Posted on 05/22/2009 4:55:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Two top Bush-era officials on Friday rejected ex-vice president Dick Cheney's scathing criticism of US President Barack Obama, saying the country's national security was not in jeopardy.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in the same post under former president George W. Bush, and Tom Ridge, the former head of homeland security, both voiced disagreement with Cheney a day after he attacked Obama's performance as the new commander-in-chief.
Gates said in an interview that opponents of Obama's decision to close the "war on terror" prison at Guantanamo were engaging in "fear-mongering," a reference to Cheney's stance on the issue.
Defending the president's decision to shut the detention center at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Gates said the prison was damaging America's image and served as a propaganda tool for Al-Qaeda.
"The truth is, it's probably one of the finest prisons in the world today. But it has a taint," Gates told NBC television's "Today" program during a visit to New York.
"The name itself is a condemnation. What the president was saying is, this will be an advertisement for Al-Qaeda as long as it's open," he said.
In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Ridge said he could not support the former vice president's charge that Obama had undermined US national security.
Asked if he believed the country was now less safe as a result of Obama's policies, Ridge said: "I do not."
The Republican said the discussion had become too politically charged with Cheney making a televised speech on Thursday immediately after an address by the sitting president.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I’m not surprised.
You mean “William” Gates ;-) Gates is just a technician, and a good one at that.
Gates and Ridge both have a reason to slant the truth. They think they have a political career ahead of them. Cheney won’t be seeking higher office. You judge who to believe.
Ridge is a useless plodder, perfectly suited to his role as bureaucrat-for-life. As for Gates, from what I've seen so far, he is no threat to displace Cap or Rummy as SECDEF in our hearts and minds; more in the mold of William S. Cohen (Sir Bill the Timid)...
Recently, when there was speculation that Ridge would run in the Pa. primary for Spector's seat, there were already fools on FR who said they'd vote for him.
Good. Gates purpose in this administration is to take the fall for any attack as a Bush appointee. So, it’s great he’s now signing off the Bush team and joining Team Zero. Cheney’s offensive just keeps paying dividends.
Efiin idiot. Cheneys speech was scheduled before Obama decided to stuff the teleprompter with platitudinous bs.
Like the guy up above said, never again. No more money, no more votes for useless idiots.
You are so right..... before I knew anything about Ridge's ideology, I knew he would be a disaster as a candidate--based on those looks. I know it's a terrible thing to relate looks to electability, but it's true. I said the same thing about Steve Forbes---not electable.
I’m sure it hasn’t dawned on you that McCain has been praising Obama effusively for months. No, I’ll never soil myself by voting for anything even close to John McCain.
He hung out with Soros, Terressa Heinz Kerry, and the Tides Foundation... Need I say more?
There’s a list longer than my arm with dumb ass things McCain has done. He’s unfit to be a U.S. Senator. There isn’t even the slimmest of chances I’d vote for that SOB ever.
Obama might be bad, but at least he’s destroying his party and not ours. I couldn’t say that if McCain were president right now, and he’d be doing much of what Obama has been.
So pat yourself on the back if you like. I’m quite comfortable for taking a pass on the ass.
I noticed that that “perfumed prince” Eric Shinseki from the Clinton Administration is part of the Zero administration as well. We just can’t seem to get rid of these @$$holes.
And where did that "taint" come from Secretary Gates?
It came from the putrid democrat party and the clown occupying the Oval Office.
Ridge, Gates, Powell and McCain have now joined Obama with markers on their heads. When the attack comes it will be because of these shmucks supporting policies that weaken America's intelligence capability.
Now, if we could just get more of our RINOs to switch parties.
Right now all they do is provide fuel for the media to claim there’s a split in our party. Well duh. Of course there is. We have too many Democrats in it.
Yo dipstick, why don't you take a few in and rehabilitate them. I'm sure Mrs. Gates will be happy to set a few more places at the dinner table.
Ridge is an idiot if he believes this. BO is the one who scheduled a speech after he saw that Cheney had an ALREADY SCHEDULED speech. If discussion is "too politically charged", than BO did it.
Now the question is, did Ridge say this, or did Agence France-Presse add the part about "making a speech after the prez"?
I can't think of a better way to recruit even more terrorists, than by putting Gitmo detainees in prisons across the country. If the liberals think Gitmo was a recruitment symbol for Al Qaeda and The Taliban, they ain't seen nothing yet. Are Obama, Gates, etc., so naive they they believe these detainees won't be recruiting new terrorists behind bars in U.S. prisons? To many doing time, these guys are heroes. Their violent histories and activities will be seen as a badge of honor, and they will have no problem selling their anti-America rhetoric to the simple minds of incarcerated felons. I hope Obama's ready for a bloodbath, because it's coming.
"The truth is, it's probably one of the finest prisons in the world today. But it has a taint," Gates told NBC
It has a taint because politicians like Obama and news agencies like NBC have lied about it daily since the day it was opened. As Gates says, it is probably one of the finest prisons in the world today; it is certainly one of the finest military war prisons in the world. Instead of criticizing Cheney, he should be calling on Obama to correct misconceptions about the prison.
Unlikely? Of course. The folks who have lied about it can't admit they were lying that easily. That in itself is not reason enough to close the prison; they'll only have to build another one somewhere else under a different name to do the same thing. If the politicians and the news monkeys slander it for five years straight it will have a taint too. And if gutless hacks like Gates and Ridge won't speak up for it, the taint will stick, too, just like it did at Guantanamo.
The problem isn't Guantanamo. The problem is paid propagandists, and the politicians who use them, and gutless hacks who won't fight back when the big lie is being laid down. I think I dislike them the most. Speak the truth and they get red-faced with embarrassment.
I'm not patting myself on the back, I just did what I had to do. I sure have no guilt over casting my vote for McCain rather than the Muslim.
He's a government whore who would rather throw this country down the tubes than speak the truth about the state of our national security under his lord and master. He's in it for the money, nothing else.
I have been opposed to Gates from Day One and his lack of experience is showing. President of A&M does not qualify him to by SecDef.
As for Ridge, he isn’t on any list of Republicans that I would want in any office. Best thing I can remember him doing is not running against Toomey.
Those two together don’t have the background or intelligence of one Dick Cheney. Their kneepadding for ZERO is duly noted.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.