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The last time Dick Cheney came up from his underground lair, he drove the debate on torture and helped the GOP earn a temporary victory by fearmongering about terror suspects on US soil – eventually overturned this week when Congress gave approval to allowing trials of Guantanamo detainees in the United States. This time, Cheney attacked the President for “dithering” on a decision about sending troops to Afghanistan. But the reaction has been quite different. In fact, on the Sunday shows today, no Republican would defend Cheney for his remarks:
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) both said Sunday they would not use the same language former Vice President Dick Cheney did to describe the president’s decision making on the nation’s Afghan strategy, but did not dispute the substance of his remarks [...]
“Well, I would never want to call my president dithering. And I know it’s a tough position that he’s in, but why not follow the advice of all of his generals and especially General McChrystal?” asked Hatch on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He hand-picked him and McChrystal is one of the best there is. He and Petraeus set up — they’re the masters of counterinsurgency. They need these troops, there’s no question about it.”
McCain, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, echoed Hatch’s comments, saying that ” he wouldn’t use that language.”
“The Vice President is very well credentialed, has a long history of service and has the right to speak out, in my view, however he wants to,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Having said that We should as much as possible say…we want this strategy and we want to support the president and unite the country behind it.”
Indeed, Carl Levin summed up the commentary on the Democratic side by saying on Fox News Sunday that “I don’t think he has any credibility left with the American people.”
Could it be that Democrats have figured out the essential impotency of Dick Cheney, and how they’d rather have a debate with him than practically anyone in America?
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I pray, I hope, I fervently expect that it may finally be so!
The question is when is the MSM going to figure it out.
Dick, Rush and Orly Taitz–the Cerberus of the Rebublican party.
Cheney had just enough potency to get himself another deferment from Vietnam. Since then, it’s been all downhill for him in that department. Oh, wait….
I guess being wrong about everything qualifies as “credentialed” by St. McCain. Consistency matters.
My husband said this morning that even George Will said something like, “Maybe Cheney should’ve dithered a little more before sending troops to Iraq.” Did anyone else hear that? I’ll try to find a link.
Here’s the quote, from HuffPo:
Oh yes, if anyone proved to the world that ‘brilliant’ isn’t a word one could apply to his military (or financial for that matter) expertise it’s The Dick. The Bush/Cheney cabal certainly rushed into Iraq before the weapons inspectors were finished and then dragged their heels about getting out of Iraq. Always offering one lame excuse after the other. I guess someone forgot to tell Dick that his regime was over in January of this year.
So please Dick, like the old song goes “How Can I Miss You If You Won’t Go Away.” Please GO AWAY!
Have you listened to his whole speech? C span played the whole thing yesterday. It was so disturbing.
This is what I asked Bmaz yesterday while I was listening again
“Bmaz is it worth it to rip Cheney’s treasonous speech again? They are playing it again on C-Span and I don’t know why I am in shock by some of the things I am hearing him say. He acutally asked why the Obama administration is not consulting the intelligence community about what the techniques the Bush administration used or some such bullshit. Then Cheney went on to say that there have not been any more attacks. He really does not get it that the most serious attack on the U.S. happened right under his lying nose
All of this bullshit came out of the mouth of a man who was part of the team that completely ignored Richard Clarke. They really do not have any shame. Madmen…absolute madmen.
Is it appropriate for Gaffney to refer to Cheney as the “Vice President” I thought it was appropriate to put “former” in front of that title?
Gaffney gave Feith, John Hannah awards also. Gaffney just mentioned that they will be giving David Addington his award at a later date”
There were so many things that Cheney was saying that I kept asking how the fuck could he ask the Obama administration these questions. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IGNORED ALL OF RICHARD CLARKE’S WARNINGS
I am hoping someone like Glenn Greenwald rips/disects Cheneys inflammatory speech sentence by sentence.
Wondering if Saturday Night live, Jon Stewart or Colbert have ripped into how absurd and hypocritical his claims are.
Keep seeing a skit with Clarke knocking madly on Cheney’s door trying to share his decades of insights about counterterroism and especially what the Clinton administration had focused on with Al Queda.
Cheney, Rice, Stephen Hadley, Bush fucking ignored Richard Clarke IGNORED
According to wiki, that father-to-be deferrment was in January 1966 and Liz was born in July 1966. That was a raw deal all around.