Think Progress

Cheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’

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]

Claire Teitelman

Update CIA’s Paul Gimigliano walked back Panetta’s comments:

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.


59 Responses to “Cheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’”

  1. Trittydi says:

    This exchange is reminiscent of the report on the radical right that had the re=Thugs bloomers all twisted.
    *


  2. robbez_92107 says:

    “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.”


  3. WillWrite4Food says:

    I don’t believe this story one bit. I refuse to believe that Cheney has friends above ground.


  4. spring heeled jack says:

    I read this as a veiled threat.


  5. pastcaring says:

    You are out of office Mr. Cheney…be glad you are also currently not in jail…shut up…


  6. Trittydi says:

    What are you going to do DICK? Shoot him in the face?

    Or wait until he gets into a private plane?
    *


  7. Ape-Man says:

    Try saying this line in a darth voice in your head.

    “I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted”


  8. shoeless says:

    That may be the kiss of death for Leon,

    I wonder how Lynne survives being kissed by Dick.


  9. pastcaring says:

    shoeless Says:

    I wonder how Lynne survives being kissed by Dick.

    No pun intended?


  10. Ape-Man says:

    Try saying this line in a darth voice in your head.

    “I hope my old friend Leon will issue a retraction immediately”


  11. American Patriot says:

    Cheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’

    If tp made the claim there’s a good chance it was parsed.


  12. Wayne Ant Schneider says:

    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.

    I suppose you want me to believe that wasn’t your intention all along when you said it, do you Dick?


  13. Wayne Ant Schneider says:

    If American Patriot doesn’t like it, there’s a good chance it’s true.


  14. kdgamergirl says:

    Poor 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.


  15. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    American 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.


  16. Wayne Ant Schneider says:

    I bet they PhotoShopped the ice cream cone on his head out of this one, too. ;)


  17. Wiz says:

    The rest of us were hoping that Cheney was misquoted, well actually not quoted at all.


  18. American Patriot says:

    Jeffboste Says:

    Is that one of those ’scientific” polls you love so much?


  19. Bluestocking says:

    Um…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.


  20. Mathazar says:

    Last eight years ?

    There he goes again with that Karl Rovian math.

    9/11, Katrina, anthrax ring a bell deadeye ?


  21. American Patriot says:

    spring heeled jack Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    I read this as a veiled threat.

    One could only hope..


  22. DutchHenry says:

    Yeah 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.


  23. Lost in Tarnation says:

    Cheney does not want America to be attacked again. If it happened, it would be with his reluctant consent.


  24. dbadass says:

    Anybody 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..


  25. Xisithrus says:

    Dick seems to have this mental block that 911 occurred during his watch after their policy ignoring the flashing red lights


  26. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    Did American Puppykiller just indicate that he hopes for another terrorist attack on the United States?


  27. ElBruce says:

    American 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.


  28. mary lacewing says:

    Well 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?


  29. Xisithrus says:

    Dubya: 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.


  30. skorpeo says:

    yes, 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.


  31. spencers mom says:

    Right, 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


  32. shoeless 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.


  33. mary lacewing says:

    shoeless 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.


  34. Megaloptera McWars says:

    I’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.


  35. Xisithrus says:

    If you want a friend in DC, as the saying goes, go buy a dog.


  36. shoeless 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.


  37. had enough says:

    Cheney responds to Panetta: ‘I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted.’

    Why, are you going to sic your death squad on him Cheney?


  38. mary lacewing says:

    shoeless 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?


  39. Ape-Man says:

    had enough Says:

    Ahh yes… don’t forget the cheney death squads story. Do you suppose there’s any truth to them?


  40. Ape-Man says:

    Cheney has been a very, very busy dude. What is Cheney working on today?


  41. pastcaring says:

    mary lacewing Says:
    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?

    Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition


  42. shoeless says:

    mary lacewing Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    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?

    I 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.


  43. cdwriteme says:

    Is 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.


  44. Marie says:

    The 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.


  45. Marie says:

    WillWrite4Food 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.


  46. fletc3her says:

    It won’t be EIGHT years until September 11, 2009, Dick.


  47. delafield says:

    Cheney 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.


  48. katy says:

    Update: 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.


  49. mauro7inf says:

    Safe for the last 8 years? Isn’t he missing a 9/11 or two somewhere?


  50. vernon farquar says:

    It’s funny. Cheney thinks he still has friends.


  51. krystalview says:

    Cheney 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!!!


  52. EugeneDebs says:

    American Patriot 12

    If you post ANYTHING it is a certainty that it is stupid. My GOD you are an ignorant punkass troll



  53. Parlezvous says:

    What a Dick we have in Cheney.


  54. Ape-Man says:

    Did 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…


  55. kevsters says:

    Check 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


  56. Bluestocking says:

    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.

    *******************************************************

    “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!


  57. PFWoody488 says:

    When is America going to start locking up their war criminals instead of giving them tv interviews?


  58. Ape-Man says:

    Darth 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.



Jump to Top

About Think Progress | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy (off-site) | RSS | Donate
© 2005-2009 Center for American Progress Action Fund
View Most Popular

Advertisement

What We're About

Featured

image
Subscribe to the Progress Report



imageTopic Cloud


Visit Our Affiliated Sites

image image
Reports


Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.

Name:
Email:
Tip:
(required)


imageArchives


imageBlog Roll