EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Former Vice President Dick Cheney apparently believes the best defense is a good offence.
That defense is needed because humanitarians and believers in international law in the US and around the world would like to see Mr. Cheney brought to justice for launching criminal, pre-emptive war against Iraq and implementing a policy of kidnapping, secret rendition and torture against folks his administration believed to be enemies of the state.
Rather than lay low as might be expected, Cheney has doubled down on his wrongdoing by not only publicly defending his actions, but actually warning that the Obama administration's move away from such repulsive tactics will make it more likely terrorists will again strike America. One can almost see Cheney's thought process at work: "If America is attacked, all my criminal conduct will be overshadowed by my foresight in championing extra-legal tactics."
The simple truth is Mr. Cheney should look in a mirror if he wants to view the primary official responsible for the only foreign terrorist attack on America in this century. In his first year in office, Cheney oversaw a foreign policy that sidetracked the focus on al Qaeda which may well have led to success of the 911 attacks. To cover up his negligence Cheney was probably the strongest proponent of pre-emptive war, which besides squandering over three trillion dollars when the final bill is paid and killing upwards of a million people, has arguably made America less safe.
If America doesn't have the moral courage to bring Mr. Cheney and his war party of Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and President Bush to account for their criminality, the least it should do is ignore him.
That defense is needed because humanitarians and believers in international law in the US and around the world would like to see Mr. Cheney brought to justice for launching criminal, pre-emptive war against Iraq and implementing a policy of kidnapping, secret rendition and torture against folks his administration believed to be enemies of the state.
Rather than lay low as might be expected, Cheney has doubled down on his wrongdoing by not only publicly defending his actions, but actually warning that the Obama administration's move away from such repulsive tactics will make it more likely terrorists will again strike America. One can almost see Cheney's thought process at work: "If America is attacked, all my criminal conduct will be overshadowed by my foresight in championing extra-legal tactics."
The simple truth is Mr. Cheney should look in a mirror if he wants to view the primary official responsible for the only foreign terrorist attack on America in this century. In his first year in office, Cheney oversaw a foreign policy that sidetracked the focus on al Qaeda which may well have led to success of the 911 attacks. To cover up his negligence Cheney was probably the strongest proponent of pre-emptive war, which besides squandering over three trillion dollars when the final bill is paid and killing upwards of a million people, has arguably made America less safe.
If America doesn't have the moral courage to bring Mr. Cheney and his war party of Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and President Bush to account for their criminality, the least it should do is ignore him.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 8:08 PM
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