Cheney Confirms He Disagreed With Rumsfeld’s Ouster: He Was Still ‘The Right Guy’ For The Job
Cheney Confirms He Disagreed With Rumsfeld’s Ouster: He Was Still ‘The Right Guy’ For The Job
In a new interview with Fox News to be aired this Saturday, Vice President Dick Cheney reveals that he disagreed with President Bush’s decision to fire Donald Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary. Fox News reports:
Cheney said despite Rumsfeld’s controversial handling of the war in Iraq, the secretary of defense was managing the war successfully.
Speaking openly with Bret Baier in the new documentary, “Dick Cheney: No Retreat,” the vice president said he “thought that in terms of the way forward, Don was the right guy to continue to lead the Department of Defense.”
This interview is the first time Cheney has confirmed that he disagreed with Bush’s decision to fire Rumsfeld. In his biography of the Vice President that came out in July, Stephen Hayes revealed that Cheney — when asked by staffers whether he agreed with Bush’s decision — responded “absolutely not.” At Rumsfeld’s farewell ceremony last December, Cheney said that Rumsfeld was the “finest Secretary of Defense this nation has ever had.”
Much of Cheney’s loyalty stems from the fact that Rumsfeld first hired Cheney 40 years ago. In 1969, Rumsfeld hired Cheney to “his first job in the federal government” as an assistant at the Office of Economic Opportuntiy. Five years later, Rumsfeld became White House Chief of Staff and made Cheney his deputy. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for what Don Rumsfeld was willing to do,” Cheney said.
In a recent interview with GQ, Rumsfeld responded, “Um, no,” when asked whether or not he misses Bush. But he added, “I still see Cheney.”
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
64 Responses to “Cheney Confirms He Disagreed With Rumsfeld’s Ouster: He Was Still ‘The Right Guy’ For The Job”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
He was obviously the wrong guy to run our military so I wonder what job Cheney was referring to.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:02 pmJust one more thing to blame Rummy for! Those two may go down in history as the biggest F@ckups …… EVER!
October 11th, 2007 at 12:03 pmThese two go waaaaay back…………..
October 11th, 2007 at 12:04 pm9PM ET - Cheney?
I wasn’t told there would be any math. By my guess is that it would equal 5PM PT
October 11th, 2007 at 12:05 pmObviously Rumsfeld was working on Cheney’s agenda because he wasn’t doing the right job for the country. And for the Vice President to come out and say he disagreed with the President, while they are still in office, isn’t that kind of unusual. Why does the administration hate the administration?
October 11th, 2007 at 12:05 pmCheney is undermining our troops morale with this statement.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:07 pmThe biography is titled Dick Cheney: No Retreat?
I guess that’s a fitting title. Since he never actually served in the military, it’s impossible for him to have retreated from anything.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:07 pm“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for what Don Rumsfeld was willing to do,†Cheney said.
Oh well clearly a government employee giving another government employee a government job qualifies him to any post within the government.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:07 pmOther than being on the public teet within and without the government have these two done anything?
Like Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney was a huge proponent of privatizing the military. I think it can be correctly argued that this administration has, for all intents and purposes, hired their own private army. What I wonder is, how does this not violate the constitution’s granting to Congress the power “to raise and support armies”? And were any of these contracts to the private mercenaries for more than a two-year period? How could the executive branch get away with doing something the legislative branch isn’t allowed to do?
October 11th, 2007 at 12:08 pmDick Cheney is a hero. He’s willing to sacrifice every living soldier to keep his profits rolling in. What a great American.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:08 pmLoyalty over ability. Hallmark of this administration. I suppose we should be happy, it means that Cheney doesn’t make every decision in the white house.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:09 pmSurprise surprise !!…..
∞
October 11th, 2007 at 12:09 pmRummy and the Dickster are just sore because G. Dubious turned out to be far more of an idiot than they could handle.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:09 pm“Cheney said that Rumsfeld was the ‘finest Secretary of Defense this nation has ever had.’ ”
I’d love to see Cheney’s list of criteria for what makes a good or bad SoD. To say that Rumsfeld was the “finest” is a major stretch. I would say Rumsfeld was the worst ever, with only McNamara even coming close when it came to bungling a war.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:11 pmLooks like Fox News is pinning it’s remaining hopes on Cheney to be it’s savior.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:12 pmRemember when Rummy said the US would be in Iraq for “weeks, not months”? Remember when Cheney said Iraq oil revenues would pay for the war? Or when he said that Iraqis will greet our GIs with flowers?
What a couple of stupid, reckless pieces of dog snot.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:14 pmThink what you want about Secretary Gates, but right now he’s the only person standing in the way of Cheney’s desire to hit Iran. Of course Dick misses Rummy.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:14 pmCheney sounds more psychotic each time he pokes his head out of the bunker.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:17 pmKoko, in order to lie and deceive you need two participants: the one who lies and the other (100 million people?) that believes it.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:17 pmBush firing Rumsfeld is equivalent to a trained dog biting the hand of its trainer.
Now Cheney, the trainer, is reminding Bush that he was a bad doggie.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:18 pm“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for what Don Rumsfeld was willing to do,†Cheney said.
I didn’t like Don that much till this statement, now I loath him. Curse you Don for helping further the career of a Fascist War Criminal like Darth Cheney.
Buck Fush
October 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pmCheney: “Rummy, I wish I knew how to quit you.”
October 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pmThick as thieves Rummy and dead eye Dick are.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pmShake hands with dictators?
Yeah, he did a great one.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:20 pmFrom Yahoo news:
Laura Bush raises diplomatic profile with Myanmar criticism.
Christ is it possible that Laura is the Republic666ans last best hope?
Trying to put a softer edge on the thug machine.
And who knew she spoke?
October 11th, 2007 at 12:21 pmAnd on what basis Dick Cheney thinks that Rummy is ‘the right guy for the job’?. Is that based on ‘Mission Acomplished’ results…?!!
October 11th, 2007 at 12:23 pmSounds like Muskrat love!
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin’ and jingin’ the propagando
Floatin’ like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love
Nibbling on bacon, chewin’ on sleaze
October 11th, 2007 at 12:25 pmRummy says to Dick “Honey, would you please be my missus?”
And he say yes
With his kisses
“And for the Vice President to come out and say he disagreed with the President, while they are still in office, isn’t that kind of unusual. Why does the administration hate the administration?”
Bush thinks history will vindicate him as it has Truman. Cheney knows better. Both of these criminals are preoccupied with their precious legacies - individually. This is simply a case of Cheney nudging Bush closer and closer to the wheels of the bus.
More to follow, I’m sure…….
jb
October 11th, 2007 at 12:25 pmI have a crazy-ass conspiracy theory, and this is just as good a thread as any to put it out there (and I did put it on the other Cheney thread). What if this is what Bush and Cheney have in mind? On Jan 18, 2009 (assuming the Congress hasn’t come to its senses and impeached, convicted and removed these criminals by then), Bush issues Cheney a full pardon for anything he might have done wrong (just as Ford did for Nixon) and then immediately resigns. Cheney then gets sworn in and immediately issues the same full pardon to Bush. Now both of them get away scot free. What do you think: Too crazy to be true? Or just crazy enough that it might be true?
October 11th, 2007 at 12:29 pmWayne, there is no need for conspiracy theories.
Ruling class will never betray themselves.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:31 pmLoyalty over ability. Hallmark of this administration-comment by krazny
It was also the hallmark of the Third Reich.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:31 pmCheney & Rumsfeld - Blood Brothers for 30 years. The sad fact is that Cheney, himself, is not right for the job.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:34 pmDeadeye Dick - The Master of Cronyism and Corruption
October 11th, 2007 at 12:34 pmYes, krazny & Unc: The ideology of the Third Reich was loyalty above ALL else. Sadly, neo-fascism is alive and well within this country. Taken right from Hitler’s playbook.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:35 pmAlso from Yahoo news:
Merle Haggard endorses Hillary for President:
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ time/ merlehaggardsfightinside
Good God the worm has turned!
October 11th, 2007 at 12:35 pmWayne: Crazy enough that it might be true, unfortunately. Nothing this gang of thugs has done has been what one could call “sane” from day one. They’re hell bent on a coup on this democracy from within. They’re almost there at this point but the midterms botched their diabolical scheme.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:37 pmX: I love your muskrat love jingle. You need to copyright it.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:38 pmNow both of them get away scot free. What do you think: Too crazy to be true? Or just crazy enough that it might be true?
Comment by Wayne A. Schneider — October 11, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Maybe that’s why impeachment is off the table. Maybe the Democrats don’t want to start filing charges against these two while they can pardon each other. Maybe they’re waiting to start convicting these guys when they have no power left.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:38 pmThe only thing history will do to Bush will be to indict him and to classify him as “the worst president EVER in the history of this country - bar none.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:38 pmWith all due respect Uncle Ho, krazny, Veritas: I think “loyalty over ability” is the hallmark of almost all bureacratic/corporate subcultures.
The GOP’s problem is that loyalty to the Cult of Bush trumps loyalty to the best interests of the country, every time.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:42 pmI’m just resigned to the fact that we will have to endure this administration until January ‘09. I don’t even know if I’m interested in going after them when they leave. We will have too much work to do to restore this nation’s economy, military, social programs, and standing in the world. Just let them fade away so that we never have to hear of them again.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:43 pmI like this scenario better:
Against all the combined efforts of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh, and FoxNews, Hillary is elected President. Immediately after taking the oath of office, she issues her first executive order designating Dick Cheney as a subsersive agent serving the interests of a company HQ’d in the Middle East, and using the powers the GOP Congress (with Dem compliance) granted to George Bush, has him immediately arrested and sent to a secret detention center somewhere in the Balkans. He has no recourse to legal representation, can’t contest the charges against him nor examine the evidence, and is subjected to Bush-approved “coercive interrogation” methods to find out how Halliburton and Blackwater profited from corruption in Iraq.
Of course, being the true military hero he is, Cheney breaks down in hysterical tears before the CIA has even finished strapping him to the waterboard and spills the beans. That’s when the fun really begins.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:44 pmFor all that can be said about Darth Cheney, you have to admit that he is consistent — consistently wrong.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:46 pmHey bluestatedon, I like the way you think. Now what do we do with W?
October 11th, 2007 at 12:48 pmOf course, being the true military hero he is, Cheney breaks down in hysterical tears before the CIA has even finished strapping him to the waterboard and spills the beans. That’s when the fun really begins.
Comment by bluestatedon — October 11, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
And I think Cheney would break down in tears before the plane carrying him left the tarmac.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:48 pmAnd he knows Rummy would have willingly bombed Iran, at the word from Darth.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:59 pmAt least if we followed the scenario where we send cheney overseas to be tortured err sorry interrogated using enhanced methods, we don’t have to pay his salary.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:00 pmGood Gawd, is this mutherfu[ker still alive ?
I thought for sure his Uncle Satan had come to give him a permanent visit
at his rather warm retreat.
Must have been a dream.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:09 pmI doubt that Darth Cheney will be tortured — he’ll seek a deferment because “he has other priorities”. If that doesn’t work, he’ll just continue to hide out in an “undisclosed location”.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:10 pmOnce again, Dick(head) Cheney is wrong!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:11 pmRummy did a heckuva job, too!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pmRight for “what” job Dick?
October 11th, 2007 at 1:40 pmAnother day, another outrage, another free pass - operation ongoing nightmare continues with no end in sight…
One thing is painfully obvious to me and has been for quite some time, Bush and his merry band of lawbreakers are running this country like Bush ran all his businesses - straight into the ground. At the rate we’re going we may never fully recover from all the damage. Thanks for nothing but trouble BushCo voters! Heckuva job!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:46 pmHUUUUUUUH?
Cheney is turning on the Chipmeror ? Rove has left for an undisclosed other job. The neocons have jumped to Ghooliani ? The presidential candidate avoid Shrub like the plaque. (even one in the recent debate asked what he would do if Shrub should offer his support, and the candidate dodging the question by saying that there is no way that he would be the one to get Shrub’s tip of the hat)
Congress critters having to distance themselves from their lockstep to the tune of Shrub (even hurt Kerry last time in his “I was for the war but then I was against it”)
I’m trying to picture how this is gonna play out in the upcoming presidential election and it really, really, really, looks really, really, really wierd.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:49 pmOh, I should have added, total agreement to Evil Poet #51 - Of course, I can’t help but reference Molly Ivins (?sp?).
And generals are coming out of the woodwork to talk about problems in the military. (a really, really, really odd occurence)
October 11th, 2007 at 1:51 pm“Dick Cheney: No Retreatâ€.
Cornered rats cannot retreat. They can only attack, and invariably do just that.
As John McCain put it: “Bomb bomb bomb, Bomb bomb Iran..”.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:02 pmThat cheney the incarnated NAZI should have been the one fired!
October 11th, 2007 at 2:02 pmOur overwhelmed military resulted from a strategic failure dating back to the inception of the Bush administration. Beginning with Donald Rumsfeld’s myopic military transformation, the seeds of today’s overburdened, exhausted, mercenary-laden American national security posture were sown.
For the details, see:
October 11th, 2007 at 2:17 pm“The Price of Bush’s Military Transformation.”
Of course Cheney wanted Rumsfeld to stay on - they had been such buds all along. They sold WMD to Saddam during the Iran-Iraq war. They sold nuclear reactors to North Korea in 2000, only to declare the North Koreans to be part of the axis of evil for possessing same in 2002. http://www.guardian.co.uk/ korea/ article/ 0,2763,952289,00.html
One has to wonder what they sold to Iran so they could declare the Iranians part of the axis of evil.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:24 pmVerbalkint; about Cheney being hunkered down in his bunker,
Hitler, at least had the decency to blow his brains out while in his bunker.
Somebody give 5-deferment Dickhead a gun and leave the room.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:04 pmStephen Hayes’ biography book on Dick Cheney should be titled “Just Dick!”
Cheney is the most heartless person in the world (artificial heart doesn’t feel empathy). He shouldn’t be in public service or leading our country with the lame duck prez.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:44 pmI believe Cheney is not doing well mentally.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:06 amBesides, his obsession with money and oil is so exacerbated that he will do whatever possible to keep this war going - as long as “someone” is making money from it!(The money that you and I make for them!)
Dick Cheney is insane. Do we really want someone who is so obviously certifiably crazy running this country? His comments should be ignored going forward. Just like we would ignore the rantings of Charles Manson. Perhaps more so. Cheney is more dangerous than Manson.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pmGet a clue Cheney Rumsfeld wanted to quit after Abu Graib.
October 12th, 2007 at 7:37 pm