Posted on 08/31/2009 7:31:52 AM PDT by 2nd amendment mama
Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday that he has doubts that President Obama, “understands and is prepared to do what needs to be done to defend the nation.”
Cheney -- speaking forcefully to Fox News’ Chris Wallace -- stopped a brief step short of accusing Obama of intentionally harming the nation.
Cheney exudes a restorative candor, like a lifeline to sanity in a world where up is now down, good is now bad, and the majority politicians hardly make believe they’re telling the truth anymore.
Cheney gave hard-hitting answers about CIA documentation released last week that showed that enhanced interrogation techniques -- which Obama has condemned and Attorney General Holder has announced a special prosecutor to investigate -- not only work but have saved American lives.
From the transcript:
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: The interesting thing about [the report] is it shows that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah provided the overwhelming majority of reports on al Qaeda, that they were, as it says, “pivotal” in the war against al Qaeda. That both of them were uncooperative at first, that the application of enhanced interrogation techniques, specifically waterboarding, especially in the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is what really persuaded him. He needed to cooperate.Yet Team Obama and congressional Democrats find it entirely coincidental that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed went from total obstruction to terrorist Rolodex post-waterboarding. They find it complete happenstance that we have not suffered another terrorist attack in the eight years since 9/11. And they go about dismantling the national security and intelligence apparatus that was rebuilt in the wake of an attack that blindsided America as a result of the last time liberals deconstructed America’s intelligence capabilities.
I think the evidence is overwhelming that the EITs were crucial in getting them to cooperate, and that the information they provided did in fact save thousands of lives and let us defeat all further attacks against the United States.
CHENEY: They made decisions about whether or not there was any prosecutable offense there. They found one. It did not involve CIA personnel, it involved contract personnel. That individual was sentenced and is doing time. The matter’s been dealt with the way you would expect it to be dealt with by professionals.The former Vice President is not buying Obama’s end run around taking responsibility for the highly-politicized investigation.
CHENEY: Well, I think if you look at the Constitution, the President of the United States is the chief law enforcement officer in the land. The attorney general’s a statutory officer. He’s a member of the cabinet.
The President’s the one who bears this responsibility. And for him to say, gee, I didn't have anything to do with it, especially after he sat in the Oval Office and said this wouldn’t happen, then Holder decides he’s going to do it. So now he's backed off and is claiming he’s not responsible.Cheney also gave a chilling example of how the Obama administration CIA witch hunt is currently harming not only our national security but a brand new threat of nuclear proliferation to nations and terrorist groups.
I just, I think he's trying to duck the responsibility for what's going on here. And I think it's wrong.
CHENEY: Just [yesterday], for example, the courts in Pakistan have ruled and A. Q. Khan, the father of the Pakistan nuclear weapons, the man who provided assistance to the Iranians, the North Koreans, the Libyans, has now been released from custody.The Obama administration is investigating these professionals at the CIA, placing administration priorities on finding out if interrogators who waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed really intended to garner information from him or if they had a more nefarious motive.
It is very, very important we find out and know, long term, what he is up to. He is, so far, the worst proliferator of nuclear technology in recent history. Now we have got agents and people out at the agency who ought to be on that case and worried about it, but they are going to have to spend time hiring lawyers at their own expense in order to defend themselves against the possibility of charges.
CHENEY: Well, I was not a fan of his when he got elected, and my views have not changed any. I have serious doubts about his policies, serious doubts especially about the extent to which he understands and is prepared to do what needs to be done to defend the nation.First the town hall revolts and now unvarnished truth over a broadcast network airwaves. This is going to be a very interesting month.
Very well stated VP Cheney!
Unprepared, or Unwilling?
God bless this man for his courage to standing up against the Chicago thugs.
Obama has NO intention of protecting the United States from ANYTHING.
Yup.
Thank God for Dick Cheney!
Yes
Unprepared, yes. But also unwilling. He just doesn’t think America is worth defending. He spent his entire adult life among people who hate our country and our way of life.
Cheney tells it like it is. Obama just does not understand what he’s dealing with; he is an incompetent president.
I have a feeling they’ll rue the day they decided to use this man as a pinata.
"Uninterested" is the word I'd use.
Not a Cheney fan but I saw him on FNC ripping Obama for his latest political investigation of CIA, and he did a great job, very well put. What is sleezy is Obama making believe he is apart from it ,that Holder is uncontrollable, MSNBC is repeating this lie too. You dont see Holder investigating democrats.
Cheney drives them crazy. As does Sarah.
Any conservative with balls is too much for them to bear.
I feel incredibly UNSAFE under this ‘president’.
Cheney was being a bit generous with that word. I would even go as far as saying Obama is making sure we can't defend ourselves. Obama is wasting valuable resources attack those who are responsible for defending us, and banning the use of tools needed to stop the terrorists.
Doesn’t want to — Our Hugo Chavez wanna be is too interested in turning America into a communist country.
Not going to happen, as long as the folks have guns, but he is going to try. Thugs are already beating protesters.
While this is all true. We are screwed. The damage 0bama is doing is dangerous beyond words.
I think the CIA should sue the pants off the Obama goons that are doing this to them..Get back at them release everything that is know about them..Hey there can be some leaks the democrat do it all the time..
“...he is an incompetent president...”
I agree that he is not the sharpest tool in the shed. But he is a tool, a tool of the radical left who hate America and want to bring her to her knees.
Cheney believes that too, but just can’t state it openly, not just yet. Cheney is a patriot!!
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.