[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/22/art.kroftsotu0322.cnn.jpg caption="Journalist Steve Kroft spoke with CNN's Howard Kurtz about interviewing the president."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama’s aggressive response to recent criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney was a bit of a surprise, veteran journalist Steve Kroft said Sunday.
Watch: Kroft on interviewing Obama
Last Sunday, Cheney told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that he thought Obama’s plans to close Guantanamo Bay would make the country less safe.
Related: Obama's policies raise risk of terror attack, Cheney says
Obama responded forcefully to Cheney’s comments when asked about them by Kroft in a 60 Minutes interview that will air tonight.
“I thought there were going to be two responses,” Kroft told CNN’s Howard Kurtz during the Reliable Sources segment of State of the Union Sunday. “Either, the first response was going to be ‘I don’t want to talk about Dick Cheney’ . . . Or, [Obama] was going to tee off on [Cheney] which he decided to do - very, very aggressively. So I was a little surprised.”
Related: WH press secretary takes verbal slap at Cheney
Kroft also said Obama displayed his trademark calmness even with all of the challenges his young administration is facing. “I found him probably more relaxed this week than at any other time that I have interviewed him,” Kroft told Kurtz.
Cheney deserved to be blasted. Also, do does Rush, Palin, McCain, and Boehner. That's why americans hate the GOP. I hope the GOP fails big time!!
Matt – If you're going to criticize someone's (diggers) spelling, first learn when to use "your" and "you're". Also, Cheney and Bush kept this country safe since 9/11 and Obama's Marxist policies are what endanger us. We all have a right to our opinions and these our some of our opinions, so, get a grip buddy.
I don't know why people are surprised by Obama's jab at Cheney – narcississtic types are well known to not be able to handle criticism.
Remember Frank Burnes on 'Mash' ? He was and still is the personification of today's Republican/NeoCon. Comical yet tragic.
Obama stop blaming Cheney and get to work! Gosh, Obama is a disasater of a president already.
Wheres is the statement?
Many are saying that Cheney will go down in history as an under achiever and other thing. I really do not care what he goes down in history as just so long as he goes down. Everytime Cheney spoke it was like a dirty bomb going off in this country.