Think Progress

Williams: ‘Thank God’ Cheney was in office on 9/11.

For his new book, Reality Show, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz conducted “extensive interviews with journalists and executives at all levels of ABC, NBC and CBS” about their networks’ coverage of the Iraq war and the post-9/11 era. In one of those interviews, someone revealed to Kurtz that on 9/11, NBC anchor Brian Williams found relief in the fact that “that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell were on the team”:

For Williams, it all went back to Sept. 11, 2001. As a citizen, he thought on that fateful day, thank God that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell were on the team.




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81 Responses to “Williams: ‘Thank God’ Cheney was in office on 9/11.”

  1. Leftside Annie Says:

    Good grief. Delusional much?


  2. raynman Says:

    It's always nice to know where the criminals are when some sort of disaster happens. That way you can keep them from looting and taking advantage of the situation.

    oops


  3. Art Says:

    Too bad GWB was on the team, too.


  4. Fan of Man Says:

    which god would you thank? satan?


  5. Attaturk Says:

    Yeah, thanks a LOT God!


  6. Nevar Says:

    Cheney was in office on 9/11.

    That's not what I heard.
    Where was he? NORAD or some such....


  7. Attaturk Says:

    Was this while he was listening to his favorite radio host Rush Limbaugh?


  8. DennisRaines Says:

    And where are Rumsfeld and Powell now?


  9. Bobwurst Says:

    This is the difference between news reporters and news readers. Williams doesn't have a brain or a thought in his head. He just reads what someone puts in front of him.


  10. Jim Says:

    Thank God Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Powell were on the team that lied the United States into an illegal, unnecessary, and immoral war. I wouldn't have entrusted that important task to anyone else.
    - Brian Williams


  11. drewschimmenti Says:

    This is not news, who cares? Thanks for sharing some random person's opinion that they are completely entitled to have.


  12. Dumb_Fox Says:

    Tom Friedman wrote exactly the same sort of garbage around this time. Here's a link that quotes him:

    http://www.dissidentvoice.org/July05/Solomon0728-2.htm

    “There is a lot about the Bush team’s foreign policy I don’t like, but their willingness to restore our deterrence, and to be as crazy as some of our enemies, is one thing they have right.”

    We needed smart, but we got stupid, corrupt and incompetent. And d!cks like Friedman celebrated.


  13. Dave C Says:

    Jesus love President Bush and Vice President Cheney more than he loves the demms.

    Comment by Zionist-Crusader — October 9, 2007 @ 12:21 pm

    Unfortunately he's not too thrilled with Americans. Oh wait, you already acknowledged that. But you're right, he does seem to have rewarded Bush & Cheney while screwing the rest of the world. Almost makes you think that maybe Jesus isn't the one to thank... maybe it's the dude with the horns.


  14. TheToonGuy Says:

    I wonder if the troll is diliberately trying to get kicked off.


  15. Veritas Says:

    Are they getting nervous in thanking god that Cheney and Rummy were in office on 911 or what?? It may go without saying that 911 would never have happened WITHOUT Cheney being office. Time will tell the truth on this one.


  16. gak Says:

    Brian Williams is about as thoughtful as a rock.
    .


  17. Veritas Says:

    I can see from the "repetitive posting habit" that our little Zionist crusader is none other than Jake!


  18. Veritas Says:

    Brian Williams is just another corrupt Bush whore.


  19. Veritas Says:

    Maybe the larger truth is that we wouldn't have to "thank god" at all if these thugs weren't in office on 911? Do you really think this would have happened under Gore's watch? Come on, now.....get real here.


  20. Skeeter1 Says:

    Yes, but what he meant was that because if Al Gore had been President, America would have toppled the Taliban, captured Bin Laden, and continued to contain Saddam.

    Williams is a reporter, after all, and where would be the drama in something like that? It would have kept the media busy for six months, max. Instead, because we had Rumsfeld et al., we have an unendless string of tragedy to report, and that's good for Williams' business.

    Williams cares about what is good for "the news." Can you blame him? This is his job we are talking about.


  21. TheToonGuy Says:

    #22 - Definitely a sock puppet. Pretty pathetic that it has to log in as the alter ego and "reccomend" its own drivel. Abuse reported.


  22. Veritas Says:

    Tom Friedman is another sycophantic Bush Wore with a vested interest in the military war machine.


  23. Veritas Says:

    Whore, that is....hahahah!


  24. dim wit Says:

    Comment by Zionist-Crusader — October 9, 2007 @ 12:21 pm

    Where am I on Jesus's sliding scale of intergalatic love?


  25. rocks911 Says:

    Yeah those two old sages. "The war will last weeks or months, but certainly not years"
    They are the most incompetent senile self-serving tyrants to have ever darkened the corridors of our government. I hope they live the remainder of their days like their predecessor Nixon, ashamed and hiding in their own pathetic ineptness.


  26. Red Pill Says:

    Jesus love President Bush and Vice President Cheney more than he loves the demms.

    Godd Bless America my home sweet home

    God bless America my homme swwweet hommes

    Hey, Z-C, What Would Jesus Misspell?


  27. Veritas Says:

    These trolls have absolutely nothing intelligent or credible at this point to say or spin so they resort to obviously inane commentary, repetitive remarks, and even infantile tactics. Ignore them totally.


  28. Jason M. Hendler Says:

    Everyone had the same thought on 9/11. No one wanted to even think what a flacid individual like John Kerry would do - file suit in world court?


  29. Veritas Says:

    rocks911: Add "totally corrupt thugs" to the list of descriptive adjectives when you talk about Deadeye Dick and Rummy Tum-Tum.


  30. Veritas Says:

    freeze out the troll


  31. rocks911 Says:

    33,

    Retard, everyone is a sinner.


  32. Candyce Says:

    CIA repeatedly warned Bush about an impending terrorist attack using airplanes.

    After receiving the PDB with this information, Bush tells the agent," You've covered your ass now." He then takes off early that day and goes fishing.

    Still thanking God, Brian Williams?


  33. TheToonGuy Says:

    I know it's hard, but please try to stay on topic. It sometimes help to go back to the top of the page and read the article in question. Sound out the words you don't understand.


  34. Dave C Says:

    Still thanking God, Brian Williams?

    Comment by Candyce — October 9, 2007 @ 12:33 pm

    He didn't thank God for Bush.


  35. alphainfinityomega Says:

    Zionist-Crusader is definitely Mr. Pee.

    ∞


  36. rocks911 Says:

    You're an idiot.


  37. TheToonGuy Says:

    Ignore the troll. Report their abuse instead.


  38. dim wit Says:

    Depends, are you a sinner?

    Comment by Zionist-Crusader — October 9, 2007 @ 12:29 pm

    Well I've never signed an execution warrant, invaded a soverign country based on misleading information or tortured anyone.


  39. dim wit Says:

    I have a hard time believing Williams said this. Is anyone else aware of Brian Williams politics?


  40. The Shadow Says:

    It should come as no surprise that Brian Williams is an Butt kisser from way back. He like most of the idiots who do the news now are Republican apoligist and wannta bees. Being a butt kisser is the "In" thing amoung so called journalists. They don't understand that being even handed in their reporting and keeping their personal opinions private is what is in the best interest of the country. That is precisely why I don't watch NBC News.


  41. Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    I guess Rudy Giuliani has found his running mate in Brian Williams.


  42. ReverendMarkCom Says:

    They were "on the team" alright.


  43. jillco Says:

    I had the opposite thought when the towers were hit on 9/11. I called my husband and cried, "I wish Bill Clinton was still out President!"


  44. jasperjava Says:

    There's another, more plausible explanation for this.

    When 9/11 happened, and Williams saw that B*sh was reading "My Pet Goat" for seven long minutes, totally clueless, referring to the monstrous terrorists as "the folks who did this", he must have felt glad that at least there were other people around like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Powell who seemed to have more than two brain cells to rub together.

    His sentiment may have been, "Oh sh*t, here we have a huge crisis, and the so-called President is a drooling moron. Thank God that some of his advisors are on the case."

    He couldn't have predicted that these "smart" people would end up cooking up a huge foreign policy clusterfuhk.

    That must be it.


  45. upside99 Says:

    I guess Rudy Giuliani has found his running mate in Brian Williams.
    Comment by Wayne A. Schneider — October 9, 2007 @ 12:49 pm

    O rmaybe he is auditioning for Snow-job's replacement. It is clear little Dana (Gee, I am just like Katie Couric) Perino, is not up to the job. She can't lie with a straight face, like the Big Boyz can.


  46. jillco Says:

    Oops...I meant , " I wish Bill Clinton was still our President!"


  47. VerbalKint Says:

    but, but, but....liberal media!!!!

    Clinton did it.


  48. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    People, please read the link before condemnations. I think you will find that each of these people have radically changed their minds. We need to keep in mind that about 70% of Americans approved the Iraq invasion in 2003, while about 30% were opposed. Those numbers have reversed themselves. Should those Americans who woke up be condemned for what they thought THEN...or commended that they finally came to their senses?


  49. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    Ignore the troll. Report their abuse instead.

    Comment by TheToonGuy — October 9, 2007 @ 12:42 pm

    I do, and I just did.


  50. Uncle Ho Says:

    "Thank God Cheney was in office."-

    I just puked up my lunch with that one.


  51. RUCerious Says:

    More like thank Allah?


  52. Juan C. Says:

    Yeah, I remember how he flew and stop those planes from crashing WTC buildings...


  53. NoMoreBush Says:

    Well, I have a horrible admission to make that on that day I thought the same thing -- of course, it did not take me long to become enlightened with the run up to Iraq in 2002/03 when I realized they were using 9/11 as a pre-text for everything. Sadly, one could speculate that, had Gore been in office, counter-terrorism would have been on the radar on 9/10 and there sure as hell would not have been a month long siesta at the ranch during all those pesky PDBs in August.

    Every day since, I regret that I actually thought that same thought. In fairness to Williams, I bet he feels the same way.


  54. ThatsNotFunny Says:

    Given that on 9/11/01, the incompetence of these three men were not common knowledge compared to present day, let's cut Brian Williams a little slack here. We've all seen the seemingly brilliant pre-9/11 videos of Cheney warning of the pitfalls of trying to occupy Iraq. That's the kind of restrained, rational, logical person he thought he was dealing with.


  55. Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    We need to keep in mind that about 70% of Americans approved the Iraq invasion in 2003, while about 30% were opposed. Those numbers have reversed themselves. Should those Americans who woke up be condemned for what they thought THEN…or commended that they finally came to their senses?

    Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — October 9, 2007 @ 1:03 pm

    Both. They should absolutely be congratulated and commended for finally coming to therir senses, but they deserve a big slap upside the head for believing the lies in the first place, especially those in the media. Keep in mind that the invasion of Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism, and that those in the Corporate-Controlled Media should have known that. They should have been doing their jobs and investigated statements made by the Bush administration, instead of acting as their transcribers and just repeating what they said (out of fear of being branded "unpatriotic".) Before he ran in 2000, Bush had a well-documented history of telling lies, so why did they just give him a pass when he took the WH and assume he changed? And on 9/11, why didn't Williams think instead, "Oh, shit, and Cheney and Rumsfeld were part of PNAC. I bet they use this as an excuse to invade Iraq." Many of us thought that before the invasion of Iraq, why didn't he?


  56. 1984 Says:

    "The PNAC blueprint of September 2000 states that the process of transforming the US into "tomorrow's dominant force" is likely to be a long one in the absence of "some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor". The 9/11 attacks allowed the US to press the "go" button for a strategy in accordance with the PNAC agenda which it would otherwise have been politically impossible to implement."
    Michael Meacher


  57. upside99 Says:

    “Thank God Cheney was in office.”-

    I just puked up my lunch with that one.
    Comment by Uncle Ho — October 9, 2007 @ 1:07 pm

    Unka Ho,

    were you eating Ham and Lima Motherf@ckers or Green eggs and brown ham? OOOO! the memories! heh heh


  58. jasperjava Says:

    On September 11, 2001, I wished that Al Gore had been in office. That being said, even though I didn't think much of George W. Bush's abilities, I was confident that he and his "team" would do the best they can to respond to this crisis. I was dismayed when he hopscotched around the country, desperately seeking somewhere to hide; I was flabbergasted at the way he referred to the terrorists as "jes' folks", but he struck the right tone before Congress when he said that it wasn't a war against Islam.

    In the early going, I thought Afghanistan was well handled also. It was this insane drumbeat against Iraq that made me very suspicious. It just didn't add up.


  59. Uncle Ho Says:

    upside; it's been many years since I dined on C-rats.


  60. Bad Eye Says:

    Cheney was in office on 9/11.

    That’s not what I heard.
    Where was he? NORAD or some such….

    Comment by Nevar — October 9, 2007 @ 12:11 pm

    Would that be the Executive Office, that which Cheney says he is not a part of?


  61. Nevar Says:

    Would that be the Executive Office, that which Cheney says he is not a part of?

    Comment by Bad Eye

    I would call it the Executors Office, and not in the legal sense of the word executor.


  62. Bad Eye Says:

    Two things to consider, folks:

    According to the info above, Kurtz got this info from someone other than Williams himself. Kinda like those "unnamed White House officials" who are used as sources, and who the Righties detest and ignore when it suits them

    And, if true, you have to consider whether or not Williams would feel the same way now.


  63. OxyCon Says:

    "Rush Limbaugh has a place in American history he has not yet received his due for," Brian Williams told ABC Radio network host Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

    "There were millions of Americans who were out in the wilderness and had no one who shared their voice," the NBC'er said. "And he came along and gave birth to a whole bunch of things."

    Williams called Limbaugh "a leader in the business" and said he regards it as "my job to listen to Rush."


  64. Beyonce Welch Says:

    Thank God that I don't watch Brian Williams !


  65. Buckie Boy Says:

    Yeah, thank God. Just think if the REAL ELECTED PRESIDENT had been in office 9/11 most likely would not have occured.
    But they are thanking God (the Magical Invisible Faerie in the Sky) that Cheney was in there, because that insured that 9/11 would indeed happen. Which is just what the NeoCon Fascist Pigs wanted.

    Buck Fush


  66. Leftside Annie Says:

    Holy crap. And THIS from the "liberal media."


  67. Zooey Says:

    Zionist-Crusader is definitely Mr. Pee.
    ∞
    Comment by alphainfinityomega — October 9, 2007 @ 12:38 pm

    I'm thinking that's Flaco. At least Pee knows how to spell. :D


  68. Arne Langsetmo Says:

    So a really bad thing happens, and this eedjit thinks it's a good thing that the people who were in charge were in charge?!?!?

    Whatta maroon.....

    And in the meanwhile, they've just been shown to be worse incompetents and eedjits...

    Cheers,


  69. Arne Langsetmo Says:

    #26 TheToonGuy:

    Abuse reported.

    Indeed. Just flag 'em all, and watch the little troll go *poof* into a cloud of smoke.

    Cheers,


  70. Bad Eye Says:

    Comment by Zooey — October 9, 2007 @ 2:40 pm

    Hey Zooey! (This is WC...I decided on a name change before registering on the new system).

    Haven't seen you around lately. Hope things are going well.


  71. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    Before he ran in 2000, Bush had a well-documented history of telling lies, so why did they just give him a pass when he took the WH and assume he changed? And on 9/11, why didn’t Williams think instead, “Oh, shit, and Cheney and Rumsfeld were part of PNAC. I bet they use this as an excuse to invade Iraq.” Many of us thought that before the invasion of Iraq, why didn’t he?

    Comment by Wayne A. Schneider — October 9, 2007 @ 1:22 pm

    I don't know why they and the other 70% of Americans didn't respond that way. I really am not absolutely positive why I responded in the opposite way, other than I have some kind of wierd built-in radar detector to propaganda. Oh yeah, and also some knowledge of our historical involvement with both Iraq and Afghanistan (and the next target, Iran, alsol). I'm probably one of the small percentage opposed to cluster bombing Afghanistan as well after 9/11. It wasn't that much earlier in time that the Taliban was visiting in D.C. discussing the Unicol pipeline with U.S. officials. And I always thought it was interesting that Karzai was an executive with Unicol, prior to being elected President of Afghanistan after the war. And/or that the bin Laden family were investors in the Carlyle Group, of which Bush I was on the Board. Or that the family was flown out of the United States ASAP following 9/11. So many dots, so little time.


  72. tkdmike Says:

    Well, we knew Brian WIlliams was a NEOCON nutcase and I guess this makes it VERY REAL. Friggen IDIOT......


  73. upside99 Says:

    upside; it’s been many years since I dined on C-rats.

    Comment by Uncle Ho — October 9, 2007 @ 1:49 pm

    Me too, but it is a cuisine you never forget, once you have them.


  74. widebear Says:

    Williams is a very timid, fearful man. That is why he is doing well. He would not be employed on a vigorous news show.


  75. celtic cynic Says:

    and Brian Williams still has his head up his ass.


  76. loveless Says:

    Thats it for me and NBC, I'm out of here, thanks for the ride.


  77. loveless Says:

    Brian Williams, next stop FOX noise.


  78. Kahoneez Says:

    Ok Brian , you like listening to Rush and said he didn't get enough credit , and you're feeling warm and fuzzy that dick was in charge , but where was he exactly and where was Gen. meyers ? But the real kicker was when you said " we (news channel) are in the terrorism business "But of course , we don't a real news media . It's been consolidated into a conservative echo chamber , and when it's required NOT to report the history or give context to the Armenian GENOCIDE, you give it 6,7,8 seconds brushing over what Turkey did, because GE, Boeing, and the rest of you war profiteers make MONEY from Turkey AND The U.S. is willing to forgive it's bloody past, ( not that long ago), to get use it's military bases in Turkey . According to NBC and U.S. foreign policy , Armenians are NOT " worthy victims" , why ?
    Because they serve no purpose . And lou Dobbs actually complained " that old story " , and criticizing congress for passing the resolution condemning Turkey , what a disgrace .
    Noooo, Williams is dangerous for not only what he says, but what he does NOT SAY .
    Hey look , another press conference about a missing girl , got to run .


  79. cokids Says:

    We'd BETTER take care of our young people! We're gonna need them for all this 'endless war' they're talking about....and they damn well better be HEALTHY young people too. It behooves us to keep them healthy! Wasn't that the reason we started the 'free lunch programs' in schools? We wanted young people strong enough to be drafted for war? Oh, I must be wrong. Couldn't BE!!

    Rush should be supporting SCHIP and be willing to expand it out the wazoo. When the Islamofascists come, I imagine they'll come for HIM (and people like him) first!!

    I bet he's got his fatigues all laundered and crisp....ready to fight them off himself to his last breath! Brave, Rush! Hero, Rush! Or will he just sit behind his microphone and 'cheerlead?'


  80. fltfsl Says:

    I'm new to this site. Didn't have time to read everything. Love it so far, tho. As far as God and Jesus are concerned...I am doing a "survey", if you will, in several different areas of my life and others. Christains expound the bible as the "new" testament or the "old" testament. Could someone here tell me that if the "new" one is new, why do we take the passages that suit us from that and ignore the "old"? Why do we take passages from the "old" and ignore the "new"? Just seems to me another reason to separate church and state.

    Also, yes, we should take care of the health of our young people. For THEM. But I am a realist. The draft simply cannot be far away. We are running out of warm bodies. How unbearably sad.


  81. racetoinfinity Says:

    I wish to GOD that Brian Williams wasn't one of the three broadcast network anchors if he has that opinion.



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