Jun
Dick Cheney continues his public attacking of President Obama – and doing so with a bit of humor. That said; let’s focus on Cheney’s latest major statement.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney says Saddam Hussein “provided sanctuary … and resources to terrorists.”
He strongly defended the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, however, arguing that Hussein’s previous support for known terrorists was a serious danger after 9/11.
…
“I do not believe and have never seen any evidence to confirm that [Hussein] was involved in 9/11. We had that reporting for a while, [but] eventually it turned out not to be true,” Cheney conceded.
But Hussein was “somebody who provided sanctuary and safe harbor and resources to terrorists. … [It] is, without question, a fact.”Cheney restated his claim that “there was a relationship between al Qaeda and Iraq that stretched back 10 years. It’s not something I made up. … We know for a fact that Saddam Hussein was a sponsor — a state sponsor — of terror. It’s not my judgment. That was the judgment of our [intelligence community] and State Department.”
Now… at the risk of sounding unpopular here, I believe the war in Iraq was the right thing to do. (Though there have been serious errors and, in hind sight, things should have executed in a different manner)
Why?
Not because of the terror ties, but because of the fact that Iraq had continually ignored the treaty of the First Gulf War. On a monthly basis since the early 90’s, Iraq would violate the terms of cease fire. Be it rocket launches, flying in restricted air space, or defying U.N. resolutions. The Iraqi terror ties provided cause for someone to take action when it was clear that the United Nations wasn’t going to uphold the law.
What is the point of having law if no one is going to enforce it?
Anyway, to be even more unpopular, to the best of my knowledge – after years of following and reading on the subject – at no time did the administration specifically say Saddam Hussein was directly linked to 9/11. There was initial “evidence” that looked as if he was (that was just false - made up, anyone?) but they never pinned their hopes on that claim. What took place, however; is the press blurred the lines and the administration did not rebut.
They should have, but didn’t. Why they didn’t is beyond me, and why Cheney is publically making this statement is even more confusing.
All of that said, here is the real juicy content.
He reiterated his call for President Obama to declassify documents detailing the results of “enhanced interrogations” of high-value detainees.
Since Obama has already released memos detailing the interrogation methods, Cheney said, it is important to share the results of those interrogations with the public as well.
“I would not ordinarily be leading the charge to declassify classified information, otherwise they wouldn’t call me Darth Vader for nothing,” Cheney said.
But “once the [Obama] administration released the legal memos that gave the opinions that were used to guide the interrogation program, they’d given away the store. … I [therefore] thought it was important to have the results that were gained from that interrogation program front and center as well.”
On May 14, the CIA rejected the former vice president’s request to declassify the documents. CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano, in a written statement, said the two documents are the subject of pending lawsuits and therefore cannot be declassified.
Cheney said Monday that the memos previously released also were the subject of ongoing lawsuits. He said Obama can release the additional documents with “the stroke of a pen.”
Former Vice President Cheney is attempting to put the current Administration on defense. He is saying “Hey, prove me wrong”. He is sitting on the side lines poking away, trying to get attention – and it is working.
The President need not get involved in a “he said, he said” conversation in the press. He simply needs to look the other way while members of his administration address Cheney. Cheney is trying to contaminate President Obama, trying to create doubt and the continued attacks will only create a sense of wonder about President Obama in the public eye. It may not be significant at first but the cumulative effect can be devastating.