(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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Please, GIVE ME A BREAK! What the CIA did in their questioning is NOT, let me say that again- NOT TORTURE! I think we have become a nation of "wussies"! I don't care if they are HUMILIATED! We see more torture on main stream television everynight than what was done to these terrorists! (Maybe, we should just let them watch our late night TV shows everynight-now, that could possibly be considered TORTURE! It would be for me–I can't believe Conan has replaced Leno! He is one ugly human being and Letterman is just ugly and mean! There are no fun, gentlemanly, class-act talk show/entertainers like Johnny Carson to watch on late-night TV anymore. Are you listening mainstream TV gurus?!!! We DO NOT want your political views!!!) I think our CIA should use every means available to them in order to protect our nation! After all, we had over 3,000 people killed by these Islamic radicals! It is time for all of "US" to come to the aid of our country! Stand up and demand our leaders be responsible for doing what is "right" for America and not trying to appease some group!
cheney....the guy who sat around on his hands while 3100 americans died in a matter of minutes on his watch-the WORST attack in our history–the worst attack in the history of terrorism...is discussing the ability of Obama's administration to handle national security? what would he know about the subject? what's next? a rep. from the Cubs discussing world series victories?
Dick Cheney should be very careful in his comments. He, along with others, misled this country and in my opinion should be investigated and prosecuted. We became the very thing we fight against and with his knowledge and blessing.
I am a retired military colonel who simply does not believe Dick Cheney. That said, all of this will come down to our typical "left versus right" arguments. And that is sad. The Bush Administration could have done better and it knew so at the time. Professionals from the FBI were already able to conduct lawful interrogations of suspected terrorists and get most information we needed. Further, the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Gonzalez policy of using unlawful interrogation techniques only means that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines will be subjected to similar means in the future, and we will have no legal nor moral grounds to protest such treatment. We are the United States and we could have done better.
Poor Cheney,he knows the orange jumpsuit and handcuffs will soon be his for the fitting.If ever there was an antiChrist,this was the guy.
Dick Cheney keeps reminding Americans why the republican party was put out to pasture.
Anyone not see this coming? Anyone?
Cheney's trying to save his own hide from being prosecuted for war crimes. Period.
Besides, it's Holder's call, not Obama's. Torture techniques like the ones described in the memos were designed by our enemies to obtain false confessions from our troops in Vietnam. The only reasons Dick & co. approved these techniques were to obtain false confessions from "terrorists" to justify the war in Iraq. Cheney authorized torture which is illegal under international law. Get your tailor to fit you for a prison jumpsuit, Dick.
Shut up Dick. You have presented no evidence that any plot was waylaid. You and GWB authorized torture, pure and simple. You won't be prosecuted but the history books will set the record straight.
Is in that obvious that he is protestting? I say make the SOB speak by applying the same tactics he authorized on detainees. I doubt this happenes but that is why our ciuntry lost respect because of people like Cheney who have disregard to the US consititution and the international law that he often worked had to uphold when it only applies yo other country. I say send the Dick to the slammer let him quack!!
Why isn't this man in prison yet?
I think Dick cheney has been watching Jack nichilson in "A Few Good Men" too much.
TRANSLATION -- Don't investigate ALL the illegal things I did.
I agree with Cheney! I believe that the nimrod that turned that information over should be tried as a traitor to the country. I believe that any source that publishes how our country interrogates the hostile killers should be hung for treason. These people are trying to protect us and we have bleeding heart liberals that forget what country they live in, and the terrorists that they want to give rights to. Just a thought for the people that are quick to disagree with me. The people that the CIA and Blackwater are probing are killers, not civilians. If the shoe were on the other foot, these killers would be torturing and killing innocent Americans. On 9/11 America wanted action against the people that hit us. Now they feel sorry for the people that we captured that was behind it. It's funny that we can be so caring for them, but in the same breath want to fund abortions with tax money. Think about it.
Let's cut right to the chase. Torture is torture. It's not "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" or whatever the apologists want to call it. It's torture, plain and simple. It's been used by countries like Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, North Korea, and North Vietnam, to name a few. Its use goes against every principle this nation is supposed to stand for.
I challenge any of you who think doing these things was somehow right to justify it to me. Explain to me how it is now supposed to be acceptable to torture prisoners when we managed to survive as a nation for over 200 years, defeating many of the world's most powerful nations, without doing so.
Well we haven't heard from you in awhile, Mr. Potter .
Why do we need to hear the rabid rantings of drivel from you – an angry old man?
Again, the left tries to grind their political axe – and for what purpose.
The record speaks for itself – no attacks in seven years following 9/11. We should be thanking the CIA for protecting our families and our property, not having a left wing witch hunt.
And by the way, where is the ACLU on thing like the White House email scandal on healthcare, government run healthcare, or Acorn thugs at election polls? Very inconvenient truth.
All Cheney will keep doing is trying to defend his miserable record.
I believe it is time for Mr. Cheney to "just go away". I am so sick and tired of hearing him play his "we are a safer nation because of..." card when he is defending illegal actions carried out on his orders.
Of course he is, it is getting too close to exposing the Cheney death squads.
Cheney's hiding something...it's going to all come out. Everybody's going to see we had our own criminals running the White House.
Doesn't the "Prez" have enough to do without going after the Bush administration? He does not understand war and foreign policy.
It will be interesting to see what his successor will do to him when he is out next term.
Cheny is afraid he may actually be held accountable for some of his many crimes.
Well, Mr. Cheney guess what. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!
Feeling guilty much?
Of course he isn't happy. He dosen't want to go to JAIL.