Dick Cheney?

Cheney was actually there, in office, making the sometimes ugly decisions. While I am no great fan of Cheney, the pragmatist in me is aware that we must depend on people like him to make the difficult choices. Was he always right? Most certainly he was not. Is President Obama right? Only time will tell. Jeff

Like Carville said, "It's the economy, stupid." When enough people are unemployed or afraid or uninsured or otherwise financially in trouble, they vote Democratic. When they are fat & happy, they vote Republican, if they vote at all. In any case, our citizens mostly remain ignorant of what is really happening and are easily fooled by the fear & smear campaigns so popular with Cheney and his ilk. When the economy turns around, Cheney will be back on top and the Republicans will try to turn him into an elder statesman like they tried to do with Nixon.

“Has anyone heard of new faces, new ideas, "change" — all the things Americans voted for overwhelmingly?”

This is a tired statement. What Americans want and what is needed may be entirely two different things.

You seem to reflect this later when you say:

“No, it's not the debate that troubles me. I think a debate like this is a healthy exercise in a democracy, even if the bottom line is that this is the sort of issue on which we elect presidents, the sort of issue that should turn on judgment, not poll numbers”

Is not the election basically a poll? Individuals do exercise their judgment when they vote.

“I greatly admire the president for his principled views on torture and detention and the rule of law… “

He is principled regarding the rule of law when it behooves him. Was he concerned about the rule of law when he abused Chrysler shareholders?

From the Wall Street Journal's article ‘Chrysler and the Rule of Law':

(“The Obama administration's behavior in the Chrysler bankruptcy is a profound challenge to the rule of law. Secured creditors -- entitled to first priority payment under the "absolute priority rule" -- have been browbeaten by an American president into accepting only 30 cents on the dollar of their claims. Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers union, holding junior creditor claims, will get about 50 cents on the dollar.”)

“It's the debaters. Whether it's politically wise or not (considering his need to keep the country behind him to inspire confidence on the economy), President Obama is out there, as the nation's leader, offering his views. In an ideal world, with a different vice president (Hillary for Veep in '12?), this might be a perfect job for a vice president. A sitting vice president. Not the former one.”

You appeal to him needing the support of the country during a time when our economy is struggling. Did not the Bush administration need a country behind it when they were dealing with international terrorism?
Why is it not proper for him to express his views? Should not the American people know what he believes? Why not Biden? Are you thinking Hillary would have been better? Why didn't the Democrat party heal their rift and select Hillary for Vice President? Was it a matter of filling out the ticket that gave the Democrats the best chance of winning the election?

“There is a long tradition that says the former president doesn't criticize his successor publicly, particularly in matters of foreign policy. Having the former vice president do it is hardly much of an improvement. But protocol and respect aren't the only reasons Cheney is a poor spokesman for Republicans.”

As far as your tradition goes did not you just say Americans are for change? Regarding whether Cheney is a good spokesman it is not up to you to say. I believe he is. It is funny how the two sides regard this. You think Cheney is usurping tradition. I think Cheney is expending time that he could spend on himself and his family to try to protect our country from clear and present danger.

“When he left office, Cheney's approval rating was down to the immediate family. He had dodged so many bullets in office — remember Scooter Libby? — that, health issues aside, the idea of him succeeding his boss was out of the question. His defenders adore him, but for most Americans, Cheney was a symbol of the ugliest of partisan politics and the failings of his No. 1, who allowed him to wield too much power.”

I like how you are even-handed until it comes to Cheney and then let the liberal demagoguery begin. I thought you were better than that. I approved of Cheney and I am not his immediate family. You say he has dodged so many bullets, but list one situation. Then you go after his health issues. Was there a poll that I missed? Were most Americans queried: “Is Cheney a symbol of the ugliest of partisan politics and did George Bush's failings allow him to wield too much power.” I think it was not most Americans believing that. I think it is what the liberal Fourth Estate wanted us to believe.

“Bringing Cheney back brings the country back to the period we overwhelmingly voted to leave behind. If the Republicans want to win this debate, or any future elections, they need men and women who don't carry Cheney's baggage to take on the president.”

Why don't you just leave that to the family and get out of our business.
By the way CNN is reporting that Cheney's polling numbers are up. I guess that is why you wrote this passive aggressive hack jog. Did Obama call you directly or did he have Emmanuel call you?

Dick Chenney spoke eloquently with conviction and plain facts as someone who was in the mist of it , that had to make difficult decisions and did it , because it was his JOB! What responsibilities do people who hate (not just disagree with some policies) but Hate the previous administration hold? How many lives are they responsible for? None!! except perhaps that of spouse and children. If people are so blinded by hatred that they can't see the Horrifics of having approximately 3000 people die in their watch , just a few months in to office, then I can see of course why President Obama got elected. Change is appealing when there is blind Hatred! no matter what type of change comes. How are you liking that hope and change now..??? I can tell you along time ago Cubans wanted hope and change.. oh yes!!.. in Cuba there is guaranteed equality now. Everyone is equally scr*w*d! There is alway a silver lining though..
I thank Castro everyday, because of him, back in the early 60's ,my parents with one suitecase in hand fled Cuba , and I (legally) was able to grow up in this great, wonderful, fantastic USA since the age of 4.

Watching Dick and Liz Cheney on TV trying to justify criminal behavior is bad enough. Watching a bunch of raging lunitics on Right-wing racist radio jump through hoops to distort the record of the BUSH CHENEY years in office is insanity personified.
Here is the one fact that Dick Cheney ignores. OVER THREE THOUSAND AMERICANS DIED ON 9/11 BECAUSE BUSH AND CHENEY IGNORED EXPLICIT INTELLIGENCE WARNINGS OF AN IMPENDING TERRORIST EVENT. The two Cheneys, Liz and Dick repeatedly say on TV that Bush/Cheney "....kept America safe SINCE 9/11." They convieniently ignore that tragedy that affected the lives of over 3,000 families. To cover up their ineptitude, they launched into a series of lies to take this country to war and another 4,000 families lost loved ones. 7,000 families Mr. Cheney , 7,000 families in grief forever. You sir are a failure and no amount of obfuscation will change that fact for 7,000 families.
Just go away Mr. Cheney, just go away. Have you no decency or integrity left? Please, just go away.
That is what the majority of Americans said last November. Just go away>
Robert Lipka

Re: robert lipka You're right! After invading Iraq, they couldn't even make the oil fields safe for Halliburton so they just let them raid the U. S. Treasury.

Odd column. You seem to be saying that Cheny may be right, but he shouldn't be saying what he is saying. Why? Who is in a better position to judge the effectiveness of the previous executive's policies? And why should unpopularity be relevant? If Lyndon LaRouche said that 2 + = 4. 2 + 2 would still equal 4. Cheny may well be wrong on the torture issue, but saying that he is not the ideal messenger prejudices his message is (a) incorrect and (b) irrelevant.

Unfortunately, how much leverage does the rule of law and common decency have on a person so intent on destroying his enemy, he is willing without reservation to die for it? When these individuals signup to die, they expected a quick ending, a bullet, a bomb. Short of providing this for them, thus losing what they know, how do you get through to them enough to get some change in that attitude. There is no true study on the results of torture, nothing with true empirical data. The reason for this, is no one can tell you what they will say and what they are willing to go through to retain the information they have. We as military personnel have been through various forms of training, from time deprivation, to food and water deprivation, all monitored for safety of course. This is done to add a mental toughness to us, or to determine when each will break. Everyone has their limits. Those are the limits of someone who values life, their own and their family, and friends. Remove that concern, and you have a killing machine with no reservations. There will always , unfortunately be a need for torture, though used in only the rarest of cases. Just for note, historically, the enemies of the US, have never turned away from torture, even to the point of mass slaughtering the servicemen to make a point.

Saturday night my family sat and watched thet history channel and they had the attack of 9/11 on. I suggest our politicians, you and all your liberal friends sit and watch the people jumping to their deaths and hear the constant thump again of death. YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN and reading the world events your passive president is making us sitting ducks and we will be shot down again. Did you ever wonder why in revelations of the bible America is not mentioned???? I feel Obama is our modern day Judas and he is there to biblically and will destroy our country along with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid who have sold their souls for power and greed. If it would save lives of American's or lives of people then waterboard them. I know you won't admit it but Bush/Cheney kept us safe with their tactics and I thank them for that. The next hit and deaths will be on this Administrations hands and all of you who support him.

The 9/11 plan began long before Bush and Cheney came on the scene. Clinton was our leader for the dress rehearsal of 9/11 and had received numerous warnings. He dismissed the seriousness of it all. And yes Bush was able to "_CHANGE_"the blindness we had regarding Terrorism. Through the work of his newly developed Homeland Security, our wonderful Military and a VP he could rely on for real professional leadership, George W. Bush began this whole successful war against our enemy. We must be so grateful to him for this. It was not easy I am sure since most of our supposed leaders fought him all the way. At the ripe old age of 69 I must say to our past President and his VP, Hail to the Chiefs...God knew what kind of Leaders this country needed during the past decade and He Provided...And we were kept safe....

Dear Ms. Estrich,
Is it possible that I have gotten your name wrong? Perhaps it's Ms. Ostrich. So Dick Cheney is just, well, soooo yesterday? Right. And there is no more danger in the world. Mean old Cheney and mean old Bush were dead wrong. There will never be another terror alert, and North Korea really just wants to "get along". My God, woman. Let me give you a piece of advice that my father gave me, lo these many years ago. He said that it was better to keep my mouth shut and allow people to think I was an idiot, than to open it up and leave them with absolutely no doubt. I would respectfully give this advice to Ms. Estrich.