Dick Cheney Thinks If The President Does It During Wartime, It’s Legal
Speaking with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Dick Cheney once again proved that his reading of the Constitution doesn’t comport with the way the Supreme Court interprets it.
Cheney: “I think you can have a robust interrogation program with respect to high value detainees.”
[...]
Wallace: If the president during war decides to do something to protect the country, is it legal?
Cheney: In general proposition, I’d say yes…clearly when you take the oath of office…there’s no question about what your responsiblities are in that regard…I think what we’ve done has been totally consistant with what the Constitution provides for…”
The good stuff starts at 1:45 in:
Think Progress reminds us how the administration has consistently been rebuffed by the Supreme Court.
– In June 2004, The Supreme Court dealt a setback to the Bush administration by refusing to endorse the claim that “the government has authority to seize and hold suspected terrorists or their protectors and indefinitely deny them access to courts or lawyers while interrogating them.”
– In June 2006, the Supreme Court “rolled back the sweeping powers appropriated by the Bush administration in the war on terror, ruling it could not order military trials for Guantánamo detainees without the protections of the Geneva convention and American law.”
– In August 2006, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled that “the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program is unconstitutional, delivering the first decision that the Bush administration’s effort to monitor communications without court oversight runs afoul of the Bill of Rights and federal law.”
I think you must first look to see who nominated Judge Anna Diggs Taylor. I don’t know. You see, many judges legislate from the bench, which is blatantly unconstitutional.
I believe that the President of the United States has broader powers during wartime to do much more in order to keep America safe from our enemies. FDR, the savior of the liberal party, rounded up Japanese living in this country and had them interned in camps during WWII. Come on libs, bring that up in your conversations.
Dick Cheney has been a great wartime VP. His knowledge has been top notch in how to keep America safe. No terrorists attacks on our soil since 9/11. Go after them on foreign soil before they get over here.
Our surveillance program has worked rather well in regard to stopping any attack.
“War is Hell”. You do what you have to do to win.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:44 pm
1st and foremost, let me say “Alan, I’m going to miss you on H & C, I consider it a great loss because you’re a decent man and intellegent and usually fair”. That said, on this one your full of it. Nice cherry picking of the NY Times attempt to hang this on Bush when it started with Carter and the C.R.A. initiative and then was broadened immensely by Clinton. In 2003 (it’s on tape Alan) Bush’s regulator TRIED to warn Congress but Barney Frank, Maxine Watters, and the rest of the Libs who were getting fat campaign contributions and sweetheart mortgage loans (Chris Dodd) would not hear of it and instead attacked the regulator. This mess is of Democrat making primarily, not that Pubs didn’t have a hand, but a hand is not an entire body and that’s what YOUR party had in it. Reporting like this by the NY Times is not surprising, but it is indicative of why they’re going BK along with other major liberal rags. Even liberals get tired of “it’s them not us” politics, especially when it’s liberal politicians that are now really sticking it to them with new and higher taxes. I wish you the best of luck Alan, please try to pull your head out of your posterior before you find yourself working at Target.
December 21st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Poor Big Dick Cheney. First of all we are not at war. Only Congress can declare war.
No, we haven’t been ‘attacked’ since 9/11 but we were attacked on 9/11 which is when Bush/Cheney were in office!
Biden is smart not to check with Cheney on VP ‘things; Cheney would probably tell him to go f**k himself, then turn into a bat and fly away.
Good ridence to this horrible administration.
December 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
“Our surveillance program has worked rather well in regard to stopping any attack”
It worked so well that they still couldn’t prevent the 9/11 attack even thought they started their “surveillance program” back in Janaury 2001.
War is hell and Cheney killed as many people as it took to get what he wnats.
You, Willy, are a sucker. You will believe anything this administration tells you.
December 21st, 2008 at 10:42 pm
“I had other priorities in the ’60s than military service.” ~ Dick Cheney.
What a way to lead by example their Dick.
How many brave young heroes have died as a direct result of your lies?
Willy, how can you defend a man who refused to serve his country in a time war?
To me that just seems to be unpatriotic.
Best regards,
CDP
December 21st, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Tricky Dick Nixon said much the same thing, only HE didn’t need a war to step over the line.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 am
Was watchign trailers of “Frost/Nixon”…was amazing how closely Cheney’s line echoed with Nixon’s,who famously is supposed to have said on 1 of those interviews:
“When the President does something,its NOT illegal”
To get at another related issue here:
“Wallace: If the president during war decides to do something to protect the country, is it legal?”
Now, forget Bush.Suppose any President decides to appropriate a lot of wealth or whatever for himself.And then comes out and says “it was to protect our country”. Can you believe that at face value?
How can you believe the intentions of this man (OR Obama OR any President) at face value? There will be NO accountability of the President’s office if you take his intentions at face value.
December 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Why TDRO, thank you for the compliment.
Remember Jaime Garelic? (not sure I spelled it right) She worked in the Clinton Adm. Before her there was intelligence sharing between the CIA and the FBI. For some reason she built a wall between the two and would not allow them to share such information. The FBI had info that would have helped the CIA and quite possibly could have prevented 9/11. If those two “dots” were connected all those souls would still be alive today and the towers would still be standing.
The Bush Adm. tore those walls down and once again allowed the FBI and CIA to share intelligence on our enemies.
What exactly did Dick Cheney want TDRO? Don’t tell me oil because that is bunk.
December 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
“You see, many judges legislate from the bench, which is blatantly unconstitutional.”
It’s called judicial review and it’s integral to our democratic system of government.
“FDR, the savior of the liberal party, rounded up Japanese living in this country and had them interned in camps during WWII.”
And he was wrong.
“Our surveillance program has worked rather well in regard to stopping any attack.”
Unsubstantiated conjecture.
“You do what you have to do to win.”
The argument of those without principle or moral compass.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 am
rocky,
flip on the news and look at the case of the fort dix six. How was that case busted? Someone reported shady activity ( a videotape) and it snowballed.
We had info that could have helped prevent/diminish the mumbai tragedy, but their government didn’t take heed to the intelligence we gave them.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Yo Willy. Shalom to you. Have you ever read the 9/11 commission report? If you had you would know that Condi warned everyone in July that Al Qaeda wanted to attack us with airplanes. She knew it, I doubt she kept it to herself since she was later made sec of state. How dare Bill Clinton do nothing about this! Oh wait he wasnt President then…oh damn
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 am
Cheney probably believes his own BS which is the saddest part of the story. Self centered,and self interested, Cheney seems to not care how many his fabrications and exaggerations have killed and maimed, the (borrowed)dollars spent on a useless cause in Iraq while neglecting Al Queda in the hills of Pakistan; the gross invasion of privacy from illegal wire taps and persons and organizations abused by false AG affidavits. I think only a fair investigation by DOJ and potential indightments will flesh this out. Is this behavior tolerable in a war? How about an undeclared war? Is ANYTHING the President does legal? While I don’t demand Cheney sit in Levenworth if guilty, he should be prepared for civil correction of his many misjudgements and abuses and finally a clear court decision on the issues involved is critical! For me, Cheney richly deserves the worst VP ever title. His actions are a disgrace to humankind.
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
“What exactly did Dick Cheney want TDRO? Don’t tell me oil because that is bunk.”
Posted by Willy
Now, what did Dick Cheney want? Hmmmmm, let me see… Oh yes! He is the CEO of Halliburton! And, as luck would have it (that Dick is sooooo lucky), Halliburton got an uncontested contract to supply the military with all their needs. To the tune of 3-billion dollars.
And what a great job Halliburton did “supporting the troops”!
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19645.htm
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
“What exactly did Dick Cheney want TDRO? Don’t tell me oil because that is bunk.”
Posted by Willy
What did Dick Cheney want? Hmmm, let me think. Oh yes! Tons and tons of taxpayer’s money! If I’m not mistaken, he owns Halliburton and Halliburton won a contract (that wasn’t allowed to be contested) with the U.S. military to supply the troops – to the tune of 3-million dollars (and counting). Your hero Dickie will leave office a very rich man.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Sorry. Didn’t mean to post twice.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Cheney was a rich man before he became VP. He doesn’t own Halliburton. I believe he was chairman on the Halliburton board. Bill Clinton hired Halliburton a few times also if I remember right.
Doesn’t our own federal government want tons and tons of our money? And they don’t have to earn it or bid for it. THEY CONFISCATE IT!!!!!!!!!! Legalized robbery. Don’t seem to bother you though. I never hear you complain about it.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Hi Ike,
I remember Tom Clancy wrote a book several years back about terrorists flying planes into the Capitol building. I never read it though. Just thought I would mention it.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Don’t think for one moment Cheney isn’t getting a hefty kickback from Halliburton, Willy. And don’t tell me about the federal government. I know they confiscate tons of our money, but that doesn’t justify Cheney doing the same thing.
And by the way, I’m no Clinton fan. I thought he was a great republican. My only complaint is they used taxpayer dollars to impeach him for his sexual indescretion. Ironically, he didn’t belong to the “party of morals”, but the guy pushing for impeachment was none other than Newt “moral majority guy” Gingrich.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
“The Bush Adm. tore those walls down and once again allowed the FBI and CIA to share intelligence on our enemies.”
Way to justify an illegal wiretap.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
[...] has already been written about Dick Cheney’s exit interview on Fox News Sunday, but this part is downright eerie. [...]
December 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
The question was:” What did Dick Cheney want?” The answer is one word, POWER. That was obvious in the fact of his never ending quest to expand the power and influence of the VP office. That is exactly why W was hand picked. W’s lack of intellectual curiosity made him a perfect pawn to be manipulated by a power hungry and influential VP, with his own agenda.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Who in government, including the newest pres and vp DON’T want power?
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
There is a vast difference between HAVING power and WANTING power! Do you honestly believe that everyone that goes into government service does so because they want power? What a negative perspective! Did Obama also WANT power when he gave a lucrative job in a law practice to become a low paying community organizer? Do you think that Obama thought that that was paving his way to the White House?Believe it or not there are honestly people in this world who have other aspirations besides wanting power, Cheney not happening to be one.
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Susan
If you think obama and biden did not want power I am surprised. Anyone who wants that much responsibility HAS to have a huge ego and be power hungry.
And you ask if obama did things to pave his way to the white house? I think so. Everyone does who has that aspiration. Are you telling me hill and bill didn’t do things in their political careers to help them get to the white house? what about gore?
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Nixon and now we have Cheney,but not for long. Thank GOD he is lame duck VP.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pm