Gone But Not Forgotten

It depends entirely on the context. I tend to believe that immediate presidential predecessors should limit their public comments to non-controversial issues like charity or humanitarian relief. The same standard does not apply to former Vice Presidents. Vice President Cheney never bore ultimate leadership authority (except for an hour when Bush was in surgery). For all we know, he may be positioning himself for a run for public office again. It is perfectly legitimate for former public officials to engage in the publi debate. Through his participation, Cheney has enriched the public debate surrounding enhanced interrogation and how it relates to national security.

A different standard applies to former presidents. In my view, a former president should generally step aside. If a former president engages in unsanctioned diplomacy that materially harms the United States, such as President Carter prior to the first Gulf War, his acts are deeply immoral and arguably treasonous. On the other hand, a former president should be able to write a robust memoir that defends himself against his successor's implicit or explicit criticisms. For example, President Bush (43) should be able to defend himself against President Obama's criticisms that Bush's economic policies caused the current recession, or that the second Iraq War was a mistake, or that the Bush administration condoned torture.

As another example of permitted ex-presidential statements, surely ex-president Grover Cleveland should have been able to speak out against Benjamin Harrison in 1890 when Cleveland was plotting to challenge Harrison again in 1892.

The one area that I would definitively and unambiguously frown upon Bush taking public action would be if he were to purport to undertake presidential action, or if he were to use the prowess of his former office to undermine the United States's interests internationally.

Dick Cheney bares a remarkable resembelence to Marine Corps Col.Nathan R. Jessep - the antagonist of the play and movie "A Few Good Men".

Once on the witness stand, Jesssep couldn't wait to spill the beans of his crimes, spouting self righteous, holier than thou "if you disagree with me you're the enemy" platitudes.

Cheney and his stooges: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and what's left of the conservative block of the Republican Party: continue to pretend that only their thoughts and beliefs matter.

The ony problem with their take on torture (including waterboarding) is that it is illegal. Even a first year law student could figure it out.

Using the Nixon defense - If the President does it, it isn't illegal" won't pass muster in the 21st century.

I hope Cheney continues to talk and talk and talk and talk - it will make it so much easier to convict him of the war crimes I believe he, Bush and other members of the Bush team committed while in office.

Every time Dick Cheney opens his mouth, the Republicans lose votes and the Democrats gain ammunition. Keep it up, Mr. Evil.

When has Cheney ever felt obliged to obey the law, no less the rules of ettiquette? The more Cheney talks, the more he incrimminates himself and his co-conspirators. Mr. Cheney doth protest too much. He's even got his daughter defending him on the talk show circuit! If there were truth to his assertions, Cheney would be eager to testify under oath and produce the proof.

With the release of the torture memos, the impending release of photos, and the continuous leak of reports, the weasels are starting to sweat. The rats are beginning to scurry, and the canaries are preparing to sing. Keep talking, Darth Cheney, keep talking. Eric Holder is just biding his time.

Cheney is a dick, pure and simple

Context is key. Most administrations aren't facing war crime charges as well as the guilt of heinous injury to the constitution. Most vice presidents aren't suspected of monumental graft, corruption and outing a CIA agent.

Doesn't the possibility of craven self-interest in avoiding the slammer mean his views are questionable? Nixon, at least, had been pardoned before he spoke out.

I AGREE WITH VICE-PRESIDENT CHENEY. WHY SHOULD THE FORMER ADMINISTRATION LET THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND ITS FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA (THE WASHINGTON POST IS ONE)DEFINE WHAT IS THE TRUTH? OUR COUNTRY WAS SAFE FROM ATTACK FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS. THANK GOD BUSH AND CHENEY HAD THE STAMINA TO PROTECT THIS COUNTRY.

Cheney has no understanding of the big picture. Torture is practiced in 150 countries around the world. We owe it to the hundreds of thousands of innocents not to go down the road of torture. Cheney would make more sense if he argued for bringing back corporal punishment. These Al Quaeda people were punished for their crimes. Many were innocent of course but that is just collateral damage to Cheney.

Vice President Cheney is making it crystal clear that our country is failing in The Global War on Terror.

The Obama Administration has and continues to make America more dangerous...

Cheney is to be commended for speaking the truth.

Because of Obama Terrorists are slowly gaining a foothold on American soil...

We will be attacked soon--"BECAUSE OF OBAMA!!!"

You've get ev erybody, from Obama to Holder to chairmen of committees, threatening to investigate, prosecute, expose vilify, condemn and slander members of the previous administration. AND THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO SIT THERE AND TAKE IT?
Don't think so. Carter went overseas and vilified his country and a former President. A SITTING PRESIDENT- Obama- did the same, barely a month into office, and some of you clowns want to talk about protocol? Obama said he's going to "transform" America. He went to Berlin and proclaimed himself a citizen of "the world" and himself the savior of it. And you people are miffed at what CHENEY said! Buck up, babies!

Dick Cheney during the Bush administration was in hiding and didn't say anything for 8 years. Now all of a sudden he is Mr. Expert. Give me a break what a total loser!!!!!!!!

Lord help! Please explain "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques to Ron Christy and Dick Chaney!! Enhanced-better or more.
Interrogation-questioned while water pour in your face-choking-cannot breathe and this is after being kicked, punched, handcuffed or strapped down depending on technique used. People screaming at you and in the end you may not be alive to say anything depending on how strong you are.

So, please go away!!

Oh, It's OK for ex VP Gore, and Presidential failure "Jimma" Carter to express themselves, because THEY carp the "Line of the Left", and that entitles them to a pass. What a bunch of loosers you Liberals are! By the way his name is correctly pronounced CHENEY, and not CHANEY, and has been since 1628, I know, my mother is a CHENEY.

It's amusing we can click "offensive comment" on anything we find repugnant written by readers here, yet everything repugnant out of Cheney's mouth doesn't allow the same liberty. He is a violent, evil, nasty man, and we'll be cleaning up his messes for decades.

I'd be content he if he slithered under another rock and stayed put.

Give me a break you hypocrites who want VP Cheney to be quiet. This is a Republic founded with the inalienable right to speak one's opinion of anything. At least the ex-VP speaks intelligently, without resorting to the diatribe and absolutely debasing insulting screams and intolerance of this country's MSM and Left. May our Maker have mercy on your (The Left and MSM) intolerant name-calling infantilisms.

The part that really irritates me is that FORMER Vice President Dick Cheney was absent for 8...freakin...years. During the last 3 years alone, the only time I heard about that guy was when he shot his hunting buddy by mistake (shyea...mistake. Riiiight.) Other than that, "Dick" made absolutely NO attempt to engage the American people. He make no attempt to empathize with the American people. He made no attempt to listen to the will of the American people.

NOW...you can't seem to shut that fascist up. After helping to completely WRECK the country, the gall for him to suddenly want to become Mr. Popular and criticize the current 2 1/2 month administration is pinnacle of asinine.

...as infuriating as it is, I hope "Dick" keeps it up. Everytime he opens his mouth and spews his venom and hate, he puts one more nail into his irrelevance coffin while alienating even more people from the GOP (Dear God, is that even possible)?

Cheney was not really a Vice President; he was Co-president. He always talks about how he kept the country safe for 7.5 years. He conveniently omits that he and Condi (National Security Advisor) totally ignored the intelligence memos passed on to them by the Clinton Administration warning about alQaeda. Dick was in charge when America suffered the great attack in its history. All the sadistic paranoid fear mongering crap he did after 911 including a war made up from whole cloth should be grounds for some jail time. His latest fear/torture tour is designed to taint the jury pool.

Let's see one more time you 'Torture' Hypocrites. It's ok to call a non-threatening to life waterboarding "torture" and save hundreds if not thousands of Americans, but the crushing of an infant's skull in a late-term abortion is a woman's 'right to chose'. You folks are so screwed up in your value system it is absolutely beyond belief! And we on the conservative side of the discussion should be quiet and allow your murder of thousands if not millions of innocents. You have got to be aberrants of what it means to be a 'humanist' or 'progressive'! You are quite frankly intolerant facist murderers!

I think Al Gore was very vocal when he returned in Sept. 2002 from his self pitty exile in Tenn following his defeat to George Bush. I think the only delay was because he had run for president and lost. I think that if you do a little research in the the Washington Post Archives you will see some stinging comments from this other Former VP.

Joe

RE: Dick Cheney bares a remarkable resembelence to Marine Corps Col.Nathan R. Jessep - the antagonist of the play and movie "A Few Good Men".

Though the character Jessep probably wouldn't have agreed with avoiding military service with five deferments because, "I had other priorities."

Considering that the liberals will find excuses to trash Cheney whether he speaks or not, he may as well tell his side of the story.

Besides, it is refreshing to see someone go on the liberal media tell the truth for a change. Imagine how bad the management at these networks must feel when they have to listen to someone impart knowledgeable details about just how inept the Obama administration is.

On the other hand, it may be the only time this year that viewers see or hear the truth on MSNBC.

Regarding the comment about Gore.

1. It's questionable that Bush won--ergo Gore should have been bitter.

2. There's no doubt that Bush lost this one, so bitter boy should tone it down.

It's probably best to believe what Dick Cheney says about the current President causing damage to the country. Who would know better than Mr. Cheney - who had a long and storied career causing damage to the founding ideas of Freedom and Justice?

As a leader, Cheney appears to be following in the footsteps of the likes of Custer, Napoleon, and oddly enough Saddam Hussein. Megalomania is an equal opportunity destroyer. Unfortunately for the GOP, Cheney cares nothing for the welfare of the party. His only concern, it seems, is his own version of reality. Fortunately for the rest of us, his insistence may be the only thing that actually forces the Democratic leadership to grow a backbone. If Cheney were really concerned with the security of the country, he would try to work with the WH in a low profile fashion to try to create a national security structure that is both effective and legal. He appears to be quite paranoid about what the WH plans to do in respect to the torture issue, when the WH would like nothing better than to have the issue go away. How bazaar is this picture? Personally, I hope he keeps talking. The more evidence the better. The AG should hold off on appointing a special prosecutor, or doing an in-house investigation for a while, and let Cheney dig himself in deeper, that way there’ll be no shifting stories or excuses for him to use to try to weasel his way out of an indictment.

I sort of hope he keeps yappin' his mouth. That way, people will be reminded every day what a chickenhawk Cheney is, a mendacious, dissembling, and conniving criminal who played a central role in inflicting critical damage on this country.

We would do well to remember him.

RE: Dick Cheney bares a remarkable resembelence to Marine Corps Col.Nathan R. Jessep - the antagonist of the play and movie "A Few Good Men".

More like the Paul Riesen character in "Aliens"

Did Al-Qaeda shred our constitution? No, Bush-Cheney did by wiretapping, outing a clandestine CIA employee and claiming that the VP is not part of the executive branch and is not subject to legislative or judicial oversight. Did Al-Qaeda weaken our global influence? No, Bush-Cheney evaporated the worldwide reservoir of sympathy for the U.S. following 9/11 by lying about WMDs, starting a war of choice and authorizing torture. Did Al-Qaeda engineer the gravest economic threat since the Great Depression? No, Bush-Cheney did through their fanatical devotion to "security" at the expense of all else, including basic economic regulation. And who was in charge of national security on 9/11, when 3,000 died in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil? Bush-Cheney.

Come now, launching a strong offense can be the best defense. He figures that if he makes enough noise we'll just want to have him shut up and not bother with sending him to Leavenworth where he really deserves to go but will not unfortunately.

When you think about it however, this isn't as bad as the previous four years where this guy and his puppet sneaked around the country from military base to American Legion Hall to make their crummy case.

This man and the people who support are an affront to the Nation. He perceives himself to be the protector of his Nation. So did Adolph Hitler.

I'm perfectly happy for Cheney to continue his interview circuit. The cumulative effect of what he says will indict him more surely than any set of Congressional hearings, and should make it easier for the Department of Justice to prosecute him for the war crimes he's committed.

Cheney knows He is going to be thrown to the Wolves-so to speak-being the "Hunter" that He is' He knows He is not going to be dealing with caged birds released 20' in front of Him for His shootihg pleasure! This hunt is going to be a real hunt ! So He is leveling His sights.

Does the Sudden change from Cave Dweller, Master of All Foriegn Policy PNAC Policy to further PNAC hold on Our Government and the Resources Of Iraq; to include Military Bases throughout. And Cheney admitted He was the Greatest amd Most Powerful Force behind the Illegal Use of Torture against Our Enemy Captives. Cheneys willingness to derail Science on Global Climate Change, Americas Risk and the Costs in Lives Lost that Cheney down played as unreliable Science.

All of this concern is interesting, but beside the point. If Mr. Cheney has freedom of speech, the content is his to chose. Otherwise, it would be worthless. If he does not, our conversation is pointless.

On a more practical note, it is his business to discredit himself if he talks trash. Let him do it.

Chenny is afraid and he is basically a coward. Think of a scared dog, cornered, running in circles, urinating on himself and striking out without thought, and without concern for anything else but to destroy everything that he sees as a threat. Recall this is a man who claims to be a staunch 'patriot' yet who was too afraid of joining the service, this is a man whose reaction to everything is to be hyper careful (not thoughtful or logical) and to strike out at anything that he views as potentially harmful (regardless of whether it is legal or not), he sees danger in every shadow, he was too afraid to be public with his dealings while in office, and now, he feels that he may get hung out to dry by Bush just as his friend 'scooter' was. It is sad and it is pathetic (and not to say potentially dangerous to those around him.). However, despite my touch of sympathy, he has done incredible harm to people and yes, I believe, he has broken the law (and at least a dozen moral codes) and should be punished - along with everyone who helped him.

I'm a Democrat. We are soft and weak. Leave these poor terrorists alone. Let them do what they want.

The terrorists have a right to do whatever they want and if you don't let them then it's "torture" you big meanies.

If you see a Muslim doing something that is obviously suspicious, think twice about reporting it or getting involved. After all - this administration is all about coddling terrorists and helping them. Not about doing whatever it takes to defend America and defeat Islamofascists.

If you see a Muslim getting ready to set off a nuke or poison a city's water supply, just remember - if you report it the Democrats will find some reason to blame it on you or America because that is the way Democrats operate in America.

Oh, and final question the the Libtard Traitorcrats:

"If someone was getting ready to torture your mother to death, and I'm talking REAL torture that you can't even comprehend, and the only way you could stop them was to subject them to "advanced interrogation techniques", would you do it or allow professionals to do it for you if it would stop them?

Thought so - you utter scumbags. You would do it to protect someone in your own family but screw the rest of the nation - that about the way the Democrats operate in America?

Get lost and go home. Take your delusional family members with you too. Then you can practice your enahanced interrogation tactics on each other.

Cheney's in the news, Palin and her kid are in the news. Can't they just have the grace to fade away into oblivion where they belong like the third place runner up on American Idol??

He's just acting like any other loudmouthed, proselytizing, fundamentalist Republican. They’re delusional and think if they preach to us long enough that we’ll welcome the message with open arms – kind of like the Iraqis did when we went in to get all those weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Cheney is exercising his right to free speech, his right to potentially incriminate himself and his right to display bad manners. We are free society, we support all three. The only trouble is that usually we have the choice of not associating with such characters, whereas he can just pop up into your living room.

The precedent for a former vice president criticizing a new administration was set by Al Gore who brayed that George Bus "betrayed America." Quite a contrast to the thoughtful critique presented by Mr. Cheney.

I am really glad that Cheney is no longer in power. A couple of years ago, I had doubts over whether they would leave when the time came, they appeared to love power so much.

I believe we have seen only the tip of the iceberg on what Cheney did while in charge. WHen it all comes out, war crimes will be a "slam dunk."

walkman1956 Wrote: "Get lost and go home".

LOL, did you think up that one all by yourself? Notice how he won't respond to the question?

None of these Libtards will. Because they are disingenuous Democrat scum.

Since the Libtards won't answer it - that's the signal that it is time to keep pounding them with that question.

If these scum-bag-0-crats had to get information out of somebody to prevent their family from being brutally tortured and killed and these scumbag Libtards were allowed to do whatever they wanted - they would do far worse than approved advanced interrogation techniques to get that information and the terrorist would be begging to be put back under the control of Republicans.

Funny how the Democrats are always on the side of the enemy (unless their own personal family is at stake). It is no coincidence.

Cheney should just be sent to GITMO and waterboard him for the real crime he committed and for planning 9/11. That's the real terrorist, and that's the real threat to this country.
He lied and made people believe that IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN are a threat, but in fact he is the threat, he is worst than HITLER, he should be hanged in public and people should spit on urinate on his body. I am sure he will be burned to ashes in HELL many many times

First they silenced the speech of the Vice President. No one thought it wrong. Then they silenced the free speech of my Governor. No one thought it wrong. They they silenced the free speech of my Mayor. No one thought it wrong. Then they silenced MY free speech and there is no one left to fight for me. Being an American, means you can speak your mind.

Clandestine organizations such as Al Queda tend to be organized into semiautonomous cells. No cell is totally aware of what the other cells are planning. Thus, any breach of secrecy revealed under torture, even if accurate, will not go very far in disrupting the operations planned by another segment of the organization. I’m sure Cheney knows this

Obviously, when one is a Republican former VP "speaking out" after defeat is bad form and sour grapes, generally to be vilified.
I have no particular feelings one way or the other. I will say, however, that former VP Cheney's comments are civilized, to the point and polite.
Current and former Democratic administration officials and hanger-on'ers should take note.

In attempting to deflect criticism of both himself and Bush, Cheney has publically admitted that both planned, or conspired, to institute torture. We have his admissions on the record. As such, Congress should be able to move quickly to the prosecution. Cheney's argument that they kept America safe is pure hogwash. 9/11 happened on their watch and they had advanced warnings from the CIA and the Clinto administration that an attack was immenient. So did they keep America safe? No, they didn't. Bush was even quoted as telling a CIA briefer that he had "covered his ass" in briefing Bush on the potential threat. The evidence suggests that they allowed the attack on America to proceed so that they would have an excuse to invade Iraq, which was their main goal all along. I hope Cheney does continue to run his mouth because it only serves to dig both himself and Bush deeper into their rat's hole. All of this was known by Congress early on but Leahy and Conyers failed to act and ignored their Constitutional imperative to prosecute. Had Pelosi not been neck-deep in the conspiracy herself, these facts would have come to light during impeachment hearings, but she personally removed it from the table and allowed the charade to continue unabated.

Clandestine organizations such as Al Queda tend to be organized into semiautonomous cells. No cell is totally aware of what the other cells are planning. Thus, any breach of secrecy revealed under torture, even if accurate, will not go very far in disrupting the operations planned by another segment of the organization. I’m sure Cheney knows this

Clandestine organizations such as Al Queda tend to be organized into semiautonomous cells. No cell is totally aware of what the other cells are planning. Thus, any breach of secrecy revealed under torture, even if accurate, will not go very far in disrupting the operations planned by another segment of the organization. I’m sure Cheney knows this

I am not sure what all the drama is about. Carter, Clinton and Gore all made fortunes selling their diatribe laden speeches against Bush.

There was - and is - nothing off the plate for their invective.

NOW this is a big deal?

Yeah, and Pelosi knew nothing about waterboarding. Geithner and Obama and Dodd knew nothing about the bonuses.

The left has to either be the most brain damaged political group ever known - or the dirtiest.

Its no wonder the leftist newspapers are failing.

Of course Cheney has a right to speak. However, I doubt that he is doing himself or the country any favors by his exercise of free speech. His most likely motive is to build support to stay out of jail. Only about 20 percent of the people approve of Dick Cheney's performance but they are hard core supporters who will swallow anything he serves up.

Clandestine organizations such as Al Queda tend to be organized into semiautonomous cells. No cell is totally aware of what the other cells are planning. Thus, any breach of secrecy revealed under torture, even if accurate, will not go very far in disrupting the operations planned by another segment of the organization. I’m sure Cheney knows this

I don't recall all the liberal commentators objecting when Al Gore was bashing President Bush.

Well, Cheney is certainly vocal now that he is out of office. When he was in office (any office), he was silent as the grave, other than to say 'trust me'. Most importantly, every single claim he made on national security and defense turned out to be false; actually a flat lie. He now insists that some memos he claims exist must be released. I find that fascinating, assuming that they exist: (1) If the information on them can be released, why were they classified to begin with? (2) If the information cannot be released other than to salvage his hide, isn't he a self-serving traitor?

However, let me emphasize that considering Cheney's history of lies, I do not believe that the memos he wants released exist, at least in the form that he claims.

I really don't care what Mr. Cheney thinks. Let him speak to remind us and memorialize his many failed policies and what we must guard against as we rebuild from his catastrophic eight years in office.

Former officials should not be allowed to retort to comments made by the incumbent administration? If you guys want Cheney to be silent then you should ask Obama and company to stop bashing. Cheney has every right to respond. Gore and Carter set the precedent.

Charles Denton

Let the man exercise his first amendment rights. I am enjoying his pulling back the curtain on the paranoia and darkness of the Republican party. The more he talks, the more we learn what a pathetic character he is.

Cheney is afraid. And because he's traded the power of secrecy for the power of attention, which right now is the only power he has.

The fascists in the White House slander the former administration constantly, cheered on by WaPo. Now WaPo questions whether Cheney should respond? Why is this even a question?

Why shouldn't Cheney set the record straight when the press refuses to report the truth? When President Obama releases only documents that will incite his party base and not ALL the documents that show the whole truth, why would anyone in the Bush administration not want to exercise their rights under the Consitution? Let's see ALL the documents so WE can make a fair assessment.

As a young man, Cheney had an opportunity to display just how much he believed in his country. He could have enlisted in the military. He did not.
Given his actions then, and his bravado now, it is very obvious what he is- a coward.

Cheney has every right to express his opinion. Anyone dumb enough to believe him has their own problems to deal with.

Cheney is afraid. And because he's traded the power of secrecy for the power of attention, which right now is the only power he has.

I would not call this leadership. It is more like a Dicktatorship. What is "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques"? Does that mean "freak them up" however you like to the point of death or death? No trial? (what happened to innocent until proven guilty?). So our justice system switched to punishment before sentencing and trial? Enhanced as in more or better? Model-Hitler tatics maybe-hell just ignore the Geneva Convention and take all that bad Intelligence stuff and go for the throat. This man is ridiculous. What happened Chaney? No heat problem now or need for wheelchair? So, you can stand and open your fat mouth now? Wow!

Did you ask the same questions when Clinton and Gore were openly critical (which they were frequently) of the Bush administration?

If the Obama administration retained its early flavor of respectful disagreement/coldness towards the previous administration, then perhaps the environment would have been conducive to the traditional reserve of the previous leaders. The reality is that the rhetoric, blame, and hyperbole relating to Dick Cheney and George Bush grows more intense and vicious each day. They are essentially being accused of torture, blamed for every woe and problem the US is facing, and seem to be established as the political punching bag and scapegoat for the foreseeable future. Dick Cheney has the right to speak. Many call it sour grapes and disloyal. I call it healthy political expression that runs counter to the groupthink flavor of the current public discourse regarding the present administration and its policies.

Cheney has class the current administration does not have. Cheney is right the current admin. is wrong and we will pay the price. The current administration can and has bashed the previous administration over and over and often unfairly BUT when our security is threatened by this very unclassy behavior it is right and required that they be warned. Score one for Cheney. MBDuffy

Cheney is a like a Cop caught selling heroin who is now trying to convince us that he was going to give the profits to the department, so that makes it all ok!

For those who think Bush and Cheney kept us safe for 8 years, provide some proof! Name one act of terrorism that they (they meaning the Bush Administration not some other country) prevented from reaching our country...just one! Just saying so or repeating what Dick says doesn't make it fact. Cheney has NEVER provided any proof for his statements on his media tours. Cheney is still doing Al-Qaeda's work for them by continuing to scare us into thinking that there will be wave after wave of attacks any minute. Personally I think a screw came loose in Cheney's head on 9-11; he really can't get past that day.

Besides, we don't need to be attacked again and we won't be. Al-Qaeda knows this...they've done their job. They've made us afraid. The attacks on 9-11-01 will resurface in our heads every time we drive into New York, drive past The Pentagon or get on an airplane and when we DO get on that airplane, we'll look at every person who even remotely looks middle-eastern with a stink-eye and we'll uncomfortably shift in our seat. So yeah, Bush and Cheney kept us safe.

Undoubtedly, Cheney believes himself to be a target of potential criminal prosecution for war crimes and is pre-emptively mounting his defense.

He has a right to say what he wants, but he should have communicated more with the public while in office. If it weren't for 9-11, Iraq, Afghanistan, waterboarding, or the economy, I'd have to say that Bush and Cheney did a great job.

Cheney's full of sour grapes. We all know, if we're objective, that John Yoo and other "lawyers" who advised the Bush-Cheney team, crafted documents that gave a definition of torture which has been modified since they first adopted it. Also, that the definition was a square peg in a round hole: despite how our troops and spies have been treated, we've never lowered ourselves to institutional torture.
Now, that record is destroyed. Cheney is frightened. He knows that if any nation indicts him, such as Spain, and puts out an Interpol Warrant, he cannot venture into Europe (at least), the rest of his life. I sincerely hope that Cheney suffers for what he has done.
Not a single person in the medida has ever challenged the Vice President with this proposal: Mr. Vice President: since you don't believe water-boarding is torture, will you undergo say, three separate sessions? Are you willing to subject yourself to 3 water boarding sessions, and, are you prepared to "give up" some private, secret information that we will extract from you, if the sessions produce a willingness to talk?
Cheney, et al, will face their maker someday soon. He is whistling in the dark, and is worried. His place in history won't be changed or altered by his pitiful defense of torture by not calling it torture. And, without any specifics, about plots that we have already known about through other channels (such as SIGINT or HUMINT sources operating independently of the interrogations of al-Qaeda prisoners), there is no way to evaluate what we learned, when, and what we did, to stop plots underway.
Dick Cheney is only worried about Dick Cheney. Nothing he or his defenders, his wife, his daughter, can do or say that will change this outcome. He's doomed to be an ugly figure of American history. I would also contend, based on the comments of others within his own party, that something has happened to Dick Cheney, that moved him off into a moral darkness he cannot shake.
As with so many who have committed "evil deeds," he denies his complicity. A hallmark of true evil is an inability and unwillingness to admit exactly what he's done. He will, I am sure, find a place alongside Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover and others who have earned their ticket to Hell.
I welcome him spouting off. As we know, when we look at his claim to "know exactly where Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction are located," he may very well NOT know what those memos say about the efficacy of torture. I'd bet they're not quite what he says they are. I hope that they show him up the way the lack of WMDs showed him to be a consummate liar.

Will the Late Great Dick Cheney agree to an interview live on MSNBC.Olberman, Schultz would be great.Matthews would no doubt play kissy kissy with Dick.

Keith and Ed could worderboard Dick easy over.

Until intelligent members of the GOP put a muzzle on Cheney, the party will continue its slide to oblivion. He is out to protect his legacy of torture and lies, and most people now see that.

I don't understand the discussion of torture. It is and was illegal. Whether it was productive, as Cheney contends, or not, as most experts contend, is not the issue. It is and was illegal. They broke the law. The Ends Don't Justify the Means.

DavidM4 wrote:
"They are essentially being accused of torture, blamed for every woe and problem the US is facing, and seem to be established as the political punching bag and scapegoat for the foreseeable future."

You are an obvious Republican. Where were you for the last 8 years? Under a rock? Obama did not start this whole economic crisis. It was under Bush that banking regulations were dropped such that a person earning $40K could buy a $400,000 house. It was Bush who erased a budget surplus created by Clinton and created an unbelievable deficit. It was under Bush that torture was condoned and lied about (proven by the released memos). It was Bush who as killed thousands of our military and countless Iraqis by invading their country illegally. Do I need to go on?

I don't need to go into the fact that they let 9-11 happen and New Orleans drown.

Just ignoring these atrocities does not make them go away and because Bush was President does not make it OK either. Do you honestly think that if Obama or Clinton did all this that Bush and Cheney would let it all slide? Would you? I think not.

I think Maureen pretty much has Mr. Chaney's number
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Since there is no free speech in prison, I think that we should be tolerant and let Chaney exercise it while he still has it.

If he really CARED... he would be busy trying to lobby his way into the Congress and Executive Branch for closed door discussions. His approach indicates that he's scrambling to cover his tail with the general public... and frankly I think the general public has even more disdain for the man than the federal government does at the moment.

But...since each comment he makes seems to be another confirmation of what the Bush administration has been accusedof... I say... GO FOR IT! After he finishes the talk circuit, let's nail the bastards in court!!

Cheney was vice president not the president--the president has allready passed on his advice. Dick has a problem here and has nothing to do with anyone or anything but him. Anyone who acts like a kid and says that Biden will never be as close or important a VP as he was is really got problems with himself.

Maybe Dick Cheney cares about Dick and not any republican or democratic party or country. If he knows so much about the country being unsafe then why don't he reveal that for the love of his country!

He claims so much yet he is out of the "loop" to know what this admin and CIA is doing yet he claims to know all when he is not privy to such info.

Worse yet he sounds like he wants an attack to happen and people to die and wishing some country would step up and do it--so shut him up cause other countries listen to our news--is Dick talking and encouraging the enemy??????

Mr. Cheney is hiding in the open. I welcome his exposure. His words, his activities, and his bank account ought to be monitored closely. I think anytime Cheney talks about another attack it ought to receive the same scrutiny afforded Osama Bin Laden. I believe him to be a national security threat. I believe the release of his files would bear that out. I also believe it would reveal that torture was not his only crime. But unless he is investigated and the matter, if any, put to trial, the jeopardy we are in will not have been properly dealt with.

The Post ought to petition the release of Cheney's records.

Just like soldiers, old vice-presidents don't die...they just slowly fade away.

Defining oneself as democrat or republican and crafting a basic argument from that ideological starting point is small-minded. The only "us v. them" argument that should be broached is progressive v. entrenched. This country did not rise to greatness by hoarding its success and safely, incrementally plodding into the future. It got there by taking chances, being progressive and forward-thinking, and by being willing to dissect itself from its past. Examples include the American Revolution, the Civil War, Women's Suffrage, overcoming Anti-Semitism, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Take them away and we are Saudi Arabia.

Let the FORMER VP have his say, but don't ever believe that this country will be any greater than it is today if we stay entrenched in the thinking that has transpired for the past 8 years.

Cheney can talk that talk, but the people have chosen Obama to actually walk the walk.

So let us allow Cheney to stroll down memory lane. And let us allow Pres. Obama to blaze some new trails.

So a man that was running our country and did not prevent the attack on 9/11 [despite a Republican congress for half a dozen years and republican President], started two wars that have created a generation of millions that now want to destroy our way of life [is this the way liberators are greeted in the new millenium?], ground our armed forces down without a care for our soldiers [that are now killing their own, have spiralling suicide rates, and horrible VA health care when they return], challenged anyone that did not support the President was our enemy, and did everything in his power to ignore the Constitutuion and signed treaties, especially the Geneva convention.............shouldn't we be hailing this as a day when all is right with the world?
This gentleman sure likes to act tough, but in reality he is the same scared draft dodger that was a coward and pussy when asked to serve, each of five different times. Yet in the comfort of a secret room in a comfy chair he has no qualms about sending others to do what he blatantly refused to do. Isn't that called hypocrisy?
Should we be surprised/ This is a ma nthat would follow a high scoll educated, thrice divorced, drug addict into battle, rather than a decorated four start general that actually was tough enough to fight and command in a war zone. Funny how the man with all the war experience is painted as a soft coward, and the soft coward trying to sound tough is somehow worthy of accolades.
Look at the world Mr. Cheny, it's your mess.

Sure. Dick Cheney has the right to free speech as much as any ordinary citizen. And that is precisely what he is right now--an ordinary citizen. So why does the media feel obligated to cover his every break of wind? He has no office, no power. Yet, every time he comes out of whatever little hole he usually hides in like some graying, grotesque groundhog, the media dutifully trot out with cameras and mics at full throttle and all we get for days is meaningless back-and-forth prattle from every talk show on the planet as though what he said had any relevance whatever.

My question to the gentlemen hosting this dicussion is this: At what point do you in the media finally get tired of simply giving this frustrated old man this sort of outsized attention? We know what he thinks, what he is going to say, what he believes and what he thinks we ought to believe. So why keep paying such attention to him as though he were still the VP rather than just a frustrated angry old man whose ideas have been tried and found wanting?

Actually what's "good for the goose is good for the gander." Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, John Kerry and Bill Clinton don't stifle their comments so why should Dick Cheney? Politics is not a one way street. This is still a free country and we are free as citizens to criticize the government, at least for now.

He can say whatever he wants, within reason (as a former VP, he is privy to some secrets he shouldn't spill). The fact that he can say whatever he wants does not mean anyone has to listen.

His right to free speech is overshadowed by his poor form. Doesn't this guy get tired of ruining the country? Clam up already and move on.

I object to the headline "Bad Form". This is an example of DC class consciousness. Disclosure: I intensely dislike Cheney and everything he stands for. Comment: I think he can say anything he wants. I also welcome a rational, detailed, and comprehensive discussion of all the issues he is addressing. Goodness, the man is here to explain himself. Let's take advantage of that to give these topics real hearings.

So let me get this straight. It's okay for BO to "roast" his predecessors, but Cheney isn't allowed to make derogatory comments? I think the current guy in office should should more decorum.

This is a ridiculous assertion. Cheney is an expert in these policies and all the info that goes with them. The typical democratic way is to insult and villify ANYONE who opposes their policies or view. And that includes this lib newspaper.

Why did you all not report on Obama's "bad form" regarding the Statue of Liberty Flyby, bowing to dictators, telling Iran we won't pursue a military option, his statement that there are 57 states in America, we are all being asked to cut back and change our consumptious ways but his wife struts around in $1,000 sneakers and receives accolade about from the lib media.

I say good for Cheney. He knew what he was doing, and all you lib terrorist sympathists who hate our country should just leave and join the Taliban...

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship or limitation. Nelson Mandella was imprisoned, partly for his speech. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, partly for his speech. There are many other examples of censorship.

It might be ironic that Dick Cheney advocated for invading, and occupying Iraq because Saddam Husein was a dictator who would not tolerate free speech (or any kind of dissent).

And it might be ironic that Dick Cheney was alleged to destroy the reputation of anyone who opposed his views. CIA agent Valerie Plame, and her husband Ambasador Joseph Wilson were denied freedom of speech, so that Cheney could advance his political agenda.

As far as I'm concerned, there are no "rules" concerning when and how former public officials should comment on current affairs or policies. Cheney has every right and duty to call em as he sees him. I have no reason to believe that he's anything but sincere in everything he's said.

And as an Obama supporter who sees how Cheney's comments are playing with independents and moderates, I can only say that I hope he keeps it up!

Liberals and the liberal media are going to trash Cheney whether he speaks out or not. So, why not speak out, particularly when the Obama Administration is blaming him for everything from the drought on the west coast to the swine flu epidemic.

One positive thing about Cheney airing his views is that it is forcing the liberal media to actually print, or broadcast, the truth for a change.

I can just imagine the angst of MSNBC's editors when they are faced with having to go on the air and having to cover someone who is actually speaking honestly about what Obama is doing to weaken our country. It just goes against their grain, particularly when they want to talk about how great Obama's health care program is going to be when it awards their parent, GE, the $138MM contract to administer it.

I am a conservative democrat.

However, I would welcome Dick Cheney laying before the American people any relevant and non-distorted information that would not jeopardize the national interest and could help us to better understand the administration's actions over the last 8 years.

So far he has not done so. He has given his opinion with no reasoned facts to back them up. And therefore I can't make a valid judgment on whether the content of them has any validity.

My guess is his opinions are of little validity but since I am not into guessing I prefer to ignore most of his comments.

I hope that during the next few months the man works through whatever animosity and anger he has toward his opponents and becomes a "team player" instead of a GOP operative.

The country needs all the help it can get and he could be useful if he can make the transition. Irregardless though, he should try to do it for his own peace of mind.

In my opinion, the issue is not free speech or civility. Cheney is under pressure to convince the public that what he did was either legal, or effective. Face it, right now, there's a good chance that he will go down in history as the most spectacular criminal to ever grace Washington. He may even, if some people get their way, do a couple nights of confinement. Well deserved, but probably a bad precedent.

Dick Cheney sounds like a scared old man who knows that his day of reckoning is coming. His attempts at damage control are almost as feeble as Condeleeza Rice's. Too bad they weren't this interested in answering questions when they were in power. Cheney and Rice are doing wonders for the Democrats. Keep up the good work! Your arrogancy reminds all of us why you were not only evil and ineffective but should be investigated for war crimes and possible treason.

If we continue to have to endure former President Carter's running commentary and the media's adoring coverage of it, why should the former Veep be treated any differently? This whole topic of discussion seems to be spurred from an unwillingness for the media to publish any criticism of the Obama administration. I personally believe that former presidents and VPs should remain quiet about issues related to the current administration. So, really, would someone please tell Mr Carter to sit down and remind him that his was the last truly failed administration. At least W was reelected.

Dick Cheney sounds like a scared old man who knows that his day of reckoning is coming. His attempts at damage control are almost as feeble as Condeleeza Rice's. Too bad they weren't this interested in answering questions when they were in power. Cheney and Rice are doing wonders for the Democrats. Keep up the good work! Your arrogancy reminds all of us why you were not only evil and ineffective, but should be investigated for war crimes and treason.

DICK is only worried about his place in History,... and once it's on the books the only way that he will NOT look like the villain that he is is with some serious and unrealistic revisionism. Who wants history classes 100 years from now talking about you as being worse than Nixon, Harding or Hoover? He is more than partially responsible for the horrors of the Bush 2 Presidency,.... If I were W I'd hate him for stigmatizing my legacy.

i have spent the last several years slamming bush and cheney here on the wapo..it is called freedom of speech..my grandfather, father, me and 2 of my sons have served in the military to ensure that we retain that right..i don't care for cheney, but he deserves to say what he wants to say (even though he is a cowardly chickenhawk neocon who dodged serving in the military)..

Dick Cheney, Fox "News", Rush Limbaugh - these men staked their reputations on the Bush Administration's extreme, self-serving politics and they lost, badly. These guys smell really bad after the least eight years, and they are blaming everyone and everything.

His behavior is being caused by the shoddy treatment the last administration is receiving at the hands of the current.

You're in power now. Time to let go. If you insist on making a point of how the last administration was wrong, expect them to make the point that you're wrong.

Bunch of crybabies.

dick cheney is a draft dodging publicity slut

Cheney is sending marching orders to his "boyz from brazil" that he left burrowed in the federal spook establishment.
Your questions is both simplistic and misleading.

For those of us who are not of a Republican Party frame of mind, Cheney is a godsend. Cheney is a spokesperson for his party. He supports torture as an element of United States policy. Others in his party have rejected empathy as a desirable characteristic for a Supreme Court Justice. What could be better for the Republicans than to be in favor of torture and against empathy?

Cheney comes off as George Orwell's "Big Brother." You torture a person not only into a false confession, but make them believe their own false confession. Cheney would force a six year old brat into confessing to the murder of Abraham Lincoln just so he could put the brat in jail.

I like the question and will refrain from a comment about what he said until I can see a transcript or accurate report of exactly what he said.

I think this is a good forum but my criticism is of the forum itself. Since the question is in reference to his comments why don't you make his comments more readily available?

Thank you.

Mr. Cheney: How can we miss you if you won't go away?

---------------------------
wommo1 :

Regarding the comment about Gore.

1. It's questionable that Bush won--ergo Gore should have been bitter.

2. There's no doubt that Bush lost this one, so bitter boy should tone it down.

--------------------------
Typical liberal. The liberal PRESS verified did a recount of the election and verified that PRESIDENT Bush did Beat ahole Gore. You duesh bags have yet to remember history correctly.

jesus, why don't you shut the hell up on anything doing with history due to the fact YOU ALWAYS GET IT WRONG.

Al Gore has not shut his mouth since 2000. Dick Cheney is an American Hero. He is the only credible voice right now.

Oh, let cheney bark. One day he will fall to the ground with a final sneering rictus on his face and he will suck death in. Then we can all go dance on his grave.

Get real. Dick Cheney's role in the last administration and many of his favored policies are under attack. In my view, most of those attacks are justified. But there is no reason why Cheney should not defend his positions. In fact, given the witch hunt mentality of many of his attackers, there may be some value in his arguments for his side of the story. Certainly, the staff of the Washington Post would be better served focusing on the substance of the arguments than on promoting the strange idea that people have no right to defend themselves in the court of public opinion just because of a recent political office that they held.

The protocol "should" be that the current admistration checks their criticism of the outgoing administration at the door as soon as they take office and the outgoing administration should do the same for the incoming after they leave. Obama's 3 month mantra of "blame Bush" has changed the protocol. The Bush/Cheney legacy is safe since, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the Office's highest priority is to keep the country safe/secure (if you want to see Dow 3000 let the markets constantly worry about an attack). Neither administration should be popping off but as John Rambo said "They drew first blood". Cheney has every right to defend their policy...and the courts can decide what's "torture" or not.

With all due respect these are the same people who told us that they hate us for our way of life.
I would assume that our way of life is that we do not TORTURE. All those in favor of these EIT, if this is not Torture lets use them in New York, Tampa or LA within our judicial system, we can call them Enhanced Deposition Techniques. Hopefully this will end the drug war.

Cheney… This is a man I would certainly call a sadist. Even after all Mandela went through he had the nuts to say. “I don't have any problems at all with the vote I cast 20 years ago. “ He voted against the release of Nelson Mandela. I am sure if it was up to Dick he would have cut off his fingers. I really wonder how you go to bed DICK.

With all due respect these are the same people who told us that they hate us for our way of life.
I would assume that our way of life is that we do not TORTURE. All those in favor of these EIT, if this is not Torture lets use them in New York, Tampa or LA within our judicial system, we can call them Enhanced Deposition Techniques. Hopefully this will end the drug war.

Cheney… This is a man I would certainly call a sadist. Even after all Mandela went through he had the nuts to say. “I don't have any problems at all with the vote I cast 20 years ago. “ He voted against the release of Nelson Mandela. I am sure if it was up to Dick he would have cut off his fingers. I really wonder how you go to bed DICK.

Dick Cheney an American Hero? In what way? If you want to compare him to a movie roll how about Jon Voight characters in both 24 and in Enemy of the State? Thats the mentality of Cheney. He is a scary man

It is the role of "formers" to offer their own criticisms on current policies. President Theodore Roosevelt's stance against President Woodrow Wilson is a prime example of how a "former" can help to rally a party. The key to having a leader which a party can rally behind is the success of the "formers" time in office. Roosevelt was very successful in office. Cheney, well, not so much.
Cheney is only responding at this point to combat the criticism he has received over the interrogation documents. He is taking this battle personally, and is bashing the Obama administration in order to shift the blame. He is trying to be the "rally point" for the Republican Party. Unfortunately, most of the Republican Party, and the nation for that matter, do not condone torture.
"Formers" have the right, or obligation in some cases, to speak out against policies they think are failing. Cheney is not doing that. He is, quite frankly, trying to deflect some of the attention off of himself. Especially with the risk of being indicted by the ICC, Cheney is a wounded animal lashing out at the closest target. (I am well aware that the Untied States is not a member of the ICC, but it can still issue indictments for American citizens.)

With all due respect these are the same people who told us that they hate us for our way of life.
I would assume that our way of life is that we do not TORTURE. All those in favor of these EIT, if this is not Torture lets use them in New York, Tampa or LA within our judicial system, we can call them Enhanced Deposition Techniques. Hopefully this will end the drug war.

Let him enjoy his media tour. Maybe in a couple year one of these appearances will be rebroadcast and his cellmate will recognize him and give him due respect...as in "I got a WMD for you, baby!"

I don't necessarliy agree with Cheney, but Cheney is forcing an discussion that is vital for this country to have, but that is being ignored by the banal torture good bad arguments. As a country, are we willing to "do certain acts"(torture is now a loaded word) that a signifigant portion of the country is uncomfortable with...even if it "can possibly" save the lives of Americans? From recent history it seems we are if we are scared for our safety...or political carrers.

For the 8 long and miserable years for many of us Cheney was like "Where's Waldo" was never seen or heard from. Now all of a sudden his worthless butt has a lot to say but guess what he never admits to or takes responsibility for the mess his administration made.

I guess the real issue is that no one and I mean no one is offering his lying butt a job and I guess this is the only way he can get paid. I think he is actually taking up where Sarah P. left off with the lies and falsehoods.

In my opinion I wish he would go somewhere and retire in peace and shut the heck up!! He is only digging a hole for him and his croonies.

He belongs in prison!

CHENEY IS A SOCIOPATH.
He's completely self-involved with no regard for anything/anyone else.
He seeks only to maintain or increase his own personal power.
His "principles" have always been whatever will increase his own influence and power over others.
He can't leave office quietly and enjoy his life because his life is completely given over to the pursuit of power and influence.
He was the de-facto President for eight years as he effortlessly manipulated the hapless Bush.
A consummate bureaucratic player, he used the bureaucracy to further his own aims and ambitions and accumulate power.
Cheney is a sociopath.

Cheney is a fraud, but he has every right to say whatever he wants to say in defense of his record. He is wrong on the merits, and the more he says the easier it is to prove him wrong. The antidote to false speech is true speech; let him say whatever he wants, and disclose the truth to expose him for what he is - an incompetent, irresponsible liar, and a fraud.

The Palin-Jindal team slated to challenge Obama in 2012 needs Dick Cheney to mouth GOP policies needed to win the secular, CEO 20% of the electorate that responds to growls, threats, free-market slogans, and liberal conspiracy doctrines. He frees them from having to growl, squint, grumble, or defend CEO pay scales themselves. Palin and Jindal can then base their campaign purely on the smiles, holiness, boob-bait, gun worship, and chicky-fried simplicity needed for the other 31% of the vote needed to win. Once in office, the Cheney accolytes will get State, Treasury, Commerce, CIA/NSA, and Defense. The culture wars congregation will then be able to mount the pulpits at Education, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Justice, and Agriculture. Each GOP sect will rule its own domains and not upset the other.

I can hear the Imperial March...

The Republican Party, sad to say, has become anti-American. It for years has denounced the government which is set up and defined by the Constitution, it undermines that Constitution at every step in its path, and it uses the double-talk of past communists dictatorships in its quest for the same. And, we almost had that result. Now, they worry about a new government being successful and undermine the steps the Obama administration is taking to remedy the colosal failures which the Republicans have subjected this country to in only eight years. They have proven to be traitors to the ideals of American democracy.

Because he knows this torture thing is to headed to trial, Cheney is waging a preemptive campaign in the court of public opinion. It's like Dracula touring to convince the public its ok to suck blood. Better to hide in the basement, Dick, and hope the peasants with torches pass you by.

I think he wants to focus the attention on his role as torturer rather than war monger, and steer the debate away from the elephant in the room: that he duped the US public into an unnecessary war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and cost trillions of dollars.

Thanks to corporate white wash....the real Dick Cheney the junior politician from a tiny rural state, dominated by industry, who dodged honorable military service deferment after deferment.....jumped to the front of the Nixon conspiracy of lies, taking a Chief of Staff job, when the Watergate rats were lying day in, day out to the American people.
Taking the plain facts into account, however distasteful, proves Dick Cheney has remained loyal to his base opportunistic nature.
Moreover, by ignoring laws to divest himself of his horde of Halliburton stock, then belatedly shifting shares to a trust where Cheney was allowed to accrue tens (100s?) millions$ in profits, Cheney made a killin from Halliburton's war contracts & consumer gas gouging. So what if Cheney & gang wasted precious anti-terrorist law enforcement to investigate President Clinton.....Cheney didn't even worry about making sure he sold off his Halliburton stock before the election.....not in a USA were law enforcement became a tool for right-wing operatives.....here we are and not a single report on how much Dick Cheney profited from the increase in Halliburton dividends....stock swaps....sells... not a word....not a peep......Dick Cheney puts them all to shame: JEdgar Hoover, Capone, Nixon......mere upstarts to Goldfinger....architect of torture par excellance.

I'm a strong Democrat, so - obviously - I applaud the former Vice President's solid work in driving moderate Republicans and Independents into my party. Along with our popular president, Dick Cheney is the best thing that has happened to the Democratic party recently. I simply say, "Thank you, sir."

this isn't any normal vice-president we're talking about and don't you dare discourage him. We democrats are perfectly capable of screwing this up and we need Cheney out there as the face of the opposition. Let dick sing his heart out!

It is such a relief to hear someone speaking out about this incompetent president and his thieving administration. Please get this administration out of the White House before total damage is done. What an embarrassment to the rest of the world?!

Whatever Cheney is or isn't and regardless of what your opinion of him is..it's plain to see he is stepping on some toes here.

I think this is more of an attempt by the media and the Obama admin to shut him up before he brings some stuff to light that the dems really don't want the American people to know about. I smell fear.

The fact that the relevant agencies haven't completed even the most basic investigation by now is a sign of how politicized justice had become during the last eight years. It's still very early for the Obama Administration, but the facts will have to come out and the law applied, one hopes.

This isn't about public opinion, it's about legal opinion! Indict where appropriate, let them have their day in court, and let a jury decide the case. Sound familiar? It's a cornerstone of American government, and, as I understand it, a judicial requirement by law. Anything else is potentially obstruction of justice. Follow this where it leads and trust the system to work as it's been designed to work. Otherwise, we being asked to forgive political hypocrisy and legal cowardice at their worst. The Constitution and checks and balances are more important than any individual's reputation and careers.

The nation can easily survive the corruption of individual actors and even whole agencies, but not the corruption of the law itself. Unless,that is, there are really two America's when it comes to the legal code; one set of sacrosanct principles for the general public, and another more "nuanced" set of principles for the political and economic elites.

I believe the quickest way to quiet Dick Cheney is to put him under oath. On Face the Nation he admitted to committing a crime. I don't know if he know what he says can be used against him in a court of law, but he seems to be admitting to crime every time he opens his month.

No one in America lives up to his name more than Dick Cheney.

Dick Cheney's opinions would carry a lot more weight if his administration had kept us safe ON September 11, 2001. They were asleep at the helm and not paying attention to warnings of an attack on the United States. They were told, ignored intelligence reports, and the attack on 9/11 happened. Neither he nor GWB have taken responsibility for ignoring warnings and not keeping us safe on 9/11. He is a coward.

Dick Chaney is a pathetic person. Knowledgable people know when it is time to "leave the stage". I believe he might have been a good person at one time, but his sense of power and self importance appears to have made him blind to his and others' humanity. It is important to note that Gerald Ford was against his becoming Vice President. Gerald was correct. The experience has been harmful to Mr. Chaney and our country. My prayer for Mr. Chaney is that he retreats from the public stage, reflects on his recent past, that he encounters Grace, and that he repents and becomes a better person.

It does not matter he has a right to free speech and can say what he wants, end of story

It does not matter he has a right to free speech and can say what he wants, end of story

Actually, I like to see Cheney out there with his rantings. It illustrates how mentally unbalanced this guys is and how far over the edge he took the country by manipulating President Bush.

Every informed,unbiased American knows that Dick Cheney is a self-serving autocrat who usurped the power of the Presidency.Hiding behind the veil of American patriotism and Republican conservatism,he 'flipped the bird' at the Constitution in a series of coup d'etats that did nothing to make us safer after 9-11.No one is more responsible for America's moral and political decline at the outset of the 21st century than Cheney.He needs to permanently return to an undisclosed location and keep his mouth shut...for his own good and for the good of the country.He had a 35+ year run with his mouth open.Look where this got America.He deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.He is truly a disgrace to the nation.

Who cares what Cheney has to say? Ninety eight percent of the time he lies. I think I saw his face in the smoke clouds of those newly released 911 photos. It has been proven that he and Bush, after all, had more ties to Bin Laden than Hussein did. If only they and Halliburton could go on trial, and finally be held accountable for the billions they have stolen from American taxpayers. How many lives were lost and how many jobs terminated because of the havoc wreaked by Dick Cheney? No one will ever know. My ideology does not account for heaven and hell, but if there were a hell, Cheney would be challenging the guy in the red suit and pitchfork for the spot at the top (or should I say bottom). And old Dick would lie to as many people as necessary to get there. He is the epitome of evil itself.

I wish Cheney would just follow the advice he gave Sen. Leahy a few years ago!

Communication is a two way street. The current administration and congressional leaders have continually posted negative / critical comments about the previous administration and their policies. Most every issue is prefaced with what was "inherited" or some such remark. Its only right that Cheney and anyone else should articulate what happened and why during their tenure.
The media is not reporting fairly on both sides. For example, David Farhety makes a poor taste remark about Nancy Pelosi and he's lambasted in the press yet Wanda Sykes makes a poor taste remark about Rush Limbough and the coverage is minimal.
This country is lacking in "news" reporting that is unbiased so let's hear what Cheney has to say so all sides are accurately voiced.

Dick Cheney is what is wrong with the Republican Party. Not only Cheney, but a host of other ideologues believe that they are entitled to decide what government is. What law is. What the future direction of the nation is.
This is a sort of Ayn Rand novel gone off the tracks where the hero gets the girl, the money and the power, but makes everyone else conform while claiming to believe in nonconformity.
It is obvious that Cheney is a sociopath who is so blatantly criminal that he almost seems rational, even modest. Along with people like Tom DeLay and Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove and almost all of the American Enterprise gang a generation of so-called conservatives have learned that lying, murder, theft and torture are okay because the means justify their ends.
The party of Lincoln and Eisenhower is gone forever, and we were warned a half-century ago.

like most conservatives who feel that they have a god-given right to rule this country, and no democrat is capable of ruling, dick cheney has not accepted the fact that the american people have spoken, and have rejected his, and george w bush's politics of fear and repression.

He's free to say anything he wants to say, just like Clinton, Gore, and Carter did when they trashed Bush. It's not news until the media reports it.

this is America. Cheney, like Rush, Newt and the other failed leaders from the 80s, 90s, and early this century, may say as they like. American people are not stupid, and know full well the facts known today, and those becoming known. In Cheney's case, his association with the failed policies of the 80s made the World a much less safe place, and arguably contributed to the 9.11 attack, due to support of Saddam Hussein and the Saudi Arabians, whose people carried out the attacks. Do people other than right wing radicals actually listen to these folks?

Dick Cheney is a loser, he should be tried as a war criminal. He needs to shut up and stop criticizing our new smart and globally respected president, Barack Obama. Cheney is a sour grape and a bad loser, and he just does not get it that the philosophy he and his pet dogs brought to Washington are lost and no longer respected. Both Cheney and Bush have brought disgrace to this country and disgraced America's reputation by causing unnecessary bloodshed. They killed innocent people and ruined historical religious sites in Iraq to steal Iraq's oil and their scheme has back fired and now we have Al Qaida running lose all over the world. The conservative Republican Party that Cheney & Bush created is more like the Talibans of America. There is most definitely a similarity between the Tailbans & Republicans, so I guess we have a Republican Taliban party. Cheney is a shameless man with no integrity, he needs to just go away and shut up.

Cheney is free to speak his mind, however, with such a topic and with his previous position in mind, he should do so behind closed door and collaboratively. This, even though there was deliberate violation of the law by Bush.

As for torture, no one really knows if it was or was not effective, suffice to say most people will say anything to ensure their pain stops.

It is rather odd that we are seeing more of Cheney now than we did in the past 8 years. He is clearly trying to rewrite history and clear his name, unfortunately for him its too late.

Finally, no President will do anything that would jeopardize the safety and security of his country and fellow citizens. For anyone to suggest otherwise is being untrue to them self and to others. It is simply scaremongering.

Cheney has every right to say what he wants. Every time he says something he comes across as mean and hateful so I guess the only person he is hurting is himself. I could understand his opinion if he hadn't done so much lying in the past and would have been more open to commenting, to others than Fox News, during his tenure. He comes off as hoping for this administration to fail so he can utter, "I told you so." Not what I would consider very statesmen like.

As an America I am sad to see and hear Dick Cheney spouting off his usual “I am right their wrong” tripe.

As a partisan Democrat I am delighted every time Dick Cheney pushes himself in front of the voting public.

fearmongering and spinning the truth by cheney and his followers has set us back immeasurably. i hope he continues to dig his grave by opening his fascist mouth over and over again. he's the worst vp ever and his puppet gw the worst 'prez' ever. he can run his mouth as long as he's a free man. it's amazing how even now they continue to try to connect the dots according to their version of history. the facts speak for themselves: they ignored the intelligence to prevent 9/11, they fired those who tried to avert the war on Iraq which was based on manufactured intelligence and lies, they committed treason by outing Plame, etc., etc. keep digging guys, make room for plenty of your hypocrite buddies.

Of course Dick Cheney has the right to voice his opinions. I suspect, however, that no one really cares what he thinks. They called Richard Perle the "Prince of Darkness," but I think Cheney has shown that he deserves the title more.
Maybe if Cheney talked to the public half as much as he does now while he was in office, people wouldn't be so dismissive and cynical of him. But he made his own bed, and I for one am perfectly happy to watch him lie in it.
He can talk smack about Obama all day, it won't change a thing. No one is rallying around Dick Cheney. What's there to rally around? Eight years of lies, war, domestic spying, secret prisons? I doubt anyone felt safer under Bush/Cheney than they feel now under Obama. If so, they must be as egg-headed as Cheney.

Cheney is a WAR CRIMINAL and should be treated as such.

doesn't Clinton (both of them, and both of them for ex's) keep offering up there criticisms of the GOP? He was so 10 years ago...shut up and go away, I don't want to hear him anymore. He had his glory, ahem, failures.

Didn't Clinton seem to put his two cents in on 'every' Bush Admin policy? He was so 10 years ago and he was still weighing in on the GOP during the past election. He really needs to go away. If the Dems can have clinton, we should at least get Cheney, right?? And in the end, Bush wins...again

Cheney, along with Limbaugh are doing everything they know how, regardless of how crude, to keep the far right conservative view at the forefront of news and comment. I expect it from Limbaugh, but from Cheney, it just comes across as sadly unprofessional.

My party has been hijacked out from under me by the likes of Cheney, Limbaugh, Rove, and Gingrich. Cheney's comment stating that he'd choose Limbaugh over Powell was the final nail in the Republican coffin for me.

I really don't want to be a Democrat so the only choice is to become an independent, a man without a party who typically doesn't get invited to, for instance, primaries or conventions.

As I see it, we need a third party, a party of pragmatists. Imagine it, three platforms to choose from come election day, the Conservatives, the Liberals, and the Pragmatists. Imagine a party that would focus on the most practical aspects of the two ideologies then mold those aspects into workable packages, into legislation that would represent the best that America has to offer.

Cheney has been wrong about everything.

He should give stock market advice and we can all get rich betting against it.

Please,
All of you Lib/Dems are very much like the Vichey French in WW2. You will be the first to complain and whine when we are hit again by the barbarous enemy with whom you sympathize.
Who's side are you on? You worry about the feelings and welfare of the bastards that beheaded one of your own, Mr Pearl. Check the videos of the beheading of the Jewish student, Berg and the US Contractors caught and beheaded by these monsters.
Why do you continue to side with the Radical Muslims, who would subjugate our women; murder and behead Educators, Homosexuals, and Christians?
You worry much more about the "rights" of these thugs than you do the safety and protection of the American Soldiers and Citizens.
I pray that if and when we are hit again, we will all remember our concerned Liberal brothers and sisiters and whose side they chose.

Let him talk. He is speaking to an empty theatre.

Wa-wa!! Cheny should join Rush's show - two big fat idiots full of hot air! Shut up already......!!!!

We all acknowledge that Cheney has the right to say whatever he wants. But he reminds me of the Ron White comedy routine about [White] being arrested for public drunkenness . . . "The police told me I had the right to remain silent . . . (long pause) . . . I just didn't have the ABILITY to . . ."

Cheney obviously wants to defend himself and his principles (not always the same thing, but . . .). He would be more effective in doing so by keeping a much lower profile until after the dust settles (read: until the WORST of the bad feeling left over from the disastrous Bush/Cheney regime has started to fade--I'll bet that takes a while . . .).

In many comments I have stated my longing for a THOUGHTFUL conservative voice to enrich our national dialogue (I am a centrist Democrat). Unfortunately, Cheney is not that voice, and the more often he speaks and the more strident he becomes, the more he impedes the cause of conservatism.

The only real differences between Cheney and Nixon is that Cheney wasn't pardoned and is still fair game, and Cheney actually started the war that should never have started.

If Cheney wants to talk, by all means, prosecute him. During his trial, he can talk all he wants on the witness stand under oath where he can be cross-examined...

History will held responsible the present day civilization for enduring the high-handedness of such people like Cheney.
We are are all accountable for what he did.
He is a shame-proof person,sunk in his mental sickness,unfortunately able to imposed himself on the conscience of whole present day humanity.

Clinton and Carter constantly second guessed Bush. Now, all of a sudden moderates and liberals remember previous office holders are to be silent? How convenient. Cheney is speaking a lot of wisdom that reverberates with me. I'm glad He's speaking up for my values. Some say he should be quiet and let newer younger leaders speak up. If we had newer younger leaders that were willing to speak up I might agree but we don't. Republicans need to get a clue, is Steele the best we could do?

Cheney and Bush dodged military service, ignored warnings about 9/11, let bin Laden get away, invaded an innocent country, gave tax cuts to the super rich 5 times, tortured, lied, concealed evidence, exposed a CIA agent, and the right wing American Taliban thinks they are heros. But he should be able to defend himself the same as any other common criminal.

Cheney is in a full throated "jury-pool influencing" mode.

His goal is to influence the debate about his coming endictment and criminal trials at home, and abroad.

He knows that the MSM will dutifully parrot - not test, or question - his false statements, inaccurate assertions, and intellectually dishonest, and outright false diversions.

Cheney is the unendicted instigator, coordinator, and conspirator to publicly disclose the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame-Wilson in retribution to Ambassador Joe Wilson. And, as an amazingly weak and transparent attempt to discredit his proven facts with a charge of nepotism. ...This while Plame-Wilson was working to interdict Iranian WMDs.

Cheney violated the constitution, broke numerous laws on executive branch disclosure with unsubstantiated assertions of independence from, in effect, any judiciary.

Cheney conspired to illegally invade Iraq, illegally conducted a secret back-channel government intelligence/propaganda unit, and broke many other laws and statutes in the process.

CHENEY HAS EARNED AN ENDICTMENT - TIME TO GET ON WITH IT!

fr gmscan:

>...Quite a contrast to the thoughtful critique presented by Mr. Cheney.

Um, "thoughtful"? No, sour grapes because he finally and RIGHTFULLY, got booted out of office

Rather then criticizing a government which is cleaning the mess of past ten years, mr cheney should turn into a monk and start praying for gods forgiveness for turning the whole world into a war zone on the expense of american public's tax money.
But again, he is one of those people who doesnt repent, untill and unless there deeds catch up with them,,,, and in cheney's case it would be Hague

rogerrussell1 wrote : "Cheney is speaking a lot of wisdom that reverberates with me. I'm glad He's speaking up for my values."

How sad. You accept that America not only tortures but needs to torture? And the GOP had control of all levers of power for 6 years and what values of yours got passed in Congress? The only things that went through were tax cuts for the rich. No "family values" legislation. Get a clue, the GOP took its "supporters" for a ride and now that their policies have ruined the world they act as though they had nothing to do with it and at the same time claim their policies were good. You can't find this sort of disconnect from reality in a mental institution.

rogerrussell1 wrote : "Some say he should be quiet and let newer younger leaders speak up. If we had newer younger leaders that were willing to speak up I might agree but we don't. Republicans need to get a clue, is Steele the best we could do?

The GOP never really supported those it says it supported and now has openly abandoned those who supported it. The question is when you will see that fact.

Cheney will more than likely be convicted in his upcoming trial for war crimes and violations of the US constitution. He will be forced to forego all his worldly possessions, including the millions of dollars accrued from sending taxpayers' money to Halliburton, Exxon, etc. He is a sad little Nero who fully deserves the sentence he will inevitably face.