Few, if any, nationally prominent politicians have been as vilified as former Vice President Dick Cheney. If you want to know who is championing true American values and interests, look for those whom the Left in this country seek to personally and professionally destroy the most. Cheney stays at the top of their hit list.
a rare quality(posted 5/31/2009)
Former Vice President Richard B. Cheney. The name conjures fear and loathing in the hearts of liberals/socialists everywhere. And well it should. In an age when the nation is sorely in need of statesmen, Mr. Cheney stands virtually alone in his calls to protect America. Since the current administration refuses to do what is necessary, and since congressional Republicans who know better are too bedazzled by Obama's political tour-de-force to provide any effective contrarian voice, Dick Cheney has had to assume the mantle of "The Loyal Opposition." From a purely service point of view, he doesn't have to say a word.
After serving as a presidential Chief of Staff (Ford), a congressman from Wyoming, a Secretary of Defense under President George H. W. Bush, and as Vice-President with President George W. Bush, many would say that Mr. Cheney has more than faithfully served his country. He's paid his dues. Indeed, many office holders of his stature quietly recede to the background, content to live a private life of relative obscurity. For health reasons alone, no one could fault Mr. Cheney for doing just that, as his history of heart disease is well documented. Yet, Mr. Cheney is different. Mr. Cheney cares about America.
In recent days, the former Vice-President has been highly visible and vocal in his defense of the Bush Administration's handling of terrorism-related intelligence efforts. While the Mainstream Media (MSM) and their sovereign, the Obama Administration, get wobbly-kneed over treatment of terrorist prisoners, Cheney has been an almost lone voice in his advocacy for stringent interrogation techniques. He has publicly stated, repeatedly, that the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" have directly contributed to the foiling of a massive terror attack on the city of Los Angeles. While on the subject, let me refine the term "terror attack" to mean Islamic militant attack. "Terror" is the intended by-product of the action. As an abstract noun, "terror" in and of itself cannot do anything. The action of terrorism is committed by persons (ostensibly), in the form of terrorists. These particular terrorists are Islamic fundamentalists. Our euphemistic "War on Terror" is not waged against an abstract noun, it is waged against actual Islamic jihadists. For those of you on the Left who are in need of instruction, this concludes our semantic lesson for the day.
The blame America crowd, led by the Commander-in-Chief would rather show the world that he cares more about the comfort and emotional health of avowed terrorists than we do the preservation of life and liberty in our country. In an unprecedented scheduling of high profile appearances from the former and current presidential administrations, Mr. Cheney and President Obama gave highly disparate speeches to groups focusing on national security issues. The President appeared Thursday, May 21st at the National Archives, followed minutes later by former Vice-President Cheney at the American Enterprise Institute. According to a recent article from the Washington Times (5/22/09):
How interesting that the current president can pontificate from behind his security blanket TelePrompTer on matters of strict adherence to law and devotion to civil liberties. Has anyone tried to contrast these glittering generalities from Mr. Obama with his draconian actions against private businesses, banks, and investment corporations? What about his ongoing, back-door onslaughts against Second Amendment rights or efforts to squelch First Amendment rights through his congressional lackeys against the talk radio medium? His reference to "adherence to the rule of law" is made more laughable by his Supreme Court appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayer, a racist, intellectual lightweight who thoroughly believes in judicial activism -- in glaring contrast to adherence to the rule of law.
The MSM have placed themselves in something of a catch-22. Mr. Cheney's press conferences and news show appearances have generated viewer interest. That's good for business. These appearances have also contributed to rising poll numbers for Cheney and dropping numbers for Obama. That's embarrassing, both for Obama, and his worshippers in the MSM editorial departments.
Lee A. Heilig
An extraordinary scene played out yesterday with what amounted to a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate between a popular sitting president and an unpopular former vice president. The former veep won, hands down.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney's speech at the American Enterprise Institute had been scheduled for weeks before President Obama quite obviously tried to drown out Mr. Cheney by speaking on the same topic beginning exactly two minutes before Mr. Cheney was scheduled to take the AEI podium. In his 50-minute jeremiad, Mr. Obama repeatedly took nasty shots at Mr. Cheney and the administration he served, questioning not just the preceding administration's judgment, but also its motives and integrity.
Against Mr. Obama's insults, rhetoric and studied poses at his teleprompter, the former vice president answered with forceful words married to an understated tone of utter seriousness, with no electronic aids.
Mr. Obama accused the Bush administration of jettisoning the principles of the Constitution for expedience sake. He accused his critics of political posturing. And he said that our government made decisions based upon fear rather than foresight, and all too often trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, we too often set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford.
Mr. Cheney responded that neither values nor the law had been set aside. He said that carefully selected CIA agents had been especially prepared to apply techniques within the boundaries of their training and the limits of the law. Torture was never permitted, and the methods were given careful, legal review before they were approved. Interrogators had authoritative guidance on the line between toughness and torture, and they knew to stay on the right side of it.
Those interrogations, Mr. Cheney said, prevented the violent death of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of innocent people. The former vice president complained, rightly, that memos about the interrogations that Mr. Obama released provided less than half the truth because they were carefully redacted to leave out references to .. specific terrorist plots that were averted Yet: For reasons the administration has yet to explain, they believe the public has a right to know the methods of the questions, but not the content of the answers.
The chattering classes have been blasting Mr. Cheney for weeks for speaking out so forcefully on these issues on behalf of positions the chatterers say are deeply unpopular. However, they can't accuse him of self-serving ambition. As he noted, he spoke as a private citizen - a career in politics behind me, no elections to win or lose, and no favor to seek.
The remarkable sight of such a harshly criticized former leader standing so unbowed brings to mind some words from poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Mr. Cheney is exhibiting some sense of duty, something of a faith, some reverence for the laws ourselves have made .. some civic manhood firm against the crowd The crowd ought to heed Mr. Cheney and rally behind him. By defending our intelligence officers, he defended America.
"Dick Cheney's compelling witness; The former veep is a patriot in full.(EDITORIALS)." The Washington Times. News World Communications, Inc. 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-200344954.html
Former Vice President Dick Cheney speaks on America's national security policy at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington on May 21, 2009. Cheney said that waterboarding and the Guantanamo Bay prison were essential for keeping America safe. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)
A money changer in the temple. What would the heroic men of the mural think about our current "leadership's" gentle handling of savage terrorists all the while eroding American citizens' constitutional liberties?
The catalyst for the flurry of Mr. Cheney's television appearances came from the current White House occupant's release of four highly classified documents. These documents describe interrogation methods used at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. In an ongoing effort to erode the successes of the previous administration, Obama has chosen to reveal secrets that undermine the CIA to obtain critical intelligence from captured terrorists.
Obama's appearance at the National Archives had the feel of a campaign event, one aimed at convincing the American public and a recalcitrant Democratic Congress that strict adherence to the rule of law combined with an embrace of civil liberties is the most effective way to defeat America's enemies. Although Obama has recently adopted some elements of his predecessor's policies on terrorism trials and secrecy, he said that during the Bush administration, "too often we set those principles aside as luxuries we could no longer afford."
