Panetta: Cheney/GOP Aren't "Wishing", They're Planning...
During an interview in the current issue of the New Yorker, Panetta says Cheney's wide range of recent criticisms of Obama -- including the decision to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba -- show the ex-vice president "smells some blood in the water on the national security issue."
"It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics," said Panetta. "When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."
While I grant you the idea that what former VP Dick Cheney is saying about President Obama making the country less safe is purely politics, it is not, in my view, Dick Cheney or the GOP "wishing" we'd get hit again to prove a point.
Instead, Dick Cheney and his fellow Republicans are 'setting the stage' for political gain -- IF such an event should ever happen again.
That is also what the GOP did by voting 'no' to the Recovery and Reinvestment package that Obama and the Democrats voted for. They are aware that the economy being the worst since the Great Depression may not being showing many signs of improvements by election day in 2010 -- giving them something to campaign with. They hope to be able to blame Obama and the Democrats for their FAILED stimulas package and deficit spending.
Of course they are ignoring the fact that if not for that stimulus package the economy would have been a great deal worse. They also ignore the fact that over 73% of the deficit was created under the Bush administration.They are also setting the stage for more deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan by claiming that Obama's rush to leave Iraq will create more danger for the troops. Being fully aware that 'any' withdraw at 'any' time would cause a spike in deaths.
Lastly, some in the GOP Party are now claiming that Obama's foreign policy of "unclenching one's fists" didn't work -- that Ahmadinejad's reported win is proof of that. Ari Fleischer is even claiming the massive reform movement demonstration in Tehran is due to the Bush administrations "tough policies" .
But again, do I think they WISH for another attack on U.S. soil or WISH for the economy to fail or WISH for the deficit to get worse or they WISH for more deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan or WISH for Ahmadinejad to control Iran--- NO I do not.
Leon Panetta is a dirty scumbag.
Here's an equivalent of his smearing:
"When you think about it, it's almost as if Obama is actively working to get a second attack on the United States so he can use it to push his national security policy".
I actually like Panetta, but this is inexcusable.
June 15, 2009 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
But Obama didn't use an unrelated tragedy to take our country to war. The difference is that Cheney's own history is what makes Panetta's comment believable. Obama has not done the same thing, and so the smears aren't equivalent.
The scumbags here are Dick Cheney and his nasty spawn of a daughter.
June 16, 2009 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I heard Cheney has been opening orphanages all around the world now that he has more free time.
He wouldn't wish ill on anybody, which anybody should be able to tell by the warm, open expression he usually has on his face.
""In an interview with U.S. News, Cheney said, "You do have to keep a sustained campaign going. There's no question about it. Last fall, obviously, there were a lot of other items on the agenda. We went through the whole exercise with Katrina and the hurricanes and disaster relief and so forth that was, I suppose, a bit of a distraction. But it is important to try to maintain public support for what we're doing out there.""
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060114/14cheney.htm
June 16, 2009 1:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does Cheney really "wish" for something bad to happen? Who knows. Frankly, I wouldn't want to take a trip inside that mind of his--it's dark, empty, convoluted, and I might not find my way out again.
But one thing I think can be safely said. Cheney has considerable experience with managing litigation arising from poor/bad decisions by him and his friends (going back to his corporate days). And he knows how hot things can get when unconstitutional, secret, blatantly illegal executive conduct is engaged in (from the Iran-Contra days). He is also quite willing for others to take risks -- hell, he supports making them -- that he would never consider taking (from his non-Vietnam days).
So, I suspect he is conducting his Dick Cheney Flying Circus largely with a view to the prosecution/civil litigation that ought to be undertaken against him and his cohorts. If another attack would be necessary to save his skin, I really don't doubt that the reptilian part of his brain (which is probably close to 100%) would like it to happen. Whether the more developed parts of his brain have a view really doesn't matter. Those parts weren't used for any considerable part of the time he was employed by the public.
June 16, 2009 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink