Dick Cheney Tells Republican Presidential Candidates To Watch Their Mouths
EmailLOS ANGELES — Former Vice President Dick Cheney isn’t picking sides in the battle for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, but in a remarkably candid interview with ABC News in Los Angeles, he had blunt words about the current field of GOP candidates.
Cheney accused Rick Perry of using “over-the-top” rhetoric, chided Michele Bachmann for overpromising on the campaign trail and said that Jon Huntsman’s views on Afghanistan hew too closely to President Obama’s.
The comments came in far-ranging interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl where Cheney discussed, at length, his health problems, criticism of his book and reflected on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
But on the politics of today, Cheney said it was “inappropriate” for Perry to say that he would treat Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke “pretty ugly down in Texas.”
“I disagree with him,” Cheney said. “Obviously he’s just getting started on the campaign. I’m not sure if he were to get elected he’d want to use that kind of language on the Fed Chairman.”
While Cheney acknowledged that “you don’t want somebody at the Federal Reserve who’s managing the place, quote ‘for politics,’ he said the charge that Ben Bernanke or his predecessor Alan Greenspan have done that “isn’t a valid charge.”
More of Cheney’s interview with ABC News can be seen Wednesday night on “World News.”
Perry, who has shot to the top of national polls less than a month since he entered the race, will make his debate debut in Simi Valley, Calif. Wednesday night. Cheney also took issue with Perry’s past comments that Social Security is akin to a Ponzi scheme.
“Let’s see what Rick Perry does as he develops through this process. I certainly don’t believe it’s a Ponzi scheme,” Cheney said of Social Security. “It’s a program that a great many people depend upon.”
He added, “I think it’s a very important program, we do in fact want to preserve it for future generations but we have a lot of work to do on Social Security and other entitlement programs like Medicare.”
Cheney is no friend of Perry having endorsed his rival, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, in the 2010 gubernatorial primary in Texas.
The former vice president to George W. Bush, who has just published a controversial new memoir, titled “In My Time,” did not spare Bachmann from criticism either, dismissing her contention that if elected she could usher in a period of $2 a gallon gasoline.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “The free market’s going to work on gasoline prices.”
On Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Cheney takes issue with her suggestion that she will bring gas prices down to $2 a gallon.
“The free market’s gonna work on gasoline prices,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to produce, especially from domestic sources, all of the conventional power we can. But yeah, to make a hard and fast prediction and say, ‘Gasoline’s never gonna cost more than $2 a barrel,’ I’d be a little careful of that. I don’t believe it.”
While several of the Republican candidates have said they oppose raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances, Cheney said such talk is irresponsible.
“You’ve gotta maintain the credit worthiness of the United States government. And you’ve got an obligation obviously to pay your debts,” Cheney said, adding, “I didn’t have a problem with the notion that our guys would say, “But we’re not doin’ anything with the debt ceiling till you sign up for deficit reduction.”
And, as for Huntsman’s view that it’s time to draw down U.S. troops who were part of the surge strategy in Afghanistan, Cheney said that would be “a mistake.”
“President Obama has announced he’s going to take out the surge forces before the end of the next fighting season. That’d be a big mistake. There’s no military reason to do that. I think it’s driven primarily by politics — that he wants to get the forces out before the election in 2012 because he made those kinds of commitments and promises,” Cheney said. “I have a sense that that’s what Jon Huntsman is advocating. It’s a mistake. I think we cannot take the chance of walking away from the importance of staying on top of the situation and helping the Afghans acquire the capacity to control their own sovereign territory.”
Cheney did have words of praise for one non-candidate: Hillary Clinton. He suggested Secretary Clinton would have been a better President than Barack Obama and with a Darth Vader smile mischievously suggested she should run against him in 2012.
“Hillary Clinton is a pretty formidable individual. And I think she’s probably the most competent person they’ve got in their cabinet,” he said. “Maybe if the Obama record is bad enough, and these days it’s not very good, given the shape of the economy, maybe there will be enough ferment in the democratic party so that there will be a primary on their side. I think it’d be good for the country. I think it’d be good for the Democratic party and it might be the Republicans.”
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The former vice president to George W. Bush, who has just published a controversial new memoir, titled “In My Time,” did not spare Bachmann from criticism either, dismissing her contention that if elected she could usher in a period of $2 a gallon gasoline.————————-Lol!! Hey , elect me president and I’ll give everyone free cheese ! ; )
Posted by: liberal_mob-demon | September 7, 2011, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
Why is this Cheney not arrested and put on trial for crimes against humanity?
He should be indicted for illegal war, killing of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan and the setup of 9/11.
Posted by: Sid | September 7, 2011, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Lol!! Hey , elect me president and I’ll give everyone free cheese ! ; )
*********Now THAT’S full of holes !!!!!!!! ;-)
Posted by: michael | September 7, 2011, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
Cheney praises Clinton now. If Hillary were president now,he’d be praising President Obama. I don’t believe much of what he says.
Posted by: Thomas | September 7, 2011, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
I agree with liberal_mob-demon. Bush and Cheney are worthless soles for starting this war. And yes, I also believe 911 was a setup by the Bush family. I mean, they predicted it. They had people stand down so it could happen.
Posted by: Kingy | September 7, 2011, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
KINGY I don’t think anybody could fully predict what 9/11 would end up being. And as much as I find Bush a doof that didn’t hold the first meeting on terrorism until the week before? It’s pushing it to say the Bush family was involved and they stood back and deliberately allowed it to happen. Do me a favor and don’t make liberals look stupid.
Posted by: Secondlook | September 7, 2011, 5:54 pm 5:54 pm
He must have forgotten. It was Obama, that knocked off Clinton, for the Democrat Nominee.
Posted by: Jason D. Reese | September 7, 2011, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
Don’t forget……he is also secretly building a Death Star…..Bahahha!!!!
Posted by: Allen | September 7, 2011, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm
Isn’t this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? What a loser! Don’t waste air time on him. Even better indite him as a war criminal.
Posted by: Cindy | September 7, 2011, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm
More words from a war criminal.
Posted by: JR | September 7, 2011, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
Does it really matter? Our current white house resident will be thrown out in an epic landslide vote this country as ever had. 2010 was a mere warm up to the wave that is coming.
Posted by: angie | September 7, 2011, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm
Why wasn’t he asked about the thug hoffa and his comments about “taking out the SOBs” and being “obama’s army” and the tea party as the “barbarians at the gate”?!
Posted by: RealAmerican | September 7, 2011, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm
Darth Vader smile? What does that even mean? Who ever saw Darth Vader smile? Talk about a ham-handed way to throw in an unflattering nickname. Are they not even pretending to hide their bias anymore?
Posted by: Kevin | September 7, 2011, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm
He really IS evil. Playing pure politics to simply get the “chosen” Republicans back into power. Nothing about what should be done to help our country. Basically I get that he is telling the candidates don’t speak your mind or ideas… say whatever is needed to get elected. He likes Hillary and thinks she is the smartest in the Administration… well… that’s compliment to the President! He hired her! What a despicable person!!!
Posted by: mytakeonthis61 | September 7, 2011, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
War criminal? The criminals are the democrats.
Posted by: Jim | September 7, 2011, 6:18 pm 6:18 pm
The biggest PONZI scheme the world has ever known is Social security. Cheney disappoints when he says its not. Cheney is nothing more than a political hack like Boehner, Pelosi, Reid, and the current goon in the White House.
Posted by: FedupwithTheFED | September 7, 2011, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
This NeoCon who ordered the Air Force to stand down while the most secure building on earth was about to be hit with a projectile needs to shut his trap and go off into the sunset and be ignored. The NeoCons destroyed the Republican party and should keep their traps shut about the republican candidates. The Tea Party formed because the Republcan Party had violated almost every single tenet of conservatism. They used the 9/11 attacks to achieve every single aim of the The Project for the New American Century. He’s had his fun, so let him go back to Jackson Hole to sit atop his pile of Haliburton blood money.
Posted by: Marc B | September 7, 2011, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
God Bless Dick Cheney. History will judge his actions in a more rational and principled perspective than the Junior High commenters on this moral relativist web site. Cheney and Bush were the adults who made the difficult decisions that were required of responsible, courageous, and moral leaders. The childish whiners still can’t cope when reality rears its ugly head. They much prefer the touchy feeliy fantasies of the immature clowns of the left who pat their mushy little heads and and stroke their delicate little self concepts. Wake up, America. It’s time to grow up and man up.
Posted by: NCMike | September 7, 2011, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
As another commenter pointed out, “Darth Vader smile” is an illogical term.
Posted by: Darth | September 7, 2011, 6:28 pm 6:28 pm
“It’s very important to respect the independence of the Fed.”
ROFL!!! ROFL!!! ROFL!!!!
What fantasy land does this dingbat live in, exactly?
Re: Social security…It is a Ponzi scheme and Cheney knows it full well.
He should go back into his retirement bant cave where he can resume dreaming and scheming how to take over the world.
That said, forget Perry, the mockingbird. His record as governor of Texas seem counter to the platform issues he’s “borrowed” from elsewhere.
Stick Paul in there instead. He can actually elucidate when he says such things.
Posted by: FlushTheToilet | September 7, 2011, 6:43 pm 6:43 pm
This piece of garbage should be in prison.
Posted by: Frank Blourtango | September 7, 2011, 6:51 pm 6:51 pm
Say what you want or call me crazy, I sort of agree with KNGY, there are some questions about 9/11 that remain unanswered.
Posted by: justuspofolks | September 7, 2011, 6:58 pm 6:58 pm
War criminal? The criminals are the democrats.
POSTED BY: JIM *******Ah, we have a Vader
follower. LOL !!!!
Posted by: michael | September 7, 2011, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
They much prefer the touchy feeliy fantasies of the immature clowns of the left who pat their mushy
little heads and and stroke their delicate little self concepts. Wake up, America. It’s time to grow up
and man up. POSTED BY: NCMIKE |***************Another pathetic right-wing hypocrite preacher.
We have enough of them in Washington. Get off the soapbox now!
Posted by: michael | September 7, 2011, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
I find it hard to fathom why anyone pays attention to anything Dick “deficits don’t matter” Cheney has to say.
Posted by: AppeaseThis | September 7, 2011, 7:21 pm 7:21 pm
Cheney was the uber Republican and he’s now a RINO. That’s what’s frustrating about the Republicans, everything is a one size fits all approach to governing. I really don’t know how Republican voters can reconcile the two front runners in Romney and Perry considering they both made a lot of RINO decisions. Even funnier, probably the most tea partish of Republicans is Ron Paul and he gets little love. Although I don’t agree with Ron Paul, I do admire that he sticks to his guns despite being politically unpopular.
Posted by: FunnyRINOs | September 7, 2011, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
Cheney knows this for sure, “Deficits don’t matter, Regean proved that.” And Bush clone, Perry is the front runner? What’s that Bush quote, “Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again” Republicans are getting fooled again by a snake-oil salesman.
Posted by: FunnyRINOs | September 7, 2011, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
Why ask Cheney’s opinion on anything? He was part of the machine that has destroyed this country. If anyone wants to throw terms around like traitor, they can start with Cheney.
Posted by: parker | September 7, 2011, 7:40 pm 7:40 pm
LOL!……… “Dick Cheney?” ……. you mean the guy that taught all Republicans that “deficits don’t matter, Reagan proved that”?…. You mean that Dick Cheney?
Posted by: Georgie_Bushie | September 7, 2011, 8:09 pm 8:09 pm
Ah, we have a Vader
follower. LOL !!!!
Posted by: michael | September 7, 2011, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm +++Ahh, we have a Star Wars geek.
Posted by: Allen | September 7, 2011, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm
EVERY TIME I SEE DICK CHENEY, THE OCCURRENCE REMINDS ME OF WHY I SHOULDN’T VOTE REPUBLICAN. ….. LMAO! …… Thanks Dick… keep making these public appearances.
Posted by: Georgie_Bushie | September 7, 2011, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
Cheney is the perfect reminder of the dangers of voting Republican!
Posted by: thomas | September 7, 2011, 8:17 pm 8:17 pm
Who cares what he thinks, He is the best of all liars, and his over seas accout would prove it. He took the job he did not do at all for the profit of war, Who cares how many Americans he killed as long as he made the bucks. I hope he burns in hell.
Posted by: Roy | September 7, 2011, 10:11 pm 10:11 pm
it is good to see that there is true justice in the world that is beyond man .how can a man who is responsible for killing so many woman and children not be brought to justice …is it because he is protected by his nationality ? (US citizenship). well lets see how much machine you will use to keep you alive ….you are a war criminal and justice will be done (dick for a head cheney )
Posted by: persad kamal | September 7, 2011, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
IF YOU WANT TO DEFEAT THE MEDIA AND YOU WANT TO DESTROY THIS PRESENT CONTROL STRUCTURE WHICH HAS LED THIS NATION TO UTTER DESTRUCTION….VOTE FOR ONE MAN…RON PAUL….FAIL TO DO THIS AND YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THIS NATION CONTROLLED BY A FEW PEOPLE WHO CARE NOTHING FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND YOU CAN COUNT ON TENT CITIES COMING TO YOUR DOOR…..ITS AS SIMPLE AS THAT…..THEY WILL NOT EVEN DARE MENTION RON PAUL….ASK YOURSELVES WHY THAT WOULD BE…UNLESS THEY ARE SO AFRAID OF WHAT THIS MAN IS SAYING THAT THEY CANT EVEN AFFORD TO MENTION HIM….HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO HOLDS ANY PROMISE OF CHANGE!
Posted by: captain Howdy Doody | September 7, 2011, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
I’m not normally into cutesy name calling, but wow, its great to see our American Ghadafi in action again. You go Cheney.
Posted by: Robobobo | September 7, 2011, 11:36 pm 11:36 pm
Shut up and just go back into hiding, Dick ( well deserved first name). You and your man Bush took this Country from having a surplus to the highest debt in American history. Took us to war without a strategy and never delivered bin laden. Believe some of that has to do with the fact that the Bush family has been in business with the bin laden family since the 70′s. And because of bad leadership 9/11 happened because of a failure of communication in the federal government. Bush and Cheny will go down in history as the worst president and vice, it will just take some Americans 10 to 20 more years before they look back and realize.
Posted by: 4cause | September 7, 2011, 11:54 pm 11:54 pm
While several of the Republican candidates have said they oppose raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances, Cheney said such talk is irresponsible.
“You’ve gotta maintain the credit worthiness of the United States government. And you’ve got an obligation obviously to pay your debts,” —well, ya see Dick, as much of an evil man as you are, at least you UNDERSTAND that the debt ceiling is about PAYING BILLS and the budget negotiations is about cutting spending. Unfortunately half of the republican candidate are TOO STUPID to know this simple simple fact.
Posted by: whoopstheydiditagain | September 8, 2011, 12:11 am 12:11 am
You can tell a lot about a person by the people who hate him. Judging by all the foamy-mouthed soundbites from the Soros puppets and UFO abductees on this page, Cheney must be all right. “War criminal,” “9-11″… you people crack me up.
Posted by: Eduardo | September 8, 2011, 1:14 am 1:14 am
A Darth Vader smile? What kind of reporting is that? Cheney had often been compared to Darth Vader (and I wouldn’t disagree with that comparison,) but what is a “Darth Vader smile?” That fictional villain’s face was covered by a mask. Sloppy writing, and that kind of comment could be considered biased reporting.
Posted by: Don Rush, Jr. | September 8, 2011, 3:14 am 3:14 am
Edouardo wrote: “You can tell a lot about a person by the people who hate him. Judging by all the foamy-mouthed soundbites from the Soros puppets and UFO abductees on this page, Cheney must be all right. ”
Well, you’ve certainly addressed the issues raised about Cheney with a logical counter-argument here, haven’t you? Anyone who thinks Cheney has committed war crimes is a UFO abductee? We’re gonna need one BIG-ASS mothership to hold them all. And by the way, your writing sounds like that of a Koch addict, as long as we’re projecting allegiances to Soros on others because of their opinions.
Posted by: Teacher | September 8, 2011, 7:11 am 7:11 am
I am now convinced that Cheney is actually a vampire. Look at him. Bloodless skin, those evil eyes, and we NEVER see him outside during daylight hours. Think about it, people………………
Posted by: Searambler | September 8, 2011, 8:20 am 8:20 am
ncmike wrote, “Cheney and Bush were the adults who made the difficult decisions that were required of responsible, courageous, and moral leaders.”
Really? Like fabricating a reason to invade Iraq? Like pushing through an unfunded Pill Bill that has cost several hundred billion dollars? Like cutting taxes TWICE while starting TWO wars? Something that has NEVER been done in our history, and has resulted in a revenue loss about equal to our federal deficit? Or how about expanding the size and scope and intrusiveness of the federal government more than any administration in modern history? Or sanctioning TORTURE for the first time in our history? Are those the “difficult decisions” these immoral, evil SOB’s made?!?!?
Posted by: Searambler | September 8, 2011, 8:26 am 8:26 am
Like I said, ‘its not worth chasing him? … ‘ but lf he comes to western MT?, … ‘he is taking a chance.
Posted by: coati2 | September 8, 2011, 8:40 am 8:40 am
You all hate cheney I can see and rightly so….this man has laid your country low….but whats the solution? What do you do about what Cheney has done to this nation? Vote for Rick Perry? Michelle Bachman? Because the MEDIA TELLS YOU TO? There is only one man who really scares cheney, one man who really scares the MEDIA, and only one man who scares the FEDERAL RESERVE’S PRINT AND SPEND AND LEND……and that man is RON PAUL!!!! IF YOU WANT THIS NATION TO TAKE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND BEGIN PULLING OUT OF THIS TERRIBLE DIVE…YOU MUST VOTE FOR RON PAUL……..otherwise we can just keep going in the direction that we have been going in for decades now….just borrow, take care of foreign nations, and put our own PEOPLE IN TENT CITIES!
Posted by: Mr Poopster Boobster | September 8, 2011, 9:09 am 9:09 am
Aw, don’t y’all just miss that warm Cheney sneer? That evasive demeanor? Those smug snotty answers to difficult questions? You must admit, he did provide entertainment for late night.
Posted by: howdymo1 | September 8, 2011, 9:09 am 9:09 am
Most importantly, do not allow yourselves to degenerate into the foul language often used by Democrats.
Keep yourselves better than that.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | September 8, 2011, 10:05 am 10:05 am
Who let the dog out??? WHo WHOOO, this guy doesn’t even deserve to make comments.
Posted by: Mark Burnett | September 8, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am
Aren’t there people looking to for Cheney? He commited” treason”
Posted by: DWB | September 8, 2011, 11:49 am 11:49 am
Go away” CHENEY” , we are not going to buy your book…………………
Posted by: DWB | September 8, 2011, 11:51 am 11:51 am
Every person in ” CONGRESS” who does not attend the joint meeting of the President should be fired unless they are ill . We have never heard of members of Congress not attending a speech by our president .This is a act of” TREASON “against our nation and they should be fired .The idea that these people ran and won an election is beyond belief . If John Bonhner can’t control his people , he needs to go , now………………………
Posted by: DWB | September 8, 2011, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
I find it interesting that people would take someone who lied about Yellowcake, Aluminum tubes, and WMDs in Iraq – when there was none. I find it interesting that my former Defense Secretary while I was in Iraq in ’91 sponsored waterboarding and secret camps – including American Citizens. As for Ron Paul – he is the only one that even Jon Stewart can agree that has the integrity to hold the office and restore our Constitutional Government instead of making wars and costing trillions that we have to pay off in austerity measures – not including the banking derivative situation.
Posted by: John Devereaux | September 8, 2011, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
I do not know what Darth Vader smile is, but for it to describe Dick Cheney, it must be “really mean!
Posted by: JNgo | September 8, 2011, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Boy like Dick Cheney has any room to talk after smearing most of the people that he worked with in George W’s administration. Why would anyone listen to this devious, two-faced individual?
Posted by: John Q. Public | September 8, 2011, 10:27 pm 10:27 pm
When Martha Raddatz told Cheney 2/3 of Americans didn’t think Iraq was worth a war Cheney said, “Who cares?” But he’s going to tell others what to say?
Posted by: The_Mick | September 9, 2011, 12:41 am 12:41 am