent. While Bush allowed all dissent. Both tactics are bad.
You nailed it, he has the mindset of a juvenile.
I guess we'll discover when those 17 Sunni Muslim Salafist "Uighur" al Qaeda-trained terrorists are released into the suburban family neighborhoods of Fairfax County Virginia whether or not they "endanger the American people" there.
I think his actions in Iraq will propel him into the list of one of the Greatest Presidents.
However, I think he spent a lot of time hiding under the desk in the Oval Office on most other matters.
Right now he's under his bed in TX.
My only beef with Cheney is that neither he nor Bush were speaking up this loudly and clearly while they were in office. Maybe if they had been as cogent, vociferous, and persistent over the last 8 years as Cheney is now, we wouldn’t be having to endure the next 4 years of nonsense.
Amen to that!
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