Cheney to GOP leaders: ‘We’re in deep doo doo’ on North Korea
April 9th, 2013
08:14 PM ET
10 years ago

Cheney to GOP leaders: ‘We’re in deep doo doo’ on North Korea

(CNN) – Republican leaders in Congress received a dire warning on Tuesday from former Vice President Dick Cheney on the ongoing crisis in North Korea.

“We’re in deep doo doo,” Cheney told lawmakers, according to a GOP leadership aide.

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Cheney added the current North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, is unpredictable and doesn't share the United States worldview.

One lawmaker present at the session, Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida, said Cheney wore a cowboy hat and "looked really good, spoke really clearly, lucidly.”

“It was nice to see him doing well,” Southerland said, noting the last time Cheney was on Capitol Hill he "didn’t look good – very frail, but in this meeting he looked great."

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Cheney, 72, underwent a successful heart transplant in 2012 after a series of heart attacks over many years.

Southerland said Cheney spent about 10 minutes in the GOP leadership meeting Tuesday, and didn't give any specific policy recommendations or critiques of how the Obama administration is handling the situation in North Korea.

Cheney talked about the North Korean leader, Southerland said, and shared some of his history dealing with Saddam Hussein, noting "you never know what they're thinking."

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Southerland, summarizing the former vice president’s remarks, said Cheney advised not to “eliminate any possibility.”

“Here's a young guy we don't know very much about – have very little intel on him, so we just need to make sure that we don't assume why he's doing what he's doing because he could be doing what he's doing for any number of reasons,” Southerland recalled Cheney saying.

Cheney also dropped by the weekly House GOP whip meeting at the invitation of Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

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Cheney himself is a former House Republican whip.

"Whip McCarthy invited Vice President Cheney to discuss the ongoing situation on the Korean Peninsula with members of our whip team. We appreciate the vice president for sharing his insight and experience on the matter," a McCarthy aide told CNN.

The aide declined to say whether Cheney suggested any specific course of action on the situation in North Korea during this meeting.

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Filed under: Dick Cheney • North Korea
soundoff (1,614 Responses)
  1. SamT

    We're technically still at war with N. Korea. China and Russia, though, need to reign in their naughty pawn. They might not like an escalation, from either N. Korea or the U.S.

    April 10, 2013 09:45 am at 9:45 am |
  2. WTF?

    Yep, the libs conveniently ignore the Obama drone strikes killing hundreds of innocent children or the illegal transfer of thousands of assault rifles under Fast & Furious that were responsible for American law enforcement deaths and hundreds of Mexican citizens or the cover-up of the Benghazi Massacre by Obama and Clinton. Give me Dick Cheney's knowledge and insight any day compared to this Socialist administration we have now.

    April 10, 2013 09:45 am at 9:45 am |
  3. Raul Isodo

    Bush: "I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

    Cheney: "...so we just need to make sure that we don't assume why he's doing what he's doing because he could be doing what he's doing for any number of reasons,”

    Hard to tell the master from the student, huh?

    April 10, 2013 09:45 am at 9:45 am |
  4. endzonepete

    What Cheney meant to say was "There isn't any oil in North Korea so its not worth our getting involved. Now let's talk about Iran."

    April 10, 2013 09:46 am at 9:46 am |
  5. mowey

    in deep doo doo? This is an educated politician in the USA talking here? Ugh

    April 10, 2013 09:46 am at 9:46 am |
  6. John Rambo

    Robocheney will crush you all!! He shot a man in the FACE!!

    April 10, 2013 09:46 am at 9:46 am |
  7. Madison

    Since cheney has not been right on ANYTHING except his support of gay marriage in the past 50 years........

    April 10, 2013 09:46 am at 9:46 am |
  8. Buzz911

    Cheney should have just called North Koreas actions "provacative" and leave it at that. We've been hearing that for 5 years and look where that has got us. Now lets send them billions of dollars already!! Geez

    April 10, 2013 09:46 am at 9:46 am |
  9. Chris

    When I first started reading this article, I was convinced that somehow The Onion had found their way on to CNN. What a joke.

    April 10, 2013 09:48 am at 9:48 am |
  10. steve

    Actually, Saddam is probably relevant in this situation because he's speaking from experience of assuming that guy had WMDs when in fact he was sitting on a big pile of dirt. That was Cheney;s miscalculation & he's wise for telling his fellow 'cowboys' not to be a complete moron like he was & ruin their legacy as he did & jump to conclusions like he did. Well done sir!

    April 10, 2013 09:48 am at 9:48 am |
  11. lukenev

    One guy, Adams, mocked Cheney Lets all trust our socialist crappy president. I'll take Cheney any day to protect America.

    April 10, 2013 09:49 am at 9:49 am |
  12. texasnotea

    He's just out drumming up more business for Halliburton. The real question should be why does Cheney get the best and I mean the VERY BEST health care in the world and most Americans can't even find a doctor who will treat them anymore.

    April 10, 2013 09:49 am at 9:49 am |
  13. Jeb

    "They will great us as liberators." Cheney on Iraq

    "The Iraqi war will be over in weeks." Cheney on Iraq

    "Iraqi oil will pay for the cost of the war." Cheney on Iraq

    "We know with certainty that they have WMD's" Cheney on Iraq

    When has Cheney ever been right about anything?

    April 10, 2013 09:49 am at 9:49 am |
  14. JoyA

    Like he does NOT have a vested interest? Cheney is rubbing his hands together and licking his chops, thinking "Oh boy! Another opportunity for Haliburton!" His ONLY interest is in his bottom line. He has no concern whatsoever for the cost to American soldiers, or American tax payers. It's just "how can I turn this into another place to sell my wares??" I wouldn 't be the least surprised if we learned he was selling weapons to both sides of any war. Cheney rides the Pale Horse.

    April 10, 2013 09:49 am at 9:49 am |
  15. edpeters101

    Deep "doo doo", now there is something this waste product know something about..

    April 10, 2013 09:50 am at 9:50 am |
  16. be in tn

    who better to be an expert on doo doo????

    April 10, 2013 09:50 am at 9:50 am |
  17. bcrunner

    What? "Don't assume why he is doinig what he is doing because he could be doing what he is doing for any number of reasons.." Is this the advice he is giving members of congress? I could have done better than that!! He probably thinks he is still relevant...

    April 10, 2013 09:50 am at 9:50 am |
  18. me

    As elegant as always, Mr. Cheney.

    April 10, 2013 09:51 am at 9:51 am |
  19. JeffersonLives

    Cheney just wants to be able to have Haliburton go in and waste trilllions of Taxpayer dollars on another endless conflict for the military industrial complex. Let China deal with Lil Kim, they are more than capable. We cant afford it.

    April 10, 2013 09:51 am at 9:51 am |
  20. Chris

    Who the hell cares what one of the most evil men in history says. This guy is one of the closest people we have to Hitler at the moment.

    April 10, 2013 09:51 am at 9:51 am |
  21. clevercandi

    dick would be the expert on "deep doo doo"

    April 10, 2013 09:51 am at 9:51 am |
  22. cleo48

    I think it's foolish to assume Kim is even in control. He is a hood ornament for the aunt & uncle. Those are the minds that well need to get familiar with.

    April 10, 2013 09:51 am at 9:51 am |
  23. IrishinToronto

    From the man who gave us such an accurate assessment of Hussen's Iraq.

    April 10, 2013 09:52 am at 9:52 am |
  24. Bill

    Cheney has proven so correct on his analysis of situations........like Iraq....wait he was totally wrong there. How about Afghanistan....no wrong there to. Yeah, he should just keep his mouth shut like his president, Bush, has done.

    April 10, 2013 09:52 am at 9:52 am |
  25. Dave

    Wow! I didn't know this guy was hated so much lol.......I saw him once walking (rolling) toward a Motel. I had to look twice before I reached out with my Fabreeze.

    April 10, 2013 09:53 am at 9:53 am |
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