Posted on 01/17/2011 5:04:06 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Cheney: Obama has learned that Bush policies were right By Daniel Strauss - 01/17/11 05:18 PM ET
President Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues were necessary, according to former Vice President Dick Cheney.
In his first interview since undergoing major heart surgery last July, Cheney said he thinks Obama has been forced to rethink some of his national security positions now that he sits in the Oval Office.
"I think he's learned that what we did was far more appropriate than he ever gave us credit for while he was a candidate. So I think he's learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election."
Cheney also asserted that Obama has learned that the prison at Guantanamo Bay simply cannot be closed, despite the promises he made while campaigning for the White House.
"I think he's learned that he's not going to be able to close Guantanamo," Cheney said. "That it's — if you didn't have it, you'd have to create one like that. You've got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans."
Cheney made the comments about Obama in an interview that is set to air Tuesday on NBC’s “Today.” The interview was Cheney's first since before he underwent heart surgery in July. Doctors introduced a device into his heart that pumps blood from the ventricle chamber to his aorta.
The former vice president cited the Obama administration’s expanded use of drones in Pakistan as more evidence of continuity from the policies of the Bush White House.
"As I say, I think he's found it necessary to be more sympathetic to the kinds of things we did," Cheney said. "They've gotten active, for example, with the drone program, using Predator and the Reaper to launch strikes against identified terrorist targets in the various places in the world."
Cheney also weighed in during the interview on the Arizona shooting that left six people dead and injured 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Cheney was cautious about what role heated political rhetoric played in the shooting.
"I think the event was caused by a deranged individual. And — that's where we ought to look in terms of trying to assess guilt," Cheney said.
But Cheney also said that it was important not to squelch spirited political debate in the shooting’s aftermath.
"I don't think we should anticipate that we can somehow take a system that was designed for political combat, if you will, between the parties, between ideas, between principles and set that aside. I wouldn't want to do that," Cheney said. "That's the heart and soul of our political system. And that's basically a good thing."
Cheney also confirmed an account from President George W. Bush's recently released memoir, “Decision Points,” that he had offered to resign multiple times during his administration.
"I didn't wanna stand in the way if, in fact, that kind of decision would enhance the president's prospects of winning reelection in 2004 when he was up against John Kerry," Cheney said. "And I thought he ought to have the freedom to change anybody he wanted, including me."
He might have been confronted with irrefutable evidence that Bush was right, but I doubt Obama learned anything.
Problem is that Bush was a liberal on most counts.
The "racist virtiol" on the right is never going to cease. /sarc
The "racist vitriol" on the right is never going to cease. /sarc
Fixed it.
How about the precious lives lost because of his leftist ROE?? I rarely hear ANYTHING about our sevicemen/women except on FR and a couple of other sites dedicated to getting the word out about our troops.
So where’s the self-righteous bastards shouting about casualties, where’s Hollyweird faggots struttin’ their “patriotism”?
Your opinion.
My opinion is that President Bush was focused on our national security. The fact that liberals used our national security as platform for their idiocy and I would guess used it as a bargaining chip in negotions doesn't change the fact that protecting our national security is the first and primary responsibility of the Government. I believe President Bush knew that.
There were decisions I didn't like, there was silence when I thought he should have fought back. There was more than enough spending. But there was a focus on national security.
Now we have all the things I wish President Bush would have done better being done much, much worse, and then some new stuff I couldn't imagine. Icing on the cake - no interest in our national defense.
Bitch as much as you want about President Bush, but I think at least part of your bitching is misplaced.
Personal opinion of course.
Take care.
The shadow knoweth.....
The shadow is a mere figment of imagination......
Sarah’s on Hannity. I’m going to watch.
Agree with you a 100%
The Bush bashers on FR are either DU Dummies try to destroy Bush’s legacy or are broadly insane human beings who forget that Ronald Reagan was 10 times the “liberal” Bush was if we start using such terms.
Hmmm.. Sandra Day O’Connor, withdrawal from Lebanon, Amnesty for illegals, Raising taxes after he had reduced them, not fixing social security.... all sins that... XXX did..
Yes, 20/20 hindsight is that Pres. Bush should/could have done things differently.
However, memories are sooooooo short. It was NOT A CAKEWALK to implement policies that WON THE WAR in Iraq. It was NOT a foregone conclusion.
The battle was tough...not least the battle to keep the public backing the WOT while the media/Dem axis launched a massive propoganda assault against it. People forget the daily drip, drip, drip of black, war news designed by the left to undermine the war.
HOWEVER Pres. Bush stood strong and WON THE WAR IN IRAQ. A HUGE achievement and one that will stand for the ages since it will prove to re-define the Middle East in a massively powerful and positive way. I am convinced that without Bush at the helm, it would not have been done. The media has invented all kinds of other things at which Bush failed to blur the fact that he overcame in the incredibly vital area of Iraq. Nonsense. He WON!!
While that is fine as far as it goes, a lot of what he did in that regard was very poorly executed, and he kind of overreached. I don't know why conservatives feel that they need to look backward and defend Bush. No one is very happy with Obama. Leave Bush out of it and look forward to what we should be doing and most importantly what we should not be doing.
Don't forget. Bush created DHS, which has nothing much to do with Homeland Security, which is mostly the province of DoD, CIA, and the FBI, none of which are in DHS. I pity the Coast Guard, which is a professional outfit, having to put up with the stumblebums who make the Department of Energy look competent.
The execution of the Iraq war was very poorly coordinated. There was no plan for what to do once Sadam was booted out, and we came about as close to losing it as you can before Petraeus finally turned it around. Afghanistan is another issue entirely. Other than booting out the Taliban and their Al Qaeda brethren, I don't know what our objective there was or is.
And our military is overstretched and out economy on the rocks trying to pay for it.
The most painful lesson Obama learned is that it’s much more difficult to have to make big boy decisions than it is to sit back and criticize those who have the responsibility.
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I forget The Palin Show
Going there now.....
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LOL.
Vietnam was so well handled.
Korea was a cakewalk.
Eisenhower stumbled into North Africa so organized.
Omaha beach was a raving tribute to organization and coordination.
Abe Lincoln's war seemed super organizaed after the 4th or 5th commander.
The fire sale during 1812 went so well, didn't it?
And golly, all those frozen feet at Valley Forge were nothing if not a tribute to a well oiled and coordinated congressional and executive effort.
Oh sure! Iraq was such a mess, and all those other engagements went off without a hitch!
Lol, I posted 25 minutes ago when it had just started. It’s over now.
National Security and open borders how does that work?
30% of the people coming over the border are non mexican many from the middle east. Hezbollah has been found operating along with drug runners for decades.
A president that refused to use his veto pen for eight years?
He not once defended the criticism of the troops or brought the issue to the American people.
How can you get more liberal than that?
He allowed Ted Kennedy to co write the education bill and the new prescription drug monstrosity. (Kennedy was a radical)
Adding a 7 trillion dollar entitlement to a bankrupt nation with the structural reality of baby boom generation and the inability of the next generation to pay for it?
At the end of his presidency he signed off on the TARP and in using the funds as a bridge loan which lead to the nationalization of the car companies.
He also signed off on expanding the power of the treasury secretary to dictatorial levels and hired liberal after liberal into his cabinet.
Don’t you think they knew how radical the incoming administration was which paved the way for the expansion of government stamped with Republican precedent which has done great damage to the party?
They have the luxury to information well beyond Fox News.
I was once in your camp, but I have educated myself there is no way to characterize Bush 43 as anything else but a liberal on most counts.
Tax cuts, social issues and military, other than that he might as well had a D next to his name.
The left was successful in demonizing him to the extent that conservatives looked the other way on policy.
Now you see the ex Bush hacks(Rove) attacking conservatives during the midterms and taking shots at Palin while sitting silent as this administration destroys the nation.
It’s not enough to love the country or focus on one issue, sad to say all these years I defended a liberal when I should have demanded spending cuts and fiscal responsibility.
I could go on but some things to think about if you have an open mind and seek truth....
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I caught her “Freedom Of Speech” part
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