Is It Time For the D1ck Cheney to GO AWAY?
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
April 21, 2009 4:24pm CST
Has there ever been a former V.P. who has behaved like the D1ck Cheney has recently? I thought it was an unwritten rule that members of past Administrations keep their mouths shut when the new one moves in, at least for a few months! Former President Bush has remained above the fray and kept out of all the bickering and partisanship but apparently his V.P. hasn't gotten the message. He's called President Obama "weak" and has implied that we're no longer safe. Now he's adding his two cents to the debate over the recently released torture memos, saying he had formally requested that the memos that showed the successes of our torturing be declassified.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/21/cheney-obama-cia-torture-memos
"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," Cheney said in an appearance on Fox News.
"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.
"I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was."
(End of excerpt)
The only problem is, according to the CIA Cheney did no such thing! They've received no such request that these memos be declassified. Why do you suppose he lied? Is it because there is no such evidence of successes or is it because he's desperately trying to save his own a$$ because he may actually be held accountable for his own part in the U.S.'s former interrogation methods?
Annie
1 person likes this
9 responses
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
21 Apr 09
Let's see, Al Gore made himself such a horses rear end even those who swore he won the election never considered him the "incumbent". The VP's before him pretty much did what VPs do.. either moved up to President or faded into history.
Prs. Carter & Clinton already blew the genglemen's agreement about not bashing sitting presidents.
As for him requesting the memos, either Cheney is lying or whoever's speaking for the CIA is... at this point there is really no way to tell.
Personally, I hate the fact that Obama is so naive to national security that he would expose any part of the interrogation techniques. He has clearance, he can investigate all he wants. He can even call for punitive action of anyone he sees fit. So what is to be gained from his completely childish games here?
Furthermore, if the memos weren't classified by the White House, he had no legal authority to declassify them. So if he broke the law, it should be HIM that is up on charges.
On the other hand, if he does have the authority, now that he's declassified some of them, he should declassify as much as he can. It would offer a bit of credibility to his reasoning. After all, if he has nothing but good intentions, releasing as much as he can would show he's not playing political games here.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Apr 09
As I remember it Al Gore pretty much disappeared from sight for quite awhile after the Supremes stopped the 2000 recount. Also as I recall Carter and Clinton both kept quiet for more than a few weeks. Cheney didn't even wait that long. Maybe my bias is showing - and make no mistake about it, I've never tried to hide my bias against the D1ck - but I think I'd take the word of the CIA over his.
Annie
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
22 Apr 09
Oh Annie, I agree that formers should just retire into civilian life, but it's hard to retire when so many people in the opposition party are just dying to keep your name in the spotlight.
If Cheney's political opponents are going to continue with the accusations, should he just lay back and take it?
I kind of wonder how long The Central Committee is going to keep themselves from dredging Bush's name back up... How long will Bush retirement last if that slimy worm Pelosi and the criminal Harry Reid start missing the press their losing to Obama.
Talk about two "people" who should just disappear into the rancid tallow they've made of themselves.
The old gentlemen's agreement did go both ways, did it not?
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Apr 09
I don't know that anyone's been trying to keep Cheney in the spotlight. There are some who feel he broke the law and should pay for it. I fully understand our hatred for Reid and Pelosi is every bit as strong as mine is for Cheney.
To be fair, I have to announce it was just reported that Cheney did make a request to the archives department for some memos to be made public. Apparently the CIA official who had said no request had been made wasn't aware of that fact. So for the first time in his miserable life he didn't tell a complete lie...lol! Anyway, I apologize and didn't mean to be misleading.
Annie
Annie
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
21 Apr 09
As long as the rest of them follow. If Cheney is first in line, I want everyone else who is as guilty of various constitutional crimes to follow him, including the white house, the cabinate, and most of congress, maybe a few supreme court judges. The only one playing it smart is Bush, he is pretty much keeping off the radar, though we know who you are george and what you've done.
2 people like this
@jerzgirl (9327)
• United States
21 Apr 09
Cheney is a bully who was given far too much power and that power has gone to his head. He became a megalomaniac who hasn't come off his self-imposed pedestal. The sooner he is put away, the better off this country will be - he'll be out of signt, out of mind.
1 person likes this
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
21 Apr 09
Who knows, maybe he is preparing to run in the next election, lol. I guess he takes these things personal and may indeed want to save his or somebody's behind. Bush is keeping quiet because he is happy to be out of the hot seat of a White House.
1 person likes this
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
21 Apr 09
He is out office. Gone and I am glad. He probly just wants his 15 minuates back. But I think 8 years is long enough. I do not even bother to listen to him when he does do an interview anymore.
1 person likes this
@PrarieStyle (2486)
• United States
22 Apr 09
He's a major player in this issue and still an American with the right to voice his opinion. And he's right as far as I'm concerned, why not show the success?
President Clinton is a member of a past administration, has he kept his mouth shut or gone away?
I suppose you had no problem with President Carter going to the Middle East talking to terrorists as if he has any pull around here anymore...
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
22 Apr 09
I do respect Jimmy Carter for a couple of things... he should keep swinging a hammer for Habitat for Humanity, and (while a lot of my fellow vets disagreed with this), I did support them naming the submarine USS Jimmy Carter after him. He is, after all, the only US president to ever qualify for dolphins while in the US Navy.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Apr 09
Neither Clinton nor Carter bad-mouthed the next President this soon after leaving office. Of course he's an American with the right to voice his opinion but for a former V.P. to be smacking his lips in anticipation of another attack is a bit over the top - or maybe I should say it's as low as it gets.
Annie
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
22 Apr 09
It seems that no matter what the answer is, it looks bad for D*ick (short for Richard, by the way - not that thing between a man's legs) Cheney. I mean if someone says that there is no evidence that waterboarding worked, or D*ick Cheney lied, then the question is supposing badness on Cheney's part. I do think that someone else should be in charge of disclosing the effect of the CIA interrogation method, someone who is not a follower or supporter of Obama and someone who was not a supporter of Bush. So since Democrats think that Bush and Republicans are evil for allowing this method of interrogation and since the Republicans feel that this method interrogation is justified, I would say a military man who knows much a military man can endure would be a good candidate.
The issue is whether a former vice president or a former one in Bush's staff who has all this political experience should keep silent until Obama has been around for a few months and that anyone else also be kept from opposing Obama until he has proven his mettle.
And we do not know if the CIA lied. After all according to those movies I have seen from the leftist Hollywood, the CIA then the stalwart war mongers in sheep's clothing were full of liars. It was not until the Ryan movies came out that it showed another side of them.
So who is lying D Cheney or the CIA, and if one had not waterboarded these Muslim terrorists or thought to be terrorists, would one have gotten the information they did. As for D Cheney, he wants to look as if he is doing something and maybe he did ask, and maybe the CIA lied and said he did not because it would not look good for them to yield under pressure.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Apr 09
I've already explained that I was mistaken and there was apparently no "lie" told by anyone. Nobody is saying anyone should be kept from opposing Obama, it's just highly unusual for a former V.P. to be quite as vocal as the D1ck has been this soon. It's just a matter of showing respect for the office if nothing else.
I agree there should be an independent investigation. I don't feel there's any doubt whatsoever that torture is "evil" and I don't think there's any evidence it's been successful. Even if it had been, it is NOT justified and it's against our laws. What "they" do has nothing to do with it, WE are supposed to be better than that.
Annie
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
22 Apr 09
I honestly have no idea why Cheney doesn't just shut up and move on with his life. There are already plenty of people out there saying the same thing he is and they have more credibility with the American public.
"I thought it was an unwritten rule that members of past Administrations keep their mouths shut when the new one moves in, at least for a few months!"
Well Carter was the first to break that rule when he spent 2008 bashing Bush and Cheney over and over again. I was honestly shocked to see such a lack of class on the part of a former president. I don't blame Obama for bashing Bush, he was fighting to win an election, for Carter though it was just inappropriate, especially noting what a failure he was as a president.
Also, you should keep in mind that Joe Biden has spent every second of airtime he gets bashing both Cheney and Bush, but mostly Cheney. That is also something new as Cheney didn't spend his first four months bashing Gore and Gore didn't spend his first four months bashing Quayle.
I give Bush credit for handling the transition with class, making sure the White House was in far better shape than his predecessor left it in, and going home and keeping his mouth shut after Obama took over.
@PrarieStyle (2486)
• United States
22 Apr 09
Speaking of Joe Biden, where has he been these days? Just as I figured, we aren't going to see him much the next 4 years. Saturday Night Live could use some new material though, they really should let him speak.
