(CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney is again taking aim at President Obama, issuing a statement Monday suggesting the administration's decision to name a prosecutor to investigate CIA interrogations under President Bush fuels "doubts about this administration's ability to be responsible for our nation's security."
"The people involved deserve our gratitude," Cheney said in the statement. "They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions."
The former vice president also said documents released Monday prove enhanced interrogation techniques yielded valuable information that "provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al Qaeda."
"This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks," Cheney said. "These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of al Qaeda members and associates since 2002."
"The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States," he added.
Related: Cheney says documents show interrogations prevented attacks
Late Monday, the government released declassified CIA documents originally requested last May by Cheney. The former vice president had argued they would show enhanced interrogation techniques saved lives.
While analysis in the documents says information from detainee interrogations "helped thwart a number of al-Qaida plots" and "arrests...disrupted attack plans in progress," it remains unclear from the heavily redacted documents whether that information was obtained through the enhanced interrogation techniques Cheney defends.
The documents' release came the same day Attorney General Eric Holder asked federal prosecutor John Durham to examine whether CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists were illegal after the release of a 2004 CIA inspector general's report into further questionable interrogation techniques.
From CNN Politics
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Dick Cheney criticizing Obama,"WOW" !! thats new. And all this time I thought they loved each other.
Cheney is the most evil person to ever take office. I wish he would run off and dry up, me makes me ill.
Your "post partisan" President at work. A political witch hunt against those who protect this nation.
As usual this jerk is trying to cover his evil ways.
It's the kicked dog that yelps.
Dicky knows that if they get this started, he is going to jail. What his remarks are really saying is "oh please, don't look at what I did". He is scared, and with good reason.
Those ain't "political" investigations Dick. Them are "criminal" investigations.
I would suggest you lawyer up.
Mr. Vice President, do you recall the names Wilson and Valerie Plame and remember what you and your cronies have done to them? Do you still see your face in the mirror and feel good about your accomplishments during your tenure at the Job even after Halliburton's record profit projects you had allotted to gain on the lives of our country's brave men and women in armed forces? Shame on you and you will surely rot in Hell.
Dick Cheney, shutup and go away. You're acting like a little boy who is angry because he did not get his way. You had your chance and I'll not comment on what I think about that. Do something useful!!!!!
CHENEY is right. as usual this weak marxis president has made the wrong decision. vote him out.
A man that mishandled top secret information for Political Gain has
absolutely no credentials to criticize the current Administration about
National Security....and in fact, if it were up to myself and many,many
others, Cheney himself would be under investigation for his acts.
Cheney is only worried about his own security.
Cheney is not just a former vice president who gets to say what he likes as a private citizen. He is a war criminal who should be punished for crimes against humanity, and the current administration's decision to leave him alone allows him to sit out there like a rogue cell, continually spewing his seditious views, all while under the protection of the Secret Service.
If Cheney were prosecuted for even a single crime, and sent to prison, it would be such a tremendous catharsis to a nation that has suffered under his hand. I never thought I'd say this, but thank God it was Bush who was president and not Cheney. Under Cheney, we surely would have lost many of our basic rights in an even more penetrating and enduring way. He does not share our morals, and he has no shame. It's strange he displays no fear (probably the confidence of the SS detail). It is clear that at heart he is a coward.
The only person who should be prosecuted is Dick Cheney.
Chaney is a criminal running scared......he doesn't want these investagations because it will implicate him as the true THUG that he is.....he isn't worried about what implications this will have on the Bush Administration, he is only worried about what this investigation will bring out about the criminal that he is........because of him the World hates America and because of him he has made this county more of a target for the terrorists
Dick Chaney is a patriotic American.
It's only a matter of time until the USA is attacked during the Obama administration .
This investigation will go nowhere. It's very limitted and the Obama Whitehouse will keep it in a very neat box.
Ugh. On the one hand, I am ALMOST inclined to believe Cheney in that I would find it hard to believe that "high value" detainees would spill the beans just because someone is yelling at them. I imagine some of these controversial techniques probably scared some of these people into giving up valuable information. BUT, then again, we are talking about Bush-Cheney here, so its hard to take anything they say at face value.
From a moral standpoint, I don't think that we ought to be in the business of threatening to sexually assault anyone's mothers or threaten to kill anyones children. That is plain wrong. Waterboarding is probably over the line as well. But I see no problem with things like sleep deprivation, barking dogs, etc....basically anything that can make daily life a living hell without causing direct physical abuse seems OK to me.
What about our soldiers and civilians that are and have been
tortured during the wars and terrorists attacks. Have we forgotten 911?
What about communists countries and cruel dictators?
Our country needs protection. STOP the criticism to the CIA.
Well, the Cheney again defends his despicable actions which violated the rule of law, American values, morality and common human decency. Folks, Americans wear the white hats, we are the good guys. There is a fundamental difference between us and the bad guys – we operate by the "Rule Of Law" and we honor a moral code. Cheney, Bush and their minions subverted and violoated the Rule Of Law, overturned American values and have shamed our great nation. History will now record that we joined in ignominity the despicable perpetrators of torture of the past. The fact that the right which historically asserts it is the "party of Family Values" defends Cheney and Bush delivers a chill and leaves me incredulous. God save and defend us from these hypocritical moral relativists.
If President Obama is feeling the back-lash from his efforts to 'socialize' this country...he hasn't seen anything yet.
Any attempt by his administration to re-investigate this, is criminal in and of itself. Most of us do not condone torture, but most of us believe:
It is better for us to make an 'enemy combatant' THINK he is going to die, that to ACTUALLY KILL American citizens.
This administration has the midas touch in reverse. Everything they touch turns to MUD. I for one wish that Obama could be impeached.
He does not love this Country, and his actions fall just short of Treason. He is an embarrasment to most of us, and causing us
international SHAME.. I wish they would keep their HANDS OFF (if only for a little while), to let us shovel out some of this crap, before
it is too late for us to dig ourselves out.
The people involved in torture do NOT deserve our gratitude, especially Cheney. He deserves to be in jail for those illegal acts that compromised our national security and moral standing in the world. Shame in you!
Justice needs to be upheld for our great country once and for all.
I want someone in prison NOW.
I agree with Cheney and his concerns over National Security. I just wish I could figure out if Holder is trying to make a name for himself, if the Obama Adm is trying to put their own security force together or what the motive behind all of this is. Is it to draw attention away from Health care reform or is it to please the Left because they are mad with Obama abuot health care? This Administration scares me very much. I think people want this nonsense to STOP!!! Start putting your efforts to all the people who have lost their jobs and trying to keep their families together! Stop playing this I AM KING OF THE HILL game. Granted Bush did not help things but this Administration has managed to destroy this country in just a matter of months, financially, morally and divided people more than I have ever witnessed in my life. Now for all those who truly believe, we need to start praying for our country. Just remeber our true leader is the Almighty God!
Yeah, he's acting kind of like a sleaze.