Cheney: Obama decisions are putting country at risk
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/15/cheney5.jpg
caption="Photo Credit: Josh Rubin/CNN."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney told CNN's John King Sunday that he believed President Obama's decision to eliminate the use of many of the most controversial interrogation practices used under the former administration had put the country at risk.
Asked whether he thought those moves had made the United States less safe, Cheney said he did. "I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoy, of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11," he said on State of the Union. "I think it's a great success story. It was done legally, it was done in accordance with our constitutional practices and principles..."
Watch Cheney tout Bush administration accomplishments
Obama campaigned against those practices, said Cheney, "and now he's making some choices that in my mind will raise the risk to the American people of another attack."
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How much this CNN pay the old war monger, corrupt worm to appear on John Kings what ever show? John King and Cheney go way back, they were buddies when Bush/Cheney were trying to build a case against Saddam. Hope it was good for you Mr. King, it certainly hurt your credibility..
Take your fear mongering back to Wyoming and go crawl in a cave you disgusting beast.
This man is possibly the worst war criminal who ever existed in this country.
...and he doesn't come that far from being in the top 10 in History – from ANY country!
Mr. Cheney,
All I can say about your latest hate-mongering and lying is:
You have a very appropriate first name (it describes exactly what you are.)
Cheney is Gollum, and he craves to have it's precious ring back. But truly, the country needs to see Cheney being waterboard for 60 minutes, followed by an immediate redition to Somalia for a month, then three months in Guantanamo.
Everyman March 15th, 2009 10:29 am ET
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. We haven't had a terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11 with the last administration.
We have not had a meteor strike, a tsunami or a bid flu epidemic either. What is your point? 9/11 happened on their watch, and how they can spin this as a positive will remain one of the biggest snow jobs of all time. The people responsible for 9/11 are still running around free while we wasted our blood and treasure on a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. Good job Cheney..you and your cronies became very rich men running our country into the ground.
4300 dead Americans. 100,00 dead Iraqis. National debt tripled. Over a trillion dollars wasted. Corruption (Haliburton). And this clown thinks he got it right? At best he should be in prison. I guess in his warped mind he did get it right. How can anyone support this liar?
Someone please call the Church and schedule an exorcism for this man. I can't believe anyone is born with such darkness in their heart.
Just look at this man evil picuture looking just like the evil JOKER IN BATMAN!
"Kevin in Ohio"- If Cheyney is so right about Obama ruining this country, why are you still here? Run to CANADA! Hurry, while you still have time!
amb March 15th, 2009 10:55 am ET
You Cheney bashers are much too naive to think clearly. The Bush Administration did not cause 9/11, but did whatever they had to do to get intelligence about who and where the enemy was and to apprehend them
REALLY??? Please enlighten the rest of us as to where Osama Bin Laden is incarcerated
Cheney's just laying the groundwork to avoid all blame for an attack if – God forbid – one takes place. After all, he and W blamed the previous administration for an attack that happened well into W's term. Which, I guess, would mean that Bush I was responsible for the attack that happened a couple month's into Clinton's first term...yet someone Clinton owned that one too. Republican "logic" – from the party who wants everyone to take personal responsibility. Everyone ELSE but them, I should say.
i want a full investigation of the Bush/ Cheney administration.
if President Obama does not persue it he is a chicken, especially knowing who di us in on the economy who screwed us all on the iraq war spending. they are blood guilty!
TO phoenix 86; Its nice to see that you're still a know nothing moron that desperately seeks attention by posting mindless comments that don't count!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheney still doesn't even begin to get it. He and Bush have created a bunch of new terrorists and sympathizers while trampling all over the freedoms that make this country what it is, not to mention going to war in a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, lying their pants off the whole time they were in office, and driving the economy into a ditch. And he's worried about Obama's policies? Obama is doing the right things to get us back on the right path, and whenever another attack happens it may very well be due to the inflamed relations Bush and Cheney created for our country around the world, especially in the Muslim and Arab worlds. Go home, Dick, and keep your mouth shut. We need never hear from you again, except maybe at a war crimes trial.
9/11 Was formulated by Cheney and Bush to accomplish they're goal!!!! And I'm quite certain CNN won't post this because its the truth and its common knowledge that CNN isn't concerned with the truth only RATINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheney has a lot of nerve – his administration put us in more serious danger of a new attack – see the latest reports from the DNI which indicated that the world economic crisis is fuelinig a renewal for global terroists.
In addition – had Bush and Cheney not wasted our resources in Iraq, we might not be facing a rebuild Al Queda and Taliban in norther Pakistan now.
I have no idea why John King keeps putting these jerks front and center. Maybe John King is jocking for a position with Fox Noise.
True, the US has not had a major attack since 9/11/01. However, there was ample warning of potential terrorist attacks in the summer of 2001. NIE reports in August, 2001 indicated heightened communications between known Al Qaeda operatives, Richard Clarke the anti-terrorism advisor in the White House warned the administration of imminent potential terrorist activities, CIA analyses indicated possible terrorist activity, etc. All that information was there without the Bush/Cheney methods. The fact that the administration chose to ignore that information does not imply that torture, violations of constitutional law and violations of international law are necessary to protect the US.
What puts our country at risk is our foreign intervention and policing the world.
If my sister saw this interview this morning she's probably out buying more duct tape and plastic. CNN, do you realize that you were used to deploy the same old scare tactics that prevent us from healing? John King had to have know this was coming, but went ahead with it anyway?
@ Kevin in Ohio ....
All you libs on here should pay close attention to to Kevins post.
Should dems such as FDR, Truman, JFK, Johnson have been brought up on war crimes also. Following your misguided thought processes, I guess they would have.
Hypocrite losers.
Cheney is right. Obama and crew, in their youthful arrogance, haven't got a clue. They think that if they ignore a problem it will go away; or if they're nice to people, those people won't hurt them. Ignorance, in their case, will not be bliss. They cater to the uninformed, the uncaring and the simple minded by their current actions. No one said the previous administration did everything right, but they sure as heck didn't do everything wrong. Unfortunately, Obama seems to be heading down the "everything stupid" track. Heaven help us; it's a cinch the losers in DC can't.
How can you quantify the level of security risk we are under? You first have to identify in order to quantify.If you can identify then you should be able to do something about it. The fact that no one flew another airplane into any buildings latley doesn't mean Bush kept us safe. What happened is the Bush,Cheney team beggared this country to the point we will have a hard time defending America if a country with a standing army decided to attack. Cheney knew he had eight years to pick our pockets and man,he was good at it!
Republicans fear factors. Cheney and the previous president spent eight years in power and accomplish almost nothing.Their only accomplishment is two wars, a bad economy, a recession, deep national debt, and high unemployment.
Remember this when the next attack happens. It won't be on Bush's watch. It won't be due to his failed policies since Obama has already reversed them all. It will be squarely on the president's head.