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In top secret meetings about enhanced interrogations, I made my own beliefs clear. I was and remain a strong proponent of our enhanced interrogation program. The interrogations were used on hardened terrorists after other efforts failed. They were legal, essential, justified, successful, and the right thing to do. The intelligence officers who questioned the terrorists can be proud of their work and proud of the results, because they prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people.I'm watching MSNBC, where Chris Matthews, Lawrence O'Donnell and that horrible woman (whose name escapes me) take turns reciting DNC talking points and calling Cheney a liar.
Our successors in office have their own views on all of these matters.
By presidential decision, last month we saw the selective release of documents relating to enhanced interrogations. This is held up as a bold exercise in open government, honoring the public's right to know. We're informed, as well, that there was much agonizing over this decision.
Yet somehow, when the soul-searching was done and the veil was lifted on the policies of the Bush administration, the public was given less than half the truth. The released memos were carefully redacted to leave out references to what our government learned through the methods in question. Other memos, laying out specific terrorist plots that were averted, apparently were not even considered for release. For reasons the administration has yet to explain, they believe the public has a right to know the method of the questions, but not the content of the answers.
Next time some liberal starts lecturing me about "civility," I'm going to play them video of O'Donnell's reaction. Pat Buchanan -- the only Republican allowed on "Hardball" -- grinned and said, "Larry's reaction tells you that Cheney's speech worked."
That is to laugh at!
ReplyDeleteI'd ask Buchanan, in what way did Cheney's speech work? More publicity for his upcoming memoirs?
Wow....
But more importantly, what you just saw was the former VP descending into the realm of cheap political punditry. I guess he's hard up for cash or lobbying for his own radio show or something. I heard the speech and it was a droll, robotic recitation of Right-Wing talking points. Not to mention the tortured logic ( no pun intended) of some of his claims.
One the one hand, as O'Donnel pointed out, he defends the use of secrecy as far as memos are concerned and in the next sentence asks that memos be declassified.... Um, yeah.....
As for slamming Pelosi:
It strikes me that for all of the hoopla about Pelosi and claims that she said the CIA lied to her, which is a crime, one thing has gone unnoticed--- The Bush/ Cheney admin. made the same claims following the WMD gaffe. That's right. boys and girls.
Wasn't it the Bush/ Cheney admin. that threw the CIA under the bus and then claimed that it was the CIA that gave them "bad intelligence", despite the record now showing that there was credible evidence to the contrary?
You know, it's a matter of time before the video of the numerous times the previous admin. pooped on the CIA rears it's head again.
But here is the best part of this all;
A day or two after Steele delivers a hilarious speech about how the party will no longer be looking back, Cheney comes out and completely hands the Left a gift. Could we ask for anything more than having the Dark Lord speaking on behalf of the the Right?
Considering his credibility and approval ratings, I'd say that's not a very good thing for you guys.
Ahhh, tis a lovely thing to behold.
Well, I can't say he didn't try the tried and true fear tactics of the old days.
But, uh, good luck with that, boys.
Nice try...
Cheney is awesome. Too bad Bush and McCain were too, uh, principled to actually defend their efforts to defend the country.
ReplyDeleteThis speech is a blueprint that would work. Palin and Cheney get it. McCain, Powell, and Bush don't.
Young 4-eyes, tsk tsk. Not too bright for a stand up philosopher.
Judging from Young 4-Eyes reaction: "Blah- blah, greedy Dick Cheney, the Dark Lord" - Pat Buchannon was spot on.
ReplyDeleteI think it's less about backing the CIA as it is about taking advantage of a bad move by the Obama administration. My feeling is that they figured that they would release enough information to put the Republicans in a spot, in light of the coming midterm elections. There was never an intent to investigate or prosecute anyone, it was strictly a political move designed to help Democrats hold or even increase their Senate/House majorities.
ReplyDeleteBut it has backfired, and Cheney has led the charge in pushing for release of more information, knowing that the additional information will have two effects- it will galvanize public opinion in favor of EITs, and it will put Democrats on the defensive. Before this blew up in their faces, they could frame their desire not to investigate as a show of magnanimous bi-partisanship. Now it will look like frantic CYA.
I think it is those political ramifications driving the entire debate. Democrats took a risk, and it has backfired, and Republicans have grabbed the opportunity and are hitting back as hard as they can. Both sides realize that this may have an impact in the 2010/2012 elections. Republicans will continue to demand that this remain in the spotlight, and Democrats will continue to try and make it go away.
I am hoping Mr. Cheney runs for President. He is the leader we need. No one else compares at this point in time. I've admire him.
ReplyDeleteWJP (Radical Conservative Nutcase)
I wise man once said:
ReplyDeleteI don't like the name Lawrence, only faggots and sailors are called Lawrence.
Young 4-eyes has a boring script that he cuts and pastes at his Soros-funded job, moving from one conservative website to another, dropping steaming little piles at each one.
ReplyDeleteY4I, good luck with that as a life plan. You and your anti-American allies will lose in the long run, because you work to destroy everything in this country that allows it to succeed. You social Marxist puppets of Gramsci, Fanon, Marcuse and the Frankfurt School goose-step across the world busily attempting to make our culture, education, laws, and our politics stink. But America doesn't stink. You stink. You and your comrades in viciousness stink. All Americans who love America will realize this sooner or later. Most of them realize it already. You will lose. I will cheer as you and your caveman philosophy and caveman economics are systematically thrown into the dustbin of history. It is inevitable, because the people of America are not sheep. Americans are born and bred killers. It has been suppressed, but it can break out in an instant from the mental chains of political correctness you have forged. Americans have already started taking back the rope our feckless so-called leaders sold you with which to hang us all.
Good luck with that, caveman philosopher.
Damn Beaglescout! That was about as devastating a shot leveled at the liberal bedwetters as can be delivered. Well done.
ReplyDeleteLiberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"
ReplyDeleteConservative: "Dude, three absolutely evil fucking terrorists got a little water on them, and we stopped major attacks, we could have stopped 911 if given the opportunity, do you understand that?"
Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"Liberal: "OHMIGOD torture! I hate it! Torture is so mean to people! we need to be nice!"
There's a big difference between "intelligence they believed to be true was inaccurate" and "they intentionally mislead congress KNOWING their claims were inaccurate."
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense to anyone with more than half a brain... which evidently excludes some present company.
Cheney says "you shouldn't reveal secrets, but since you revealed them anyway, at least reveal them honestly instead of ransom-note half-quotations for political spin"
Makes perfect sense to anyone with more than half a brain... which evidently excludes some present company.
Cheney would still be in silent retirement now if Obama hadn't reversed his position on "not looking back." For Cheney to leave slander and reckless endangerment of the American public's security unanswered would be unacceptable. To blame the victim for defending himself and others is reprehensible.
Makes perfect sense to anyone with more than half a brain... which evidently excludes some present company.
"I am hoping Mr. Cheney runs for President. He is the leader we need."
ReplyDeleteOh please! Please make that happen! That is a a dream opponent for us! The statement above shines a cruel light on the fact that the Right simply cannot move past the last eight years. Stuck in the past is the modus operandi of Conservatism and the sheep who follow.
Yes, please let Cheney run for POTUS....
" It is inevitable, because the people of America are not sheep. Americans are born and bred killers."
Beaglescout's wishful thinking diatribe, filled with the dementia that comes from hours of listening to talk radio, is another fine example of Conservative intellectualism parading its flawed logic like castrati belting out show tunes.
Americans are born and bred killers? Geez, man. There's more to my countrymen than that. It is no surprise that that the violent tendencies of Right-Wingers make themselves apparent in times like these. Like cornered rats, the mentally challenged Conservative resorts to veiled threats of violent insurrections wrapped in the flimsy garb of patriotic revolution. I wish you would go tea-bag your shotgun, jostle the trigger a bit and enjoy the facial...
Captain Oblivious ( the name is sooo apropos, dontcha think?)---
Cheney is not looking out for you or for me. The whole speech was a shameful descension into cheap politics, not policy. Cheney's media blitz is about self-promotion and legacy building.
It isn't about, as what most of you idiots think, promoting a policy that keeps us safe.
I recall, some time ago, when Cheney, delivering a speech at a Veteran's group, spoke about " secret memo's" that he saw that showed undeniable evidence that Saddam had WMD's. Sound familiar?
To the Oblivious among us, this means nothing.
To the Oblivious among us, fear tactics work like a charm.
To the Oblivious among us, feel good tactics, like those employed by Bush/Cheney, are all that we need to focus on ,as per the War on Terror.
What the Oblivious( and The Obvious) among us don't want to see is that the whole of the Bush/Cheney doctrine was built around a precarious edifice of politics whose goal was to establish a "permanent Republican majority".
The suggestive language that Cheney and his manly "daughter" Liz employ is full of the dog-whistles that set paranoid Conservatives into a frenzy: enter the numerous times Dick mentiond 9-11.
24 times in one speech. The guy is stuck in 2004...
But hey! You love the guy!
Me?
I hope his artificial heart fails...
Watching PMSNBC is an alternative to waterboarding as an EIT. I knew Matthews back in the day before he turned into a DNC affiliate and O'Donnell is simply deranged. Pat Buchanan has become pitiful with his step'n-fetchit role on that unwatched cable outlet.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, the President messed up on his jejune and naive calls for closing Gitmo. Cheney called him on it and the [Democrat-controlled] House and Senate concurred. Obama is having his clock cleaned politically and silly talk about "national ideals" and "torture" are just political shibboleths. Bill Clinton instituted "rendition" to places like Egypt where they know Islamists better than the Soros and Obambi wings of the American populace. I'm a State Dept. Arabist and know all too well that AT LEAST one out of seven of the already-freed Gitmo types has openly rejoined the criminal RICO scams masquerading as religion. Probably a much higher percentage are now in a "mole mode" waiting for their AQ & terrorist masters to summon them from their burrows. And Obama made a pitiful lie when he said that Gitmo was a "recruitment" incentive for bearded misogynists. The biggest recruitment incentive, as any Arabist can tell you is a successful terrorist venture such as 9/11. The moral morons in the Middle East are still proud of that and beat their womenfolk nightly in commemoration. GWB actually slowed down AQ and other recruiting outfits with Iraq and Afghanistan plus keeping Gitmo open. In sum, Obama is simply dishonest, insincere, or possibly totally deluded.
Cheney is right to call out Obama and the best idea I've heard is to decommission Alcatraz as a "national monument" and park the Gitmo hopeless recidivists right there in San Fran Bay where Nan, Dianne and Barbara Boxer can observe them from up close and personal... BoBo is from Marin County & Feinstein was an SF DA, so the three stoogettes could all be certain these bad boys would stay put!
Young 4
ReplyDelete“It strikes me that for all of the hoopla about Pelosi and claims that she said the CIA lied to her, which is a crime, one thing has gone unnoticed--- The Bush/ Cheney admin. made the same claims following the WMD gaffe. That's right. boys and girls.
Wasn't it the Bush/ Cheney admin. that threw the CIA under the bus and then claimed that it was the CIA that gave them "bad intelligence", despite the record now showing that there was credible evidence to the contrary?”
Well, no. Bush/Cheney didn’t throw anyone under the bus. In response to congress’ query “Where are the weapons of mass destruction?” they replied that the intelligence available appeared to have been inadequate.
In defense of Ms. Pelosi, you state the record shows there was credible evidence that WMD were in Iraq (in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 687). That being accepted, it would appear you have made the case justifying the deposing of Saddam Hussein. You know, that “illegal war” you guys were so jacked up about. Which is fine. But it seems here your objectives are more limited, and only reference the security information in defense of the spineless, hapless Ms. Pelosi. That’s all right, we’re used to that kind of flip flop from our experience with Senator Kerry. Just remember, it’s not good form to be eating soup when your talking out of both sides of your mouth.
One more tip: there’s not a lot of future in tying yourself to Ms. Pelosi. She’s an anchor, and she’ll drag you straight to the bottom.
"Captain Oblivious ( the name is sooo apropos, dontcha think?)---"
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, you should use it more often when you post your nonsense screed! You can be my arch-nemesis!
Besides, it sounds way cooler than Juvenile Blind-Boy! Good call on your new nickname!
If you're so certain that "Cheney is not looking out for you or for me... not promoting a policy that keeps us safe." Then why complain when he wants to declassify the other half of the memos? According to you, they would show that no good came from policies of politics-over-safety, so what are you panicking about? Get a grip.
Feel good fear tactics? Don't look now, but your cognitive dissonance is showing.
Blah Blah Blah dismissive sexism and deathwishes. Real mature, and real convincing. Go spend a month in Afghanistan and tell us how "paranoid" we are.
" you state the record shows there was credible evidence that WMD were in Iraq (in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 687)."
ReplyDeleteUmmm, no.
I don't know what post you read, nick.
Perhaps you're of the two-eyed persuasion and you need to upgrade.
I could never say there was credible evidence there were WMD in Iraq as no evidence to support the claim has surfaced. Perhaps Herr Cheney should ask for the release of those documents?
Anyway, after all this I feel sorry for Michael Steele.
Poor bastard, trying to move on from the past and there's that Dick again.
Reminds me of the time that Cheney, in the early 80's, called Nelson Mandela a terrorist. So he's been on the wrong side of history several times, but what does it say about a man who went out of his way to defend a racist South African regime?
Tells me he's a sorry sack of uselessness who truly needs to ride off into the sunset.
Or he can stick around and make himself the face of the Republican party which is, well, just dandy for our side....
"the CIA that gave them "bad intelligence", despite the record now showing that there was credible evidence to the contrary?”
ReplyDeleteThe quote marks indicate that it came from a source other than myself, namely, your previous comment.
I can't straighten it all for you Young 4, I'm not getting paid for that. But listen, if you are trying to make a valid point, try being less verbose.
And if you just enjoy reading your own words, post them somewhere where I don't have to read them.