WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) – CIA director Leon Panetta says it’s almost as if former vice president Dick Cheney would like to see another attack on the United States to prove he is right in criticizing President Barack Obama for abandoning the “harsh interrogation” of terrorism suspects.
“I think he smells some blood in the water on the national security issue,” Panetta said in an interview published in The New Yorker magazine’s June 22 issue. “It’s almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it’s almost as if he’s wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point.”
Cheney, who was a key advocate in the Bush administration of controversial interrogation methods such as waterboarding, has become as a leading Republican critic of Obama’s ban on harsh interrogations and his plan to shut the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In a blistering May 21 speech, Cheney said Obama’s reversal of Bush-era policies were “unwise in the extreme” that would make the American people less safe.
Panetta called Cheney’s actions “dangerous politics.”
He told The New Yorker he had favored the creation of an independent truth commission to look into the detainee polices of former President George W. Bush. But the idea died in April when Obama decided such a panel could be seen as politically vindictive.
Found by Ian Warner.
Is “statist” pronounced stah-tist (like statistic) or stay-tist like, well, state? You do change the ‘e’ to an ‘i’ so I think it should be the first. And personally, I like that one better since it sounds more gay when you say it.
#62, Brock,
Wasn’t it Joe Biden that said to expect an attack within the first 6 months?
Actually, no. He didn’t. The right wing nuts said that and attributed it to Biden.
Cheney is still wrong and has yet to understand what he did was wrong.
At least give Dick Cheney point for being right.
We’ve had something like four terrorist attacks on our soil since Obama became president.
Of course they are all right wingers like Dick Cheney.
#61 and don’t forget;
Instead of having the liberal press tell us the United States is “no longer respected” because of President Bush – we are treated to footage of the President of the United States of America getting laughed at by Chinese as they realize his speech/logic/comments was hogwash and made no sense.
Ya know….if I had voted for the guy I’d be pissed too.
#65, qb,
This sounds like a question for the ultimate expert. How does Boss Limpdick pronounce it.
Damn you qb, now you got me wondering. May some Jehovah’s Witness call on you this weekend!
>> Brock said, on June 15th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
>> Good to see the Obama fan-boys are still out in droves blaming Bush and Cheny for everything. Times up boys, you now own the crumbling economy and rising unemployment. Your fix hasn’t done jack…
Holy smokes, man, you need to turn-off Fox and read some real news.
Obama’s rescue of the economy you guys wrecked is working.
http://tinyurl.com/l7b2x9 (to pick one article out of the few hundred you apparently totally missed.)
I know you conservatives hope-like-hell that America will go into a full-blown depression so you can win the mid-terms but it looks like Obama’s leadership may have saved us from that.
Would Cheney like to see US Attacked Just to Prove a Point?
No, he would not.
How about another stupid, leading question…
#62, #66
Biden said expect Obama to be tested in the next six months.
Here’s what he said:
“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”
“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities.
>> Rick’s Cafe said, on June 15th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
>> #61 and don’t forget;
>> we are treated to footage of the President of the United States of America getting laughed at by Chinese
The Chinese laughed all the way to the bank as you conservatives handed over our manufacturing base to them.
And the Chinese laughed even harder as you conservatives made America their economic slaves by borrowing Chinese money to finance your tax breaks for the rich and your damn Iraq war.
No, Cheney would like to see the US attacked to help prop up the military industrial complex in which he and his best buds are heavily invested. While money makes him smile, inciting fear makes Dick tumesce.
He’d like to see another attack just to prove he is right? That’s just stupid. If Cheney cared about his political popularity, he would have acted differently in office. Why in the world would he care about it now?
This is just sick.
#69 Mr Fusion
Or even worse, locked in a closet with Sam Donaldson. Now there’s an idea. I’d pay good money to see Dick Cheney locked in a room for two hours being interviewed by Sam Donaldson. Who could be more irritating and out-geezer the other?
Hey #61 I think you forgot who put the US in the Poor House..it was the F** republican a**holes with Bush at the Helm… letting the big companies go Rampid,..and the Wanker Bankers run with out rules… When Clinton Left Office we had a Balanced Budget and a little money in the Bank… Better think befor u speak mate!!! The 911 scenario could have been handled much better and Iraq was completly under control..so dont give me the wa on Terror Crap re-run speach here as well… Why dont u go hunting with Dick…
Oh and take the time to look at Dicks Bio… He has never served in the US Military..had many deferrments to get out of harms way and then has been a professional politicain since 1969… so what do we expect from a guy who has never done a honest days work in his life… Atleast Dick has mananged to accomplish one thing… he is the most dis-like individual in the USA… so he can be proud of that…
reading this thread is pretty amazing. All the double speak, code words, absent referents, random digressions, and name calling is a fascinating example of how people suck up their insular ideologies and spout them out in ways that are all but incomprehensible to someone else.
I wonder if the people that write some of these things can even explain what they are talking about. Is there a decoder ring for political extremist talk?
YOU WANT US TO TAKE THIS PERSON AND ALL THE REST for WHAT THEY SAY???
Ummm, that could be dangerous..
Wouldnt it be great if PEOPLE could express themselves in a way that ALL could understand..
Hey Alfred1…ya missed the point (AGAIN) interrogate…not Torture..and if you look at a mans history it will tell you allot about the man… and Mis-Direction as you have mentioned is exactly what they did to US.. “Nothing to see here…look over there”!!! All of these things happened for many reasons, but ALL of the reasons were to do with eiher the lack of attention to problematic areas in the world or the actions that the administration too after the fact.. if it were not planned, it was knee jerk reaction..but no matter what they did, it alianated the world… think about everything as a whole and then ask why?… Americas’ standing in the world is slowly becoming better, and this would never happen with Cheny in washington… Why do we get so many people quoting the bible or examples about the bible… in this blg?..it drives me crazy, because of the hippocracy…”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and I dont believe torture is a treatment you would prefer..!!! you can go hunting with Dick too mate!!
As we’ve seen, time and time again, throughout history. It’s very possible for monstrously insane persons to become national leaders. Whether it was Hitler or Cheney. All it takes is for them to have enough backing from powerful friends and/or corporate fellows. Hitler had the backing of many of Germany’s industrialists. Not to mention some equally screwed up chums of his.
Cheney had Halliburton Inc, on his side. As he use to be a big wheel there. And they in turn got no bid contracts for the Iraq war. Now that he’s “retired”. Cheney is probably back to being well rewarded by HB. According to wikipedia, he’s avoided the draft four times. By exploiting college deferments. But he doesn’t seem all that smart for attending college for so long. And yet he has had no qualms about sending others into battle for his political and financial gains. As was the same for most of Bush’s cabinet (most of them “Chicken Hawks”).
So I’d say the answer to the question the article raises, is very likely “Yes!”. As Cheney only cares about himself. And doesn’t shed a tear about the loss of American lives, the Iraq war has cost.
And his stance on torture as a useful tool of interrogation, is merely a dodge for its true purpose. It became publicly known (because it was leaked on purpose), in order to intimidate US citizens against protesting his wars. Few want to risk ending up in some nameless prison, run by the Feds, and being water boarded, because they were arrested in a anti-war demonstration. And it may have worked (along with the media’s pro-war stance) to keep major protests from occurring, as they did back in the 1960s.
The Pentagon has been keeping a watchful eye on just about any group of anti-war protesters, numbering more than two. All the while, probably missing the real terrorists, as they (like Cheney) secretly wish they’d strike again, to justify the war’s budget. The Pentagon’s top rank (like Cheney) considers the worse threat, a Peace that they can no longer profit from.
I believe the evil fuck would do it himself if he could figure out plausible deniability.
Maybe he could talk ‘W’ into it.
Loony libs still gnashing their teeth and screaming like stuck pigs about Cheney. Well, I guess it distracts from the extreme disappointment that is O’Mama.
http://foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/16/cia-walks-panettas-claim-cheney-wants-country-attacked/
Cheney reminds CIA Chief Panetta that he isn’t O’Mama and actually takes action when confronted, not just gives speeches.
Panetta quickly withdraws accusation and goes into hiding at undisclosed location.
#85 (etal)
You forgot to include the standard mantra from the last 8 years,
“Bush lied, people died” in your rant.
Just helping out:)
#84, they’re being told you have the right to remain silent.
OF COURSE DICK WANTS TO SEE THE U.S. ATTACKED!
Don’t be stupid. That man’s evil mind would love it if more U.S. citizens got killed. ESPECIALLY if they were in one of the ‘librul’ cities, as was on 9/11.
Darth, I mean Dick, would like to see many dead bodies, at the hands of his friends, the Saudis, so that his company, Halliburton, could make more profits, and he could get richer, as well.
Cheney’s a Dick who will be best remembered by his hunting buddies. I plan on forgetting him as soon as possible. He’s still noisy but mostly harmless. Like a lot of old cranks it’s just a matter of time. Soon he’ll be feeding the worms, and since his legacy’s crap in twenty years nobody’ll even remember him, save for his family – maybe.
Will this article appear on Dvorak:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/15/cia-panetta-doesnt-believe-cheney-rooting-for-terrorist-attack/
Or is Dvorak becoming part of the state run media?
#93
I don’t think a blog would make a very good state run media, unless your implying that the posters are all a bunch of lackeys… If that’s the case – (expletive deleted).
#93, Robert,
So what is the issue? Panetta said it and so has millions of others. Cheney has been giving speeches criticizing Obama’s policies. The tone of those speeches does suggest Cheney wants America attacked again just to prove himself right.
There is nothing in your link, which doesn’t quote Panetta by the way, which removes his quote.
#71, Great American?,
Would Cheney like to see US Attacked Just to Prove a Point?
No, he would not.
Then please explain the meaning of his warlike attitude and blustering. Explain his support and implementation of torture. Explain his pushing the War in Iraq instead of going after bin Laden.
#72,
So Biden didn’t suggest that America would be hit by a terrorist attack in six months.
# 96 Mr. Fusion, said, “So Biden didn’t suggest that America would be hit by a terrorist attack in six months.”
He did and he was correct. The 1st one since 9/11…