by Mark Silva
More from Dick Cheney, the former vice president who already has accused President Barack Obama of making the nation less safe with his approach to terrorism:
Cheney on Obama's release of the CIA torture memos: They showed only one side of the terrorist interrogation story, overlooking "the success of the effort.''
Cheney on Obama shaking Hugo Chavez's hand: "Not helpful.... Sort of sets the wrong standard.''
As he did when he was vice president, Cheney has sat with a sympathetic interviewer for the newest talk: FOX News Channel's Sean Hannity. The first of a two-part interview with Cheney will air this evening at 9 pm EDT on Hannity, the second Tuesday night.
On the Obama administration's release of memos detailing CIA interrogation techniques and the Bush Justice Department's justification for them, Cheney says: "One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort.
"And there are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified.
"I formally asked that they be declassified now,'' Cheney says. "I haven't announced this up until now, I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country.
"And I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was, as well as to see this debate over the legal opinions,'' Cheney says in the interview airing on Hannity.
On that handshake at the Summit of the Americas over the weekend that Obama shared with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who had called the former president, George W. Bush, "the devil:''
"Well, I think it's not helpful. I think it's important.
"You have millions of people all across South America who are watching how we respond,'' Cheney says. "And if they see an American president sort of cozying up to somebody like Daniel Ortega or Chavez, I think it's not helpful. I think it sort of sets the wrong standard."
"I've seen Hugo Chavez in operation before, and Daniel Ortega down in Nicaragua. These are people who operate in our hemisphere, but who don't believe in and aren't supportive of basic fundamental principles and policies that most of us in this hemisphere adhere to.
""Basically, the position we took in the Bush administration was to ignore it. I think that was the right thing to do."
Cheney also addresses the way the United States is being represented overseas, now that Obama has traveled to Europe, Iraq, Mexico and the hemispheric summit in Trinidad and Tobago.
"I guess I've been concerned the way that we've been represented overseas,'' Cheney says. "There is a great temptation for a new administration to come in and when you find a problem, obviously, to blame it on your predecessor. We did it. I'm sure the Obama administration is not the first one ever to do that.
"But what I find disturbing is the extent to which he has gone to Europe, for example, and seemed to apologize profusely in Europe, and then to Mexico, and apologize there, and so forth.
"And I think you have to be very careful. The world outside there, both our friends and our foes, will be quick to take advantage of a situation if they think they're dealing with a weak president or one who is not going to stand up and aggressively defend America's interests.
"The United States provides most of the leadership in the world. We have for a long time. And I don't think we've got much to apologize for. You can have a debate about that. But the bottom line is that, you know, when you go to Europe and deal with our European friends and allies, some things they do very well, some things they don't.
""Sometimes it's important that a president speak directly and forthrightly to our European friends,'' Cheney says. "And you don't get there if you're so busy apologizing for past U.S. behavior."
Comments
Can we just put Cheney on ignore?
Posted by: Cheryl | April 20, 2009 5:22 PM
Keep talking, Darth....
As a Democrat nothing makes me happier than watching you going around bloviating about the virtues of torture and war crimes.
Posted by: Setrak | April 20, 2009 5:42 PM
The BushCo crime family thought Americans wouldn't care about their little torture prison at Abu Ghraib. Boy were they surprised.
Were the BushCo Republicans so confident that Americans wouldn't care about our "security" agencies engaging in torture in our names, why are so many of these Goons like Cheney fighting tooth and nail to make sure that this information receives as little sunlight as possible?
This country is not as depraved, on the whole, as Bush and Cheney assumed it was. Give people a choice between setting a bright line and complying with international torture conventions, versus allowing law enforcement to torture at will, and let's see how many people think it's okay to allow these abuses to get shoved into the dark.
Posted by: Hulk Smash! | April 20, 2009 5:49 PM
If these interrogation techniques were the #1 recruitment tool of the terrorists, how is that "success" Mr. Cheney? How are we safer?
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | April 20, 2009 6:35 PM
Cheney is worried about what terrorists and the people of South America think. He does not care that the people of the US are proud of their country now. The path of repetitious failure and repeated erroneous policy conclusions has ended.
It may be harder to do it Obama's way then Cheney but after eight years we know what does not work, even if Mr Cheney lacks the humility or integrity to acknowledge that.
Posted by: Ron M | April 20, 2009 6:56 PM
Sunshine is the best disinfectant against war criminals
We should call Little Dick Cheney's bluff and release all of the BushCo torture memo's.
Posted by: Giles G | April 20, 2009 7:08 PM
Chatty Cheney must have got his string fixed, because we have heard more from that puppet, now, than we did, throughout his whole term in Office !! Of course, he continues on his chatty ways with meaningless remarks. He is, indeed, laughable !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | April 20, 2009 7:34 PM
How are we safer? Let's see how many other terrorist attacks have we had since 9-11???? ZERO. Why are you all so sympathetic towards people who cut off American heads? Does the name Daniel Pearl ring a bell? One thing all of you have in ckommon with Obama is you don't seem to like your country very much. Sad.
Posted by: Cajunkate | April 20, 2009 9:56 PM
As the President said in another context, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating."
So, let's sample the merchandise, Scooter.
Let's look at all that valuable intelligence you extracted with your electrodes and body slams.
Lay it out, Dick.
Let's just see how a little cost-benefit analysis works here.
What did you get from all that torturing people?
Posted by: ornery | April 20, 2009 11:35 PM
As one of the most unpopular vice presidents in recent history with the lowest approval ratings of any vice presidents in my lfietime, Cheney needs to be reminded that his administrations policies got America into the big mess it is in now.
This is the guy who guaranteed us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and needed to be invaded.
Now 800 billion wasted dollars later we are still trying to get out of the mess he created.
Talk about sadding our chilodren with debt. There's one big wasted project that gobbled up money and gave us NOTHING in return except a pair of shoes tossed at President Bush
Posted by: Norris Hall | April 21, 2009 12:16 AM
In this interview DICK Cheney also found Obama's wanderings around the globe to be 'disturbing.' Our Presidents sometimes have to meet with some nasty folks. ..............
http://thefiresidepost.com/2009/04/20/obama-and-nixon-greeting-nasty-people/
Posted by: Ohg Rea Tone | April 21, 2009 12:29 AM
The part I like about Cheney is that he brings out every lefty and appeaser in the blogosphere. "BushCO" lololol. While this manchurian President we have bows to kings and socialistas alike, you goofballs are concerned about "BushCO". Astroturf Axelrod and Paul Begala are very proud of you......Normal Americans....not so much
Posted by: Rick554 | April 21, 2009 6:38 AM
I think that he is trying to cover something by speaking out now. Just remember folks, eventually the karma train pulls up to the platform and you are forced to get on.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | April 21, 2009 7:05 AM
Cheney is completely irrelevant. After the U.S. was attacked (on his watch) he was hurried off to a secret undisclosed location where he remained in hiding for weeks. Talk about someone who has sacrificed absolutely nothing for the U.S. Away with the coward.
Posted by: Doug R. | April 21, 2009 8:40 AM
If there was success we would be out of Iraq and there wouldn't be a growing threat from Afghanistan. What Cheney is really worried about is the pardon of the CIA torturers because that opens the door to prosecute the people who are really responsible.
Posted by: Grandblvd03 | April 21, 2009 8:41 AM
Rick you are righter than you know.
Cheney is warming to his new role as provocateur.
Hoping people rise to the bait.
He has the fascist instinct for the kind of "red meat" that will get a crowd worked up to smash the glass in some Jewish shopkeeper's store, paint swastikas on front doors, Dick does.
Which is yet another reason the President better re-think his "looking forward not backward" stance.
Dick wants to pick the scab, doesn't he?
OK, if the President doesn't want to lead the Nuremberg type inquiries that should be conducted, he should at least remain silent and just let Pat Leahy do his thing.
Posted by: uncle miltie | April 21, 2009 8:45 AM
"How are we safer? Let's see how many other terrorist attacks have we had since 9-11???? ZERO."
ZERO?! Really? The folks who died from Anthrax would likely disagree.
I also enjoy the "since 9/11" construct. One free attack per administration, I suppose. (Except the Clinton administration, which, of course, was responsible for *both* the WTC attack that happened while Clinton was President, and the WTC attack that happened afterwards.). But, I digress.....
Besides, Mr. Cheney kept telling us that Iraq was filled with terrorists. Those "terrorists" killled over 4,000 US soldiers.
Posted by: Cap'n Dunsel | April 21, 2009 9:55 AM
Cheney is a sadistic buffoon. He has been a cheerleader for the Bush White House torture program from the start. How successful was it? We've been told by Cheney that torture was used "sparingly" and it was very effective, but the memos say they waterboarded Kalid Sheik Muhammad 183 times over the course of a month. That doesn't sound very effective to me. I mean, just how many more times do you have to drown a guy to be sure he told you the truth the first time?
Posted by: Tom O | April 21, 2009 10:54 AM
I wish the Dick would just exercise his right to silence until his war crimes tribunal.
Tell it to the judge you monster.
Posted by: Smgumby | April 21, 2009 11:04 AM
Cheney is right. We need to read all the reports for each of the 266 water boarding sessions we know know about. But, more importantly, we need to see ALL OF THE VIDEO TAPES for all of those torture sessions.
Perhaps those reports will explain why a man was water boarded 6 to 8 times a day everyday for a month.
Clearly the objective in that schedule was not obtaining information but inflicting systematic torture.
Cheney, the author of the torture program, should be prosecuted for treason and war crimes. He should spend the rest of his miserable life in an isolation cell, far removed from the rest of humanity.
Posted by: Justina | April 21, 2009 11:13 AM
If you had to waterboard someone 183 times in a month, just how "successful" could it have been?
Posted by: dave | April 21, 2009 11:36 AM
"How are we safer? Let's see how many other terrorist attacks have we had since 9-11???? ZERO."
Seriously, how stupid are people? Here's a list of the HUNDREDS of terrorist attacks that took place within 24 months of 9/11, including killing dozens of Americans:
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks-2001-2003.htm
Many of these attacks were against civilians. Many are the direct consequence of Bush/Cheney's attack against a peaceful 3rd world country.
Posted by: BuddhaBob74 | April 21, 2009 12:10 PM
Hey Dick,
A) I notice you fail to mention the reports that the critical intelligence we gathered from these guys came BEFORE they were waterboarded. Care to explain?
B) You told us waterboarding's incredibly effective, but you had to repeat it hundreds of times. Care to explain?
C) Your techniques didn't gather even enough intelligence to legally charge or prosecute these guys. Care to explain?
D) Your techniques violate both US and international law and have been sighted by many jihadists as their reason for hating/attacking us. Care to explain?
Posted by: BuddhaBob74 | April 21, 2009 12:14 PM
Hey Dick,
A) I notice you fail to mention the reports that the critical intelligence we gathered from these guys came BEFORE they were waterboarded. Care to explain?
B) You told us waterboarding's incredibly effective, but you had to repeat it hundreds of times. Care to explain?
C) Your techniques didn't gather even enough intelligence to legally charge or prosecute these guys. Care to explain?
D) Your techniques violate both US and international law and have been sighted by many jihadists as their reason for hating/attacking us. Care to explain?
Posted by: BuddhaBob74 | April 21, 2009 12:14 PM
BuddhaBob...
Don't forget to include all of the DEM leaders including Pelosi and Reid that were well briefed on the techniques to be used... and according to intelligence reports worried that they would not be effective enough.
ALso - I am Pretty sure the jihadists hate us a whole lot more for reasons like allowing women to vote, go to school and almost become prez...they also cite our prescence in Saudia Arabia, our liberation of Iraq, our support of the only government in the region that believes in any form of human rights ( Israel)...the list is long and frankly about 1000 years behind the rest of the world in its logic.
--
Your premise is laughable that the jihadists cite our relatively humane techniques (compared to what they would do) as a reason they hate us... if you are prepared to die and take innocents with you, how worried are you about how you go? - and if this is true that the jihadists are more angry about the techniques being used- why are you not more critical of Obama for releasing the details ??? Following your logic- we should expect more attacks thanks to the pointless releasing of the reports..
Posted by: heartburn | April 21, 2009 3:34 PM
When the people who are supposed to uphold the law are the ones breaking it, that doesn't define success. That defines anarchy.
Posted by: Doug | April 21, 2009 5:35 PM