Cheney: ‘Guantanamo Has Been Well Run’
Cheney: ‘Guantanamo Has Been Well Run’
Today, Vice President Cheney continued the Bush administration’s legacy tour by appearing on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. Limbaugh’s hard-hitting questions included, “What are you most proud of?” and praise such as, “Over the years when I’ve spoken to you, you have purposely avoided any partisanship, because I know that this has been a policy of the administration.
At one point, Limbaugh mocked President-elect Obama’s promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Cheney agreed and defended Guantanamo, saying that it has been “very well run”:
CHENEY: I think so. I think Guantanamo has been very well run. I think if you look at it from the perspective of the requirements we had, once you go out and capture a bunch of terrorists, as we did in Afghanistan and elsewhere, then you’ve got to have some place to put them. If you bring them here to the U.S. and put them in our local court system, then they are entitled to all kinds of rights that we extend only to American citizens. [...]
So Guantanamo has been very, very valuable. And I think they’ll discover that trying to close it is a very hard proposition.
Listen here:
One reason that Obama has a better chance of closing Guantanamo is that he won’t have Cheney over his shoulder. President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have all said that they would like to close the detention facility. However, these efforts have been repeatedly blocked by officials in Cheney’s office, who object to moving detainees into the United States.
Guantanamo is not well-run, and its presence is putting U.S. servicemembers at risk rather than saving lives. As former Navy general counsel Alberto Mora has explained, Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are “the first and second identifiable causes of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq.” (CAP’s Ken Gude has put together a plan on how to safely close Guantanamo and transfer the detainees.)
In recent months, other current and former White House officials have been out highlighting Guantanamo as a positive part of Bush’s legacy. Last week, former attorney general John Ashcroft said that detaining terror suspects has been a “humanitarian act,” and Rice disputed that the U.S. image has been “tarnished” by torture.
Transcript:
LIMBAUGH: I saw a story in the paper a couple of weeks ago — it was either The Washington Post or The New York Times — that got — made me laugh; yet if I were you it would have frustrated me. I was able to laugh at it. But this story was in a newspaper that had continually been critical of the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay, and had been supportive of Democrats who had wanted to shut the place down and perhaps bring the prisoners home and give them access to the U.S. court system, as though they were U.S. citizens.
This story happened to say that perhaps President-Elect Obama will not close Guantanamo and will not have to do too much, just maybe write a new — ought to give him authority to keep the place open, because he wants the flexibility and needs the flexibility in order to deal with the problems presented by the prisoners there.
Now, I just — sir, I had to laugh because the thing that you and President Bush have been tarred and feathered over for the last five or six years, they’re now claiming, oh, this is good for us; this is — is that an example of things that you’ve put in place to help defend the country, and they’re going to be appreciative of once they get there and see it?
CHENEY: I think so. I think Guantanamo has been very well run. I think if you look at it from the perspective of the requirements we had, once you go out and capture a bunch of terrorists, as we did in Afghanistan and elsewhere, then you’ve got to have some place to put them. If you bring them here to the U.S. and put them in our local court system, then they are entitled to all kinds of rights that we extend only to American citizens.
Remember, these are unlawful combatants. These are people who don’t belong to any recognized military force. They don’t obey the rules of warfare. They’re unlawful combatants. And you can’t — if you’re not going to have a place to locate them like Guantanamo, then you either have to bring them here to the continental United States — and I don’t know any member of Congress who’s volunteering to have al Qaeda terrorists deposited in his district — or you’ve got to turn them over to some foreign government. And we found lots of times when you do that that a number of them have gone back into the — on to the battlefield and tried to kill Americans again.
So Guantanamo has been very, very valuable. And I think they’ll discover that trying to close it is a very hard proposition.
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Why is this man in the pic? Is he important or something? Its not like he’s the Vice President.
RIP
December 15th, 2008 at 5:27 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
So?
December 15th, 2008 at 5:28 pmYour opinion, Mr. Evil, is useless.
Go f uck yourself, Cheney.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:28 pmI wonder if anyone will throw their shoes at this dikkhead?
December 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pmI think Guantanamo has been very well run.
And, the economy is doing just fine too! The last eight years have been a joy ride.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pmCheney reiterated his stance that he would be fine with Guantanamo remaining open indefinitely
I’d even offer Cheney his pick of one of the ’suites’ for his occupancy.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:32 pmToday, Vice President Cheney … appearing on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show….
December 15th, 2008 at 5:33 pm– - Why didn’t Cheney and Rush talk about REAL issues, like Sarah Palin’s church burning?
“Well run” Unka Dick says. Eat your heart out Torquemada!
Just saying . . .
December 15th, 2008 at 5:34 pmI think Cheney is laying the groundwork for an insanity defense when he charged for war crimes at The Hague.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:36 pmJebus, that evil old monster gives me the freaking willies!
*shudder*
Someone get the silver bullets and the stake!!
December 15th, 2008 at 5:38 pmSure but if they didn’t have that big classified ball thing that engulfs anyone who tries to leave the island….
December 15th, 2008 at 5:40 pm“CHENEY: I think so. I think Guantanamo has been very well run. I think if you look at it from the perspective of the requirements we had”
“Which were to prove to the world that we don’t give a rats a$$ what they think and to scare the crap out of those pussy democrats, well mission accomplished. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go get drunk and shoot a lawyer.”
December 15th, 2008 at 5:42 pmYes Dick, the Beacon of Democracy certainly can’t expend any effort to follow procedures necessary to prove that the people we incarcerate are actually guilty of something can we. No wonder your puppet can’t go out in public without having to dodge shoes.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:45 pmThis guy is a disgrace to fascists everywhere.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:45 pmdick cheney must have had a little too much affection for dick nixon.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:47 pmIf you bring them here to the U.S. and put them in our local court system, then they are entitled to all kinds of rights that we extend only to American citizens.
This is the heart of the problem. They are entitled to rights regardless of their citizenship. That’s what those guys meant by ‘inalienable’. You don’t have to be an American to be guaranteed those rights. When those same guys talked about ‘given by the Creator’, they were refering to rights that no government could give or take.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:53 pmCheney reiterated his stance that he would be fine with Guantanamo remaining open indefinitely.
In order to keep the “enemy combatants” from hunting him down and killing him, surely no other reason.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:57 pmDick(head) Cheney has been guided by the COMPLETELY USELESS and CLUELESS David Addington. He is one dumbass lawyer.
Both of these men should be remanded to The Hague for war crimes, crimes against humanity, murder, torture and illegal renditions.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pmDBadass@11.
LOL, am I the only one that got your “Prisoner” reference?
I loved that show!
December 15th, 2008 at 6:23 pm“then they are entitled to all kinds of rights that we extend only to American citizens.”
Like a trial to prove that they are, in fact, terrorists?
December 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pmAnyone got a size 10 their not using? I know a GREAT target.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:27 pmCheeney being on with Rush should say all that is necessary..words just spoil the image..two thumbs up for the best science fiction on earth….
December 15th, 2008 at 6:28 pmI think we should keep Gitmo open…to house Bush, Cheney, and the rest of the criminals in this administration. Ironic justice, indeed.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pmDamm this guy even looks evil while hes smile’in if there’s a satan he must be quite envious of cheney and what him and his stooge has done
December 15th, 2008 at 6:34 pm‘Guantanamo Has Been Well Run’
From Evil’s perspective it has.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pmDid Cheney talk about how he and his Cabal purchased prisoners in Pakistan…you know….to fill up GITMO to make it look like they’re tough on terror? Spit.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:48 pmLet’s all remember how heavily Cheney and Halliburton are invested in privately run prisons… on U.S. soil…
December 15th, 2008 at 6:52 pm“Also during the interview, Cheney said that Obama will “appreciate” how the Bush administration expanded executive power.”
######
While that may prove to be true, I think the republicans are going to heavily regret all of the expanded power that Obama will have thanks to them.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pmOn CNN just now (The Situation-uhh Room-uhh with Wolf-uhh Blitzer-uhh [how did this phuck get into broadcasting with his constant -uuuhhs?]) they showed a clip from an ABC interview with Dick(head) Cheney where he admits he helped shape the illegal torture methods including water boarding which clearly states is OK.
Will Nancy PollLooser (Democratic Traitor) now put impeachment back on the table?
December 15th, 2008 at 7:00 pmI think if you look at it from the perspective of the requirements we had, once you go out and capture a bunch of terrorists, as we did in Afghanistan and elsewhere, then you’ve got to have some place to put them.
It’s what they don’t say that’s critical. “From the perspectives of the requirements we had” was accurate if they admit that their requirements were that these prisoners never see the inside of a courtroom. If any of them were allowed to come to trial, Bush and Cheney know that everything they did down there would be declared unconstitutional.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pmrhf #31,
“Teh” Nazis ran the trains on time too…
December 15th, 2008 at 7:06 pmI MIGHT feel better about how GITMO was run IF both Darth Cheney and George W Gump had done several year stints there.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pmAnd we wouldn’t want to teach the world about the right to have an attorney, or that a judge review the charges, or not to torture confessions . . . because that would just send the rest of the world the wrong message. Right, dick?
December 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pmmemo to dickhead cheney and his sack licker limbaugh:
pol pot would have been very proud of how well gitmo was run.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pmWhat an anti-American jerk.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:34 pmBlasphemy:
1a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for Go(o)d b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
# Matthew 12:31
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
The Unpardonable Sin “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pmI think he’s just being honest. In his heart of hearts, the things that go on at Guantanamo are as close to perfection as the 9th rung of hell. They are sublime and titillating. Especially in the dark of the night, when he can listen to everyone scream and draw his tongue through their blood!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pmradhika, yes,
especially if the world coincides with a Dean Koontz novel.
Woe.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pmAnd the Marquis de Sade ran his torture chambers well. Everyone in them was exposed to the maximum amount of torture – exactly the design criteria ?????
December 15th, 2008 at 9:06 pmIt’s not blasphemy if you’re an atheist.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:22 pmI hope the facist pig, Chnney, ends up like his WWII counterpart, Mussolini. His fat body hanging upside down, and the Italian people queing to spit on it! F…ck you Chenney! War Criminal! HAGUE 2009!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:24 pmI hope the facist pig, Chnney, ends up like his WWII counterpart, Mussolini. His fat body hanging upside down, and the Italian people queing to spit on it! F…ck you Chenney! War Criminal! HAGUE 2009!
They did more than spit on him. Women stood over his dead body to urinate on him. Those oppressed Italians really knew how to treat a dead despot. Good for them.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:32 pmYes, Auschwitz and Dachau were well run, too.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:35 pmYou heard it here first and from me:
President Obama WILL NOT give up the precedent-setting expansion of Presidential power as crafted by his predecessor.
the V.P. is right on that score.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pmsacopenapa,
Your post has been flagged for abuse. Your comments are truly disgusting and a disgrace.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pmWater-boarding is not illegal under U.S. law. The President gave Congress ample opportunity and invited them to pass a law making it illegal. THEY DECLINED TO DO SO!
Wonder why?
December 15th, 2008 at 11:08 pmThe detainees at Gitmo were and still are treated humanely. The fact that they are NOT entitled to protections accorded true POW’s hasn’t stopped us from treating themn as if they were!
Club Gitmo! Where else can you get food properly prepared and your Koran delivered right to your cell?
December 15th, 2008 at 11:10 pmIf Cheney thinks Gitmo is well run, wait until he sees hell (hint: I’m not talking about the town in Michigan).
December 15th, 2008 at 11:45 pmYou can’t get out of this by dying so when the feeding tube gets shoved down your throat it means just one thing. Foie Gras!
December 16th, 2008 at 12:13 amBy the way, #50, I live in Michigan and I can tell you that H*ll has officially frozen over right now.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:13 amF Off Timmy–no brownie points for sucking up to Cheney’s a$$ today for you
December 16th, 2008 at 12:16 amAll of Imelda Marcos’ shoes would not be enough to express my contempt for this creature.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:24 amTim Vaculik Says:
Once again Timmeh the moron doesnt know what he is talking about. IT IS ALREADY ILLEGAL. The convention against torture statute makes torture illegal and the US PROSECUTED Japanese officers for torturing OUR soldiers with it during WW2. Congress has no sack. Bush and Cheney should both do a couple of decades in prison for their warcrimes. YOU should just be shunned by all humanity for your ignorance and lack of basic decency.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:56 amTim Vaculik Says:
The detainees at Gitmo were and still are treated humanely. The fact that they are NOT entitled to protections accorded true POW’s hasn’t stopped us from treating themn as if they were!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
YOU are such an ignorant pig and subhuman punk. Not to mention a liar and a fool. We are violating the Geneva convention for not letting a competent tribunal determine their status. EITHER they are POWS or they are entitled to a court hearing to determine if it is legal for them to be held at ALL. There is NO provision in international law for a country to just lock someone up forever with no recourse. The Geneva Convention says DIRECTLY that no one is outside the Law. You didnt KNOW that because you are ignorant you dont CARE because you have no decency. You are a flat out knee crawling thug with the morals of a weasel on speed as Hunter S Thompson once said. All Americans should be ashamed that you are one of us. All human beings should be ashamed you are one of our species
December 16th, 2008 at 5:02 amTimmeh you are a disgusting piece of garbage. Either find a soul somewhere or stop embarassing our good country by getting the heck out of it. There is no way to express my contempt for you.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:05 amI know I’m late to the party but I have a few points:
Cheney: “I think Guantanamo has been very well run.”
This from the prick who narrowly avoided an indictment stemming from poorly run domestic prisons that he holds an interest in. Ironic that after torturing these Gitmo captives so gleefully for years, the WH finds out that no evidence gained from coersion is admissible. Go figure.
Cheney: “…once you go out and capture a bunch of terrorists, as we did in Afghanistan and elsewhere, then you’ve got to have some place to put them.”
So they are all terrorists in Cheney’s eyes, guilty until proven innocent right Dick? And even when proven innocent, we’ll hold them indefinitely anyway right, Dick?
Also one last point:
December 16th, 2008 at 9:01 amTim, go Cheney yourself raw with a screwdriver you pathetic piss-soaked brownshirt. Despite the steady flow of insider evidence that Gitmo has been a disgrace and that torture DOES NOT gleen reliable intel you still rush in here, tripping over yourself to try to defend the indefensible. You are a pathetic excuse for a patriotic American as you stand against so many of the principles that this Nation was founded on. Your misguided sense of Americanism is simply veiled racism, ignorance and a false comfort that the Republican Party gives a shit about you or American ideals.
“President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have all said that they would like to close the detention facility. However, these efforts have been repeatedly blocked by officials in Cheney’s office”
I guess this confirms who was really in charge of the executive branch.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:50 amDick “Strap-On” Cheney where have you been all this time?
December 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm