Gore to Cheney: Pipe down, Vice
Echoing today's Times editorial comparing the poisonous effects Fidel Castro and Dick Cheney are having on the administrations that succeeded them, Al Gore this morning called on Cheney to stand down and quit the fear-mongering over President Obama's torture ban:
In a CNN interview this morning, former Vice President Gore got involved in the political feud over his successor Dick Cheney.
Gore said he wished Cheney would have given President Obama more time in office before criticizing national security policy. A stern critic of Bush policy over the years, Gore told CNN's John Roberts that "I waited for two years after I left office to make statements that were critical, and then of policy."
Gore may be speaking up in defense of the current Democratic administration, but his words can also be taken as free strategy advice for the GOP. As an article in the Washington Post Thursday pointed out, the guy who serves as the public face of the Bush administration's failure (and was never very good at public relations to begin with) isn't the best one for the GOP to spotlight right now. A Gallup poll released in early April shows that a nearly filibuster-proof majority of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of former vice president. Quoth an unnamed GOP strategist in the Washington Post piece:
"Even if he's right, he's absolutely the wrong messenger," this strategist said. His main worry, he added, is that Cheney keeps the public focused on the past, rather than the future. "We want Bush to be a very distant memory in the next election. The more Cheney is on the front burner, the more difficult it's going to be."
In the same article, former Cheney spokeswoman Mary Matalin speculates that his principles led him to speak out, and that he was provoked by Obama's precipitous move to reverse policies that he strongly believes in:
"If Barack Obama had come in and done what he said he was going to do and look at the stuff and see what is working, then Cheney would have continued to do what he was doing -- working on memoirs, finishing his house," she said. "He's got a good life. He's got stuff going on. He doesn't care about being on TV. There's no more politics there. He's not settling any scores. He just wants people to understand."
Torture works, in other words. With the ex-VP motivated by such ghoulish "principles," the GOP may be dealing with its Cheney problem for far longer than it wants.
Cheney photo credit: Karin Cooper / AP
Gore photo credit: Eric Piermont / AFP/Getty Images
Shut up Cheney, you and the moron in chief have killed and done permanent serious damage to far more Americans than the terrorists themselves, so you are no one to talk. Your ideology is sick and twisted just like the people you make your false claim to have protected us against, you are a threat to the peace, prosperity and harmony in this world, you and your moron friend Bush have ruined thousands of lives with your wasted war, extortion and failed self serving policies, America is ruined, the American people are homeless, jobless, without food and health care and are dying because of stupid self centered, egotistical, arrogant dirt bags like you.
Posted by: Democrats 4 Ever | May 22, 2009 at 07:47 PM
Matt, you make the same error you decry in Cheney's critics. You ascribe self-serving motives to the person you disagree with (Obama) but not to the one with whom you agree (Cheney). And then you ratchet things up a bit with labels like traitor and patriot. That's just name-calling.
Obama's argument is that the interrogations didn't produce any more, and probably less, than alternative means would have produced. It's a difficult argument to prove because it involves comparing results from one group of people (the tortured) with those from another (the not tortured). But there are plenty of people in the intelligence and interrogation business who side with Obama. Are they all traitors? Or do they simply draw different conclusions from the evidence than you and Cheney do?
The best Cheney or a truth commission could do would be to show the information obtained from people who were tortured. It's impossible to say whether those folks would have given up that much or more if other techniques were used. There will be no right answer here, just hunches. BTW, there were plenty of terrorist attacks on Americans after 9/11, just none of that scale. Would we have been able to avert more had the Bush administration used different techniques? Who knows? And what do we make of the LAX bomber, who was caught and successfully interrogated before 9/11 changed the rules of engagement? Again, this is a battle between competing theories of how best to protect the country, not between clear-eyed patriots and jejune peaceniks.
Posted by: Jon Healey | May 21, 2009 at 03:15 PM
A lie (Obama) can travel around the world twice before the truth (Cheney) puts its pants on.
-Mark Twain
"The use of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques "prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people," Cheney said. He challenged Obama to release secret intelligence documents that he contends would prove this case." - By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer
The truth is, if the intelligence reports concerning terrorists acquiring tactical nuclear weapons were released, 90 to 100% of America would be pro torture (or enhanced interrogation techniques) as then they would finally understand the risks we are facing. This terrifies Obama because it would cripple him politically as he won the election on an Anti Bush/Cheney platform. If Cheney is proved to be "not so bad after all", to the slightest degree, by the court of public opinion, it would be devastating to Obama and the democratic party as a whole.
After all the hate thrown at him by the American Public, Cheney is still trying to save American lives. I cannot fathom a more precise and acute definition of a patriot.
Obama is sacrificing our own personal safety as Americans for political gain for the past several years. I cannot fathom a more precise and acute definition of a traitor.
I am not a Racist Disclaimer: Condi Rice for President in 2012!!!
Posted by: Matt | May 21, 2009 at 02:16 PM
The VIce President is a perfect representative of the Republican Party. There is nothing to whitewash or hide or change. He needs no stand-in. The fact is, the majority of the people in this country could care less about the future of the Republican Party and who speaks for it. We know what they are about. There is no future for a party in this society that does not tolerate change and diversity of opinion. Even the death of journalism doesn't change that. Ms. Matalin uses the media to say anything in defense of party over country. God knows what her reasons are. I wonder if she or Cheney realize how snide they appear to American viewers. It's been a long ugly journey, but the fact remains: the Republican Party has come to hate the multifaceted freedom-loving place that America has become. And it shows. They are political Luddites.
Posted by: Paul Schiada | May 21, 2009 at 01:34 PM
I sincerely think that "If we have to torture people who hate us to stop them from attacking us" then this conflict will never be resolved. Sorry Gary
Posted by: joe | May 21, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Mr. Cheney is speaking out against what this administration is doing because he believes it is wrong for this Country. Those of you who would censor him are the ones who need to take another look at yourselves, not Mr. Cheney. You would have a one-sided presentation of the issues with no debate. Mr. Obama is smart enough to know that is not how we should make policy in this Country, but his political ambitions predominate. The "dictator"is one who censors the expression of ideas, and that is what all of you are trying to do. That is what is most frightening about all of this, not Mr. Cheney speaking his mind. I applaud him for having the courage and conviction to do so. You are a great man, Mr. Cheney, whether people agree with you or not, and I admire you for filling the vacuum.
Posted by: Kate | May 21, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Thank you Dick Cheney for speaking out against this ridiculous mob of incompetants that are occupying the white house. Algore was an accomplice in the attack on the World Trade center through his association with the philandering Bill Clinton.
Posted by: Huck | May 21, 2009 at 01:27 PM
Good point about Cheney being the wrong face. Speaking of face, that is a really awesome picture of Cheney in today's main article. The only thing missing is for the LAT to PhotoShop a baby's head in his mouth.
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-05/47049915.jpg
Posted by: Unglamorous Picture | May 21, 2009 at 12:22 PM
I sincerely pray that the whole previous administration is tried and convicted in International Court for torture. They are NO different than any other dictators in the world.
Posted by: TruAmerican | May 21, 2009 at 12:03 PM
If we had been attacked again after 9/11 I can only imagine the same people pointing fingers at the Bush administration for not water-boarding to get information that could have prevented an attack. It must be nice to look back and judge the past without knowing what could have happened had we not done that. As far as the thought of setting a standard for the rest of the world, I say that if an american purposely flies an airplane into a building full of people for the sole purpose of doing so and if that government catches those behind the plan, then I I think they too should use whatever tactics they feel to get info to prevent further attacks... If we have to torture people who hate us to stop them from attacking us I simply don't see the problem.
Posted by: gary kurth | May 21, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Ms. Matalin,
I hope Mr. Cheney has a great time with all he has to do in enjoying his life. I think the next one will not be so pleasant. What comes around goes around and you cannot avoid it even by dying.
Posted by: Brendan | May 21, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Cheney keeps hope alive that President Obama will have two terms of office.
Posted by: MarciOahu | May 15, 2009 at 05:53 PM
Dick chaney is torturing the american people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: joe | May 15, 2009 at 02:42 PM
"Torture works, in other words. With the ex-VP motivated by such ghoulish "principles," the GOP may be dealing with its Cheney problem for far longer than it wants."
The GOP has made it pretty clear that it would rather Obama's policies fail than to succeed and live in the "kind of country" our success would create.
The opposite is also very much true... "We the People" would rather struggle through uncertain times with a country behind us we can proud of; rather than "sit pretty" because we used torture or any other tainted thing to assure our safety & freedom.
Principles seem to mean nothing to the GOP and even less to Cheney - despite that they are supposedly the party of faith!
Posted by: LaRae | May 15, 2009 at 01:47 PM