Most of us are thoroughly fed up with the ChickenHawk and the Lizard.
Today on Face the Nation, former Secretary of Sate Colin Powell dismissed former Vice President Cheney’s claim that President Obama has made the nation less safe. Saying, “I don’t know where the claim comes [from],” Powell ticked off Obama’s national security accomplishments, gave a full-throated defense of using civilian courts to process terrorists, and said Cheney’s attacks “are not borne out by the facts”:
SCHIEFFER: Let’s talk a little bit about national security. The former vice president, you just saw him there, he has almost on a weekly basis, it says something about the president is putting the nation’s security at risk. … Has Barack Obama made this country less safe?
POWELL: Well, let me lay out a few positions and facts. … I don’t know where the claim comes that we are less safe. … In eight years the military commissions have put three people on trial. Two of them served relatively short sentences and are free. One guy is in jail. Meanwhile the federal courts, our Article 3 regular legal court system has put dozens of terrorists in jail. They’re fully capable of doing it. So the suggestion that somehow a military commission is the way to go isn’t borne out by the history of the military commission. […]
SCHIEFFER: Your bottom line answer is no?
POWELL: The bottom line answer is the nation is still at risk. Terrorists are out there. They’re trying to get through. But to suggest that somehow we have become much less safer because of the actions of the administration, I don’t think that’s borne out by the facts.
Watch it:
For weeks, Republicans have been hammering Obama over his handling of the Christmas Day terror attempt, especially the decision to try Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in civilian court rather than a military commission. Many whined that Abdulmutallab had not been properly interrogated because he was read his Miranda rights. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell even tried to score political points by insulting counterterrorism field agents. Of course, they ignored that President Bush treated shoe bomber Richard Reid in almost exactly the same way in 2001. And Obama’s rejection of torture has actually aided Abdulmutallab’s cooperation, not hurt it.
Later in the interview, Powell said that he has “no problem” with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed being tried in federal court, though he would prefer the trial to be held some place other than New York City. Powell also reaffirmed his commitment to closing the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, saying it “has cost us a lot over the years in terms of our standing in the world and the way in which despots have hidden behind what we have done at Guantanamo to justify their own positions.”… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Here’s the bottom line. Ever since the US withdrawal from Vietnam, National Security has been the GOP’s exclusive domain. They have used it ever since to portray Democrats as week, attack our patriotism, and strike fear into the hearts of uninformed voters. It boggles me that they have kept up this deception for so long, especially considering that the most significant contribution the GOP has made to national security in recent years is allowing 9/11 to happen on their watch through their incompetence. Suddenly that is changing. Under the Democrats, more terrorists are being killed. High lever terrorist leaders are being captured. Interrogations without torture are discovering better actionable intelligence than anything ChickenHawk and his sidekick, Texas Torquemada, ever got through their war crimes. The GOP is so desperate that they are telling even more absurd lies in a pathetic attempt ho hang onto national security preeminence. It isn’t working.
I still cannot think of Colin Powell without visualizing him standing before the United Nations, parroting Bush/GOP lies to justify their war for oil and conquest that led to the waste of US lives and treasure and the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents. Nevertheless, it pleases me to see him trying to rehabilitate himself and thank him for his honesty.
11 Responses to “Powell Debunks Cheney’s National Security Claims”
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Won't matter to the Republicans they began cautiously slandering Powell the moment he stepped out of his place and broke his loyalty to Bush and the Party. They've been slandering him non-stop since he supported Obama.
As to your point of the GOP staking claim to National Security it matters not one wit to the Hypocrites and brain dead Right that they support a coward who sought 5 deferments over a General.
Given the chickenhawks I work around I have long since realized that the whole country has stepped to the other side of the looking glass.
With fat drug addicted blowhards on the radio and hundred dollar haircut cowards on television the expertise and experience of a former four-star general with combat experience is far out weighed by the deranged fearmongering of a soul-less creature who only cares for himself and his kin.
Colin Powell knows war and security; Dick Cheney does not. Cheney and Bush were both briefed on 8/5/01 aboout an impending Bin Laden-directed attack using airplanes, and 5 weeks later, ON THEIR WATCH, we were attacked. Colin Powell is a man of integrity and does not lie; Dick Cheney has no integrity and is a consumate liar. Colin Powell and Barack Obama oppose torture; Dick Cheney does not – he supports and advocates it. But under the no-torture policy of Obama, we have obtained far more useful and actionable intelligence data from would-be terrorists than we did from Cheney's torture methods. Colin Powell has demonstrated courage in serving his country many times; Dick Cheney is a despicable chickenhawk war criminal.
I'm with Powell and Obama. I wouldn't trust that liar Dick Cheney as far as I can spit. Cheney can go straight to hell and take his fearmongering daughter, the neocon Republicans, and the racist and hateful anti-Obama teabaggers right down there with him. NOW!
When it comes to national security matters, I will take Powell's word over Dick Cheney. Even before Powell came out against the former VP, I did not trust Cheney. While still disappointed with Powell over the war, I am partially inclined to believe he was more of stooge, with Cheney and Bush keeping him out of the loop, although that would be just speculation…
It is funny that the teabaggers like to weigh in on all these military and national security matters but they refuse to listen to anyone who is actually knowledgeable of the situation…
Even considering that Bush lawyer who was upset Obama is killing too many terrorists… To me, I see it that the Obama administration is getting the job done. The Bush administration used these enemy combatants as political tools, keeping them around to keep Americans scared to make sure they keep coming back to the National Security-minded GOP.
Darth Vader is alive and well and has an evil daughter as well!! You can't change stoopid. Kudos for Powell, he knows these bastards and their lies…
Hey, it's so cool that I am on the 38000 marker…right on!!!
TC – I am with you on the UN thing, however, I think he was snowed into it and kept in the dark about the real facts. I don't believe that Colin Powell would intentionally lie, even for Bush. He's an honorable and honest man and has served his country well.
I agree with what everyone here has said – especially Jack – you are exactly on point on this one. As to that fuck stick Cheney – I wouldn't trust a word that comes out of his mouth. Please go back to your undisclosed location and stay there!
Gene, I fully agree. It's not the Faux Noise directed sheeple I hope to influence. It's the sane segment of our culture.
And the choir said, "Amen", Jack.
Kevin and Lisa, my only disagreement is that I think Powell had to know, deep down, that he was serving a big plate of BS. If I, with my highly limited resources knew that the data did not fit the facts, I don't see how he could not have known.
Right on is right, Teeluck!
Cheney's undisclosed location should be disclosed as the designated toilet dumping zone for airliners.
Sorry I missed you, Beach. Right On!
The Big Dick just does what he always does…talks the big talk without anything to back him up on matters of national security. He's got a daughter following right behind him.
Colin Powell may have tried to do the right thing too late, but at least he's finally doing the right thing. Too bad that the die-hards just abandoned him when he stopped drinking the Kool-Aid.
I agree Sky. They abandon anyone that stops drinking the Kool Aid.