Before I cite former VP Cheney's latest expression of his inner monstrosity, let me remind you of just some of what the Cheney administration did with Afghanistan and Iraq. I call it the "Cheney administration" because let's face it, Bush can barely tie his own shoes.
1. After the attacks of 9/11 - which happened on Cheney's watch - the US entered into war with Afghanistan. Yet instead of completing that mission and removing the Taliban entirely as well as going after Osama bin Laden, Cheney and Bush decided to move resources to a second and unnecessary war in Iraq. As a result, the Taliban was not entirely removed, Osama bin Laden got away, and al Qaeda not only re-grouped, but became stronger and bigger by using the Iraq war as a recruitment tool. In other words, Cheney's disastrous policy.
2. As a result of the Iraq war, the US economy plunged, weakening the nation and our national security. Of course the economic ground-zero caused by Cheney's policies did not affect his own finances or the finances of his cronies, friends, and family. On the contrary, Cheney, his family, and their friends made out like bandits even as American soldiers were dying.
3. In order to sell the public on a need for war with Iraq, Cheney (and possibly Bush) committed serious crimes unparalleled in US history. Some of these crimes include either knowingly buying fabricated evidence (Niger forgeries) or outsourcing the fabrication of evidence implicating Iraq in the 9/11 attacks. Cheney was willing to even commit treason - legal definition - by outing a covert CIA officer to punish her husband for criticizing the pre-war intelligence sold to the public. As a direct consequence of this outing, a program the CIA was running to block the sale of nuclear weapons and materials was exposed, emboldening our enemies even further.
These are just some examples of the legacy left behind by the moral vacuum known as Dick Cheney. Yet instead of hiding his face in shame - having successfully destroyed this nation in a way that terrorists could never have hoped for - he continues to spew propaganda as though history has not recorded his crimes and failures.
Still, despite the facts and the myriad of documented crimes, Cheney has the audacity to avoid all responsibility for his actions, as though these things happened outside of his control rather than directly under his command.
During his latest attack on Obama, Cheney illustrated once again just how despicable he really is:
Cheney was asked if he thinks the Bush administration bears any responsibility for the disintegration of Afghanistan because of the attention and resources that were diverted to Iraq. “I basically don’t,” he replied without elaborating.
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“Those folks ... begin to look for ways to accommodate their enemies,” Cheney said. “They’re worried the United States isn’t going to be there much longer and the bad guys are.”
I don't think my conscience could ever allow me to survive if I was directly or indirectly responsible for the loss of one life. Cheney's choices, on the other hand, have led to the loss of nearly a million lives -Iraqi, Afghan, and American - and he shows not an ounce of regret or remorse. Moreover, he wants to continue his crimes by pressuring the new administration. Yes by all means, let us have more dead bodies for Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, et al to collect a fortune off of.
What a monster this man is.
