Cheney pushes back against critics in book tour

Then-Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell attend a meeting in the Oval Office with President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House, June 15, 2004.

/ Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Former Vice President Dick Cheney pushed back Tuesday against assertions that the war in Iraq damaged the global standing of the United States and said there was no double standard in opposing waterboarding of American citizens by other nations even as he maintained his support for use of the controversial interrogation technique by the U.S.

"I don't think that it [the Iraq war] damaged our reputation around the world," Cheney told NBC'S Today Show.

"I just don't believe that. I think the critics at home want to argue that. In fact, I think it was sound policy that dealt with a very serious problem and eliminated Saddam Hussein from the kind of problem he presented before.

"What would've happened this week if Muammar Qaddafi had still been in power with a nuclear weapon in Libya? Would he have fled? I doubt it," Cheney said in the interview, part of a book tour he is doing to promote his memoir: "In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir."

At the same time, Cheney said he would oppose the use of waterboarding if Iran hypothetically had a U.S. citizen in capitivity and was seeking to gain information.

"We probably would object to it on the ground that we have obligations to our citizens and we do everything we can to protect our citizens," Cheney said. "I think we would object because we wouldn't expect an American citizen to be operating that way.

"I would argue that it's important for us not to get caught up in the notion that you can only have popular methods of interrogation if you want to run an effective counterterrorism program," Cheney said.

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"The fact is that it worked. We learned valuable, valuable information from that process and we kept the country safe for over seven years."

Cheney stood by his assertion that former Secretary of State Colin Powell did not privately object to the Iraq war in meetings. Former President George W. Bush has written in his own book that he knew about Powell's reservations prior to the war.

"I wrote the events as I participated in them," Cheney said, adding that he held Powell in high regard "but a balanced account, I think, also required me to put down what my opinion was, and I think that's what I've done."

Powell accused Cheney of taking "cheap shots" at him on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday.

"Mr. Cheney may forget that I'm the one who said to President Bush, 'If you break it you own it,'" Powell said, referencing the administration's actions in Iraq. "I gave the president my best advice."

Powell said Cheney went too far in using promotional techniques to sell more copies of his book.

"I think Dick overshot the runway," Powell told CBS' Bob Schieffer, adding that his tease that the memoir will "makes heads explode" is a comment he would have expected from a gossip columnist, not a former U.S. vice president.

[lucifersshadow]

Cheny and Hitler would have been pals.

[dodinyc]

The Iraq war did not damage our reputation in the world? This comment shows how completely and utterly out of touch he is living a life surrounded by secret service in luxury. Trust me Dick Cheney, those who are out and about and talk to people around the world know full well the lasting and deep damage the Iraq war has showered on the USA's reputation.

[mattcat25]

Cheney should be retired, he's made $Millions for himself and $Billions for his friends. He should take his Wealth and move on to a private refuge and stop bloviating his hate and anger.

[ddog88]

Wonder if his book has a manual of how to blow up buildings in your own country to begin the decline of a proud nation? There are left wings, right wings, and good ole dick-satans wings. He's laughing at us all.

[taylorsucram]

Let's see, Cheney said ... "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter." Republicans went along with it and everyone seems to forget that the Savings & Loan fiasco happened on Reagan's watch. Oh, the housing and Wall Street meltdown happened on another Republican watch, that of G.W. Bush. What is wrong with you people? Every time a Republican is in charge of this country the U.S. Treasury is looted. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a top tax rate of 91% on the richest Americans and Eisenhower warned us about the "Military-Industrial-Complex". WE DIDN'T LISTEN! Now our economy runs on constant war because the only things we make better than anyone else are weapons and war!

Now back to Dick (I shot my best friend in the face) Cheney. While Cheney was Vice-President and handing out NO-BID CONTRACTS to Halliburton (the company he was formerly CEO of) he also received payments from Halliburton. I call them bribes, that's what Vice-President Spiro Agnew went to prison for. In addition Cheney had 5 College Deferments to keep from serving in Vietnam. What did he do with these deferments; he flunked out of Yale TWICE! America has an average IQ of 98, stupidity is the only reason for electing a Vice-President (and President) dumber than most Americans.

[Jaylah54]

I know a lot of posters here think that Jimmy Carter was "the worst US president." However....

Look what Jimmy did when he lost the election: He went home to Plains for a while, where we heard nothing from him. Then he came up with what he wanted to do for his "Presidential Library" (every president has one), and that wasn't just a "library" but The Carter Center which has been instrumental in brokering peace deals around the world, as well as providing observers for foreign elections to make sure they are held openly and legally. He got involved in a little-known organization that builds homes for families that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them, and now Habitat for Humanity is a well known organization building thousands of homes each year. He continues to attempt to broker peace agreements between warring countries, or factions within countries. He's written a couple of book, both about *himself* and what he feels *he* has learned throughout life.

What has George W. Bush done? Gone back home. Become involved in a few charitable causes. Hasn't had much to say politically since he left office.

And what has Cheney done. (I realize his official title was VICE president, not president, but since George W Bush was incapable of even playing a game of jacks without assistance, Cheney -- along with is buddy Rove -- was actually running the country.) He's grudgingly left Washington and started yammering about how Obama was doing it all "wrong" before Obama was even sworn in. He's continued to offer his (unasked-for) opinions about everything. He's taken pot-shots at everyone (even his own party members) around him during his vice-presidential years. Now he writes a book, telling people that "heads will explode" when they read it. And in that book, he takes the same old pot-shots at people who didn't just always do his bidding when he told them to do something. (Including George W. Bush.)

This guy is on the same level as Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton. A nobody that just can't stand it when they're out of the media spotlight. He deserves no more recognition than any other has-been.

[Jaylah54]

Did anybody actually need anymore proof that this idiot is a megalomaniac?

If so, they got it.

[ObamaYoMama]

Why are we giving this war criminal the time of day?

[sweetcakesmaria]

Bush knew that he had a huge problem with credibility after he allowed 911 to happen so in order to regain a measure of credibility, he came up with the WMD lies to justify attacking Iraq. That is why everyone associated with the Iraq war should be in prison.

[ObamaYoMama]

I think Bush had two reasons to go in. 1) He actually believed that war spurs the economy. 2) Sadam tried to have his father killed, so revenge..

[starving1968-3]

by Lifeson2112 August 30, 2011 3:35 PM EDT
He is purposely dismantling this country. He couldn't possibly be stupid enough to be doing this much damage by accident. Not that many of the Republicans are any better. But at least they'd go at a slower pace and a few of them still believe in the country.







Dismantling?

Doing damage on purpose?

And what "damage" would that be?