Obama fires back at Cheney on 60 Minutes

President Barack Obama told CBS Steve Kroft that he fundamentally disagreed with former Vice President Dick Cheneys assertion that the new terrorism policies were putting the country at risk.

Partial transcript

OBAMA: I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney. Not surprisingly. You know, I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we cant reconcile our core values, our constitution, our belief that we dont torture, with our national security interests. I think hes drawing the wrong lesson from history. The facts dont bear him out. I think he is that attitude, that philosophy has done incredible damage to our image and position in the world. I mean, the fact of the matter is, after all these years, how many convictions actually came out of Guantanamo? How many how many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney? It hasnt made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment, which means that there is constant effective recruitment of Arab fighters and Muslim fighters against U.S. interests all around the world.

KROFT: Some of it being organized by a few people who were released from Guantanamo.

OBAMA: Well, there is no doubt that we have not done a particularly effective job in sorting rough who are truly dangerous individuals that weve got to make sure are not a threat to us, who are folks that we just swept up. The whole premise of Guantanamo promoted by Vice President Cheney was that, somehow, the American system of justice was not up to the task of dealing with these terrorists. I fundamentally disagree with that. Now, do these folks deserve miranda rights? Do they deserve to be treated like a shoplifter down the block? Of course not.

KROFT: What do you do with those people?

OBAMA: Well, I think were going to have to figure out a mechanism to make sure that they are not released and do us harm, but do so in a way that is consistent with both our traditions, sense of due process, international law. But this this is the legacy thats been left behind and, you know, im surprised that the vice president is eager to defend a legacy that was unsustainable. Lets assume that we didnt change these practices. How how long are we going to go? Are we going to just keep on going until, you know, the entire Muslim world and Arab world despises us? Do we think thats really going to make us safer? I I dont know a lot of thoughtful thinkers, liberal or conservative, who think that was the right approach.

This video is from CBS 60 Minutes, broadcast Mar. 22, 2009.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• President Barack Obama
• 60 minutes
• Steve Kroft
• fundamentally disagreed
• assertion
• terrorism policies
• country at risk
• values
• constitution
• national security
• history
• philosophy
• liberal
• conservative
• damage
• position
• world
• Guantanamo
• terrorists
• justice
• anti-American
• miranda rights

[OmarThePug]

If you want to make America safer, lock up DICK CHENEY!!!

[TPAUSA]

And the whole PNAC Cabal including Bush and Rumsfeld.

[KvalnirFox]

Classic good cop/bad cop routine.

[spader49]

Under American law, It's legal to kill someone unarmed, like Bin Laden, if that person is a combatant in a war; it is not legal to do so to a person who is the pertpetrator of a mass killing, like 9/11, also under US law, in order for someone to be an enemy or combatant in a war, the US also have to make a formal declaration of war against such an enemy. So Obama didnt mind bending the legal rules if it suited him.

[spader49]

Bush and Cheney got in a lot of trouble for waterboarding three terrorists, people with records a mile long of previous terrorist activity; Obama has never watered boarded anyone, and to be sure it is torture, but he has ordered personally the execution through predator drones, of more than 1700 terrorists Suspects. Where is the left's outcry? What is worse? Killing nearly two thousand suspects or torturing three actual terrorists? Liberal Math, i'm sure, will circle that square.

[TubeRuleEnforcer]

Santa Claus runs the show to the extreme angst of northernmost fat-chewers, bone-knitters & blubber-boilers. This pit will make one lucky couple a fitting wedding gift as there's room enough to bury 2 people. [Just like that actor: Billy Disease Filth Williams, I have had my problems with black-on-white crime.]

[yakuza49]

well said Mr Obama, a very articulate and well phrased response. I agree with the principle at hand, namely substantive and procedural rights shouldn't be bend, can in fact be reconciled with national security interests, and are there for a reason. In my opinion a refusal to follow the proper rules, from natural justice, due process to habeas corpus, represents a retrograde policy, as well as acts as a fount for the production of radicals.

[MaHaRushie]

Obama lied.

[JaredFromTheSubway]

Obama is a lying sack of shit.

The stupidest president in US history has given full US constitution rights to the enemy, including the reading  them these rights on foreign soil.

[beaglenuts55]

Fabulous! Cheney handed Obama his ass today!