In an interview with Jane Mayer for the New Yorker, CIA Director Leon Panetta responded to former Vice President Cheney’s recent speech to the American Enterprise Institute, saying, “It’s almost as if he’s wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point.” Earlier today, Cheney released a statement in response to Panetta. “I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted. The important thing is whether the Obama administration will continue the policies that have kept us safe for the last eight years,” the statement read. Cheney’s reference to Panetta as his “old friend” is significant. Indeed, it reminds us that Panetta’s assessment of Cheney’s intentions was not from the mouth of a long-time political enemy, but rather from a former colleague and long-time friend. Cheney endorsed Panetta’s nomination to CIA in January, specifically noting their long relationship. “I am very fond of him. He is a very talented guy,” Cheney said:
FOX NEWS: Leon Panetta for CIA director — does that choice trouble you in any way, due to his lack of intelligence experience?
CHENEY: I know Leon. We first met back in the Nixon administration when we were both Republicans. And then I served with him for 10 years in the House of Representatives. He was, of course, a Democrat, I was a Republican in the House. I like him a lot. He is one of my favorite Democrats, if I can put it in those terms.That may be the kiss of death for Leon, but I am very fond of him. He is a very talented guy. [Fox News, 1/12/09]
The Director was simply expressing his profound disagreement with the assertion that President Obama’s security policies have made our country less safe. That’s all there is to it. Everyone understands that al-Qaeda and its allies are a dangerous and determined enemy.
This exchange is reminiscent of the report on the radical right that had the re=Thugs bloomers all twisted.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:37 pm*
“The important thing is whether the Obama administration will continue the suspension of habeus corpus, continue ignoring the Geneva Conventions and continue to torture prisoners.”
June 15th, 2009 at 4:40 pmI don’t believe this story one bit. I refuse to believe that Cheney has friends above ground.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pmI read this as a veiled threat.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:42 pmYou are out of office Mr. Cheney…be glad you are also currently not in jail…shut up…
June 15th, 2009 at 4:46 pmWhat are you going to do DICK? Shoot him in the face?
Or wait until he gets into a private plane?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:46 pm*
Try saying this line in a darth voice in your head.
“I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted”
June 15th, 2009 at 4:48 pmThat may be the kiss of death for Leon,
I wonder how Lynne survives being kissed by Dick.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:49 pmNo pun intended?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:50 pmTry saying this line in a darth voice in your head.
“I hope my old friend Leon will issue a retraction immediately”
June 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pmCheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’
If tp made the claim there’s a good chance it was parsed.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pmI like him a lot. He is one of my favorite Democrats, if I can put it in those terms. That may be the kiss of death for Leon, but I am very fond of him.
I suppose you want me to believe that wasn’t your intention all along when you said it, do you Dick?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:52 pmIf American Patriot doesn’t like it, there’s a good chance it’s true.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:53 pmPoor Leon… having Darth Cheney actually say something nice. I think he needs to sleep with one eye open. That man has to have another motive knowing him.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:54 pmAmerican Patriot Says:
If tp made the claim there’s a good chance it was parsed.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
___________
Ok, whatever, puppykiller.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:54 pmI bet they PhotoShopped the ice cream cone on his head out of this one, too. ;)
June 15th, 2009 at 4:54 pmThe rest of us were hoping that Cheney was misquoted, well actually not quoted at all.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:58 pmJeffboste Says:
Is that one of those ’scientific” polls you love so much?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:58 pmUm…Leon? A little word of advice, if I may…
If Dick should happen to suggest that you and he ought to go hunting together some time soon…DON’T DO IT.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:58 pmLast eight years ?
There he goes again with that Karl Rovian math.
9/11, Katrina, anthrax ring a bell deadeye ?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:59 pmspring heeled jack Says:
——————————————————————————–
I read this as a veiled threat.
One could only hope..
June 15th, 2009 at 4:59 pmYeah every 2weeks the torturer former vice Prez will have to come out from his hole to quack.Anyone remember seeing him during the 8yrs as much as you see him now.But good on him,every time he comes out the torture debate keeps going along.Incredible that the media ,well really it’s not,he appears on FauxNews,a propagandists Reicht-Wing ntwk both Cheney & FauxNews have no integrity.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:09 pmCheney does not want America to be attacked again. If it happened, it would be with his reluctant consent.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:14 pmAnybody up for a roadtrip to Jeffboste’s pos website.We can all go their and act like as sholes for no other reason but to be annoying. Centrist can show us how. Now as to the whys well that is a whole different question..
June 15th, 2009 at 5:15 pmDick seems to have this mental block that 911 occurred during his watch after their policy ignoring the flashing red lights
June 15th, 2009 at 5:15 pmDid American Puppykiller just indicate that he hopes for another terrorist attack on the United States?
June 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pmAmerican Patriot Says:
If tp made the claim there’s a good chance it was parsed.
The source was an interview with the New Yorker, idiot.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:19 pmWell Dick – it hasn’t quite been 8 years now has it? There was that little incident about seven and three quarters of a year ago, you know, on 9/11/01? You remember that day right Dick? Didn’t you watch it on all the monitors during those war games you were running that day?
June 15th, 2009 at 5:19 pmDubya: Oooo, look Dick, I got a flashing red phone like Bruce Wayne.
Dick: So? Ignore it.
Dubya: Look, a big hurricane is about to hit Nawlins.
Dick: So? Brownie will handle it.
Dubya: My phone is still flashing.
Dick: Unplug it.
Dubya: Ok. Hey you wanna play with this electronic football thing they gave me for emergencies?
Dick: Thats mine, gimme gimme gimme!
Dubya: Okay, you can have it, I will trade you for that hungry hungry caterpillar book.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:20 pmyes, mr. FORMER vice president, thank you for keeping the country safe during your administration…well, except for that 9/11 terrorist attack thing, but don’t worry, i don’t think anyone noticed.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:20 pmRight, Panetta only publicly articulated what most of us have been thinking. If there is indeed another attack, I think Cheney should be one of the first people rounded up for “questioning”.
Dick (what a fitting name, well done Dick’s parents!) is sounding more and more like Tony Soprano. But Dick doesn’t seem to realize that the secret murder squads no longer work for him.
PEACE
June 15th, 2009 at 5:23 pmUh oh. Are you are Freeper? Do you realize that the FBI is on to you right-wing Republican terrorists? Let’s hope they nab you before you start shooting.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:24 pmshoeless Says:
American Patriot Says:
spring heeled jack Says:
I read this as a veiled threat.
One could only hope..
Uh oh. Are you are Freeper? Do you realize that the FBI is on to you right-wing Republican terrorists? Let’s hope they nab you before you start shooting.
What is up with the right wing and their love of violence?
I honestly just don’t get that.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:27 pmI’m not sorry the CIA Director has to point that out Cheney’s gutter politics is hurting national security. He’s not entitled to special treatment as a former veep. The right has been on a long-term expedition to “prove” that democrats as a major party are weak on national security, and they’ve only implicated themselves. Too bad, so sad.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:29 pmIf you want a friend in DC, as the saying goes, go buy a dog.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:29 pmThey are criminals and terrorists. They have always been this way. During the Revolutionay war, these people would have been the Tories, who turned their friends and neighbors over to the British to be tortured and burned their houses. I just saw a story that an Iranian right-wing Republican opened fire at a demonstration killing one person and wounding several others. Right-wingers are the same terrorists and criminals anywhere in the world and at any point in history. Unfortunately, many times they even gain control of governments and are able to carry out their terrorism and criminal acts on large scales, called wars.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:35 pmCheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’
Why, are you going to sic your death squad on him Cheney?
June 15th, 2009 at 5:45 pmshoeless Says:
mary lacewing Says:
What is up with the right wing and their love of violence?
I honestly just don’t get that.
They are criminals and terrorists. They have always been this way. During the Revolutionay war, these people would have been the Tories, who turned their friends and neighbors over to the British to be tortured and burned their houses. I just saw a story that an Iranian right-wing Republican opened fire at a demonstration killing one person and wounding several others. Right-wingers are the same terrorists and criminals anywhere in the world and at any point in history. Unfortunately, many times they even gain control of governments and are able to carry out their terrorism and criminal acts on large scales, called wars.
Yes, but, why? Did they suffer a psychotic break when they were young? Were they taught to hate by their parents? Did their blood lines lose a critical chromosome somewhere along the way?
June 15th, 2009 at 6:11 pmhad enough Says:
Ahh yes… don’t forget the cheney death squads story. Do you suppose there’s any truth to them?
June 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pmCheney has been a very, very busy dude. What is Cheney working on today?
June 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pmPolitical Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition
June 15th, 2009 at 6:21 pmI would suspect one or a combination of those things. I once read somewhere that many authoritarians were abused by their fathers. I’m sure you would find that many of the psychological disorders suffered by right-wingers, from simple lack of reasoning ability, to cognitive dissonance, to outright violence, could be traced back to abusive parents. Unfortunately, such abuse is passed down from one generation to the next.
BTW, I notice AP took off after realizing that he exposed his right-wing terrorist leanings.
June 15th, 2009 at 6:21 pmIs this that Haliburton guy that worked as a Washington lobbyist for a few years during the Bush Administration?
I hope my old enemy Dick is misplaced.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:10 pmThe media is sure making a big story out of this — Panetta spoke the truth — he said it seems that Cheney is wishing for an attack on the US.
Yes, it does seem that way — he doesn’t say it with certainty — he says it appears that way.
If a repug had said anything near this about a Dem, they would not back track, they would certainly not apologize, and their colleagues would humiliate anyone who would pose such an “appearance.”
IOKIYAR — and the media loves it.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:15 pmWillWrite4Food Says:
I don’t believe this story one bit. I refuse to believe that Cheney has friends above ground.
You may have something there — that undisclosed location he used to favor when Bush was in office — could have been in Transylvania, where all his friends come out at night.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:17 pmIt won’t be EIGHT years until September 11, 2009, Dick.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:27 pmCheney says, “That may be the kiss of death for Leon.”
Please be careful, Mr. Panetta. When Dick Cheney threatens to kill someone, he usually does it.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:23 pmUpdate: CIA’s Paul Gimigliano walked back Panetta’s comments
too bad…
i first heard the accusation that cheeeney was hoping for an attack, other than my own head, from ed shultz, about 2 mos ago…
hell, everybody with a brain knows it and plenty say it…
don’t back down, any more, panetta.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:31 pmSafe for the last 8 years? Isn’t he missing a 9/11 or two somewhere?
June 15th, 2009 at 11:39 pmIt’s funny. Cheney thinks he still has friends.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:03 amCheney says, “That may be the kiss of death for Leon….”
Really Dick? KISS OF DEATH????
Interesting choice of words! Cheney better pray (to whatever satanic deity he worships) that nothing ever happens to Panetta!!!
June 16th, 2009 at 3:36 amAmerican Patriot 12
If you post ANYTHING it is a certainty that it is stupid. My GOD you are an ignorant punkass troll
June 16th, 2009 at 4:58 amen son videolar
June 16th, 2009 at 9:42 amen son videolar
What a Dick we have in Cheney.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:40 amDid i mention that Joe Scarsboro says the CIA is leaking to Cheney on a daily basis. Ya, right Joe, Cheney is still president, there there…
June 16th, 2009 at 5:18 pmCheck this clip out where Republican strategist, Marc Thiessen, says that Cheney worked hard to keep America safe for 7 years.
My question is, why wasn’t he working during his first year?
http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=1822
June 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pmCheney’s reference to Panetta as his “old friend” is significant. Indeed, it reminds us that Panetta’s assessment of Cheney’s intentions was not from the mouth of a long-time political enemy, but rather from a former colleague and long-time friend. Cheney endorsed Panetta’s nomination to CIA in January, specifically noting their long relationship. “I am very fond of him. He is a very talented guy,” Cheney said:
FOX NEWS: Leon Panetta for CIA director — does that choice trouble you in any way, due to his lack of intelligence experience?
CHENEY: I know Leon. We first met back in the Nixon administration when we were both Republicans. And then I served with him for 10 years in the House of Representatives. He was, of course, a Democrat, I was a Republican in the House. I like him a lot. He is one of my favorite Democrats, if I can put it in those terms. That may be the kiss of death for Leon, but I am very fond of him. He is a very talented guy.
*******************************************************
“Kiss of death”? Rather odd — and vaguely ominous — choice of words, if you ask me. One can only hope that it wasn’t a Freudian slip on Dick’s part…
After all, if memory serves (and it usually does), wasn’t Harry Whittington — the man whom Cheney shot in the face on that infamous hunting trip — also supposedly an friend of Cheney’s? With “friends” like that…well…you know.
Watch your back, Leon — even if only just the figurative one (but it couldn’t hurt to watch the literal one as well).
P.S. — Panetta’s backstep by proxy almost seems to suggest that perhaps we weren’t the only ones who perceived Cheney’s words as potentially containing a veiled threat!
June 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pmWhen is America going to start locking up their war criminals instead of giving them tv interviews?
June 16th, 2009 at 6:12 pmDarth is comfortable in his role as Cheney.
According to the Cheney ‘one percent doctrine’, if there’s a one percent chance that Cheney would want to increase conflict or incite war, it must be treated as a certainty.
What did you say? “why isn’t Cheney in jail?”.
Maybe because the Cheney one percent doctrine is madness.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:21 pm