Cheney: Obama Will "Appreciate" Our Expansion Of Power

In an interview with Rush Limbaugh (via Politico), Vice President Dick Cheney predicted that the next president will appreciate the way he and George Bush expanded executive power.

"Once they get here and they're faced with the same problems we deal with every day, then they will appreciate some of the things we've put in place," Cheney said.

"We did not exceed our constitutional authority, as some have suggested," Cheney added. "The President believes, I believe very deeply, in a strong executive, and I think that's essential in this day and age. And I think the Obama administration is not likely to cede that authority back to the Congress. I think they'll find that given a challenge they face, they'll need all the authority they can muster."

Cheney went on to express doubt that President Obama would, as he has promised, close Guantanamo Bay.

"Guantanamo has been very, very valuable. And I think they'll discover that trying to close it is a very hard proposition," he said. "They're unlawful combatants. And you 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."

Cheney also expressed grave concerns about the automobile industry.

"We're on the downside of a recession that may be the worst since World War II," he said. "And if the automobile industry goes belly up now, there's a deep concern that that would be a major shock to the system."

Comments

[pointyheadprodigy]

Please, please, please. All that I ask for Christmas is to find out that Dick is unequivocally wrong about this matter and has years in prison to contemplate his idiotic lurch towards tyranny. That would be better than anything!

[Artos]

What we ought to do to Cheney and Bush is to bring back the colonial punishment of the Stocks. Build a platform in Washington on the mall and put as many stocks as necessary for that whole bunch then stick them into them everyday so that Americans can walk by, shame them, curse them, mock them and throw shoes or vegetables at them. They need to be paraded down to those stocks in front of all Americans decked in prison garb. That is what I would like to see done at the very least.

[JacqueItch]

That may be too kind for them.
First thing is to confiscate everything they own, completely bankrupting their families----sending a clear signal that no one can ever again profit from war. Then tarring and feathering, then permanent expulsion to a place where they can obtain water, a melting ice floe.

[Artos]

Who would know better than he does about those challenges that Obama will face since he and George had a hand in creating those challenges. Not to mention all the trouble they will be dreaming up for the Democrats and Obama in the next four years. Look how they managed to keep Clinton preoccupied during his last four years.

[ralph10]

I'm sure David Addington has alot to do with it.

[Lizaxyz]

See Ya Cheney! Oh and don't let the shoe hit you on the way out!

[dashboard]

The country will appreciate you leaving office.

[Lizaxyz]

These guys are always in need of an enemy. When it wasn't Russia, remember when it was single, working mothers? Then it was gay people - oh and and if you're not white - well then add them to the enemy list too. Oh and don't forget poor people on welfare. Now they treat the whole world as the enemy in the guise of "keeping us safe" from the axis of evil. Now we have become our own worst enemy...

[Moshe]

I used to wonder if Dick Cheney was insane.

I no longer wonder . . .

[LaurenMarie984]

remember, he "did not exceed constitutional authority".

I used to wonder the same thing. But now it's to the tune of the extent of his mental failings/insanity. Not just "is he crazy?" but "how many KINDS of crazy is he?"

[spinns17]

bye bye tricky dicky.dont forget the rest of the crooks

[wmafoune]

OMG, he did not say that.....

[amyeom]

Why not just remove pesky elections at all in the first place, and then you and Bush can stay dictators forever, eh, Dick?

[DeadCivilian]

Don't put it past him yet. We're one bogus (allowed to occur) attack away from them declaring marshal law. I trust these 2 as much as those mutant vipers in the Mekong Delta.

Hubris, Thy Name is Cheney.

[Artos]

amyeom,

Don't encourage him, it's not as if they haven't already been thinking about it seriously.

[stuckinstupid]

To b93950. It was your Democratic party that bankrupted this great nation. Go talk to Barney Frank and while you are at it ask him to comb his hair.

[ralph10]

Yea. Nothing happened between 2000-2006. Right

[GreenEyedGuru]

even 2006 was too late to do anything, the bush camp let frannie and freddy tell all their investors not to worry, that they would get bailed out if anything bad happened, that's why their paper was rated so high by the bond agencies. It would have taken a simple statement by the gov't that this wasn't the case to avoid this entire catastrophe.

[tpfahler]

Hey stuckinstupid, is "stupid" your boyfriend?

[TKDuff]

Someone's been absorbing too much of Fox News talking points memo. Bush's deregulation started pushing the economy downhill by 2006 everything is in a free fall. Enron and WorldComm is just the beginning of the bigger picture. The GOP attitude of Laissez faire or the more absurd trickle down economics of Reagan (may he burn in hell) do not work. People are greedy by nature and the govt need to prevent them from ripping each other off, the Republicans are the greediest of the bunch and fooled the people into believing that less government in the business sector is good for America. Well we are now on the verge if not we are already there of becoming a 3rd World Nation. The Republicans always bankrupt our nation, but the Americans because of their audacity find the way out of it. However it is American stupidity to allow the Republicans to hold office again.

[Lizaxyz]

And so the Repugs were in power for almost 8 years and they let this travesty happen and did nothing? Give me a break!

[Artos]

Lizaxyz,
Perhaps their definition of Moral Values is different from what the rest of us consider Moral
Values. Republicans live in a different dimension other Americans.

[LaurenMarie984]

That's right.....
Clinton? Employment-up, National Debt - National Surplus;

Bush?
Employment-down (a lot), National Surplus - National Deficit, deregulation via Bush - Wall Street collapse, trickle down economics - failure.

Do I even need to continue?

[logios]

What a mess! Can Obama begin to undo the damage caused by the Bush Administration's nearly 300 executive orders with the stroke of a pen? for an analysis refer to:
http://www.thelegality.com/archives/112

[spinns17]

we have to be behind obama all the way.

[nikky]

YOU CAN NOT TRUST ANY THING CHENY OR BUSH SAYS BUSH IS ON CNN RIGHT NOW TELLING LIES

[2008CaliforniaFan]

What i would like to know...

Has the GAO or ANY Government Agency ever documented how much 'profit' has been made by Haliburton as a result of Bush's Economic Restructuring. (War). And how many Millionaires (names) were created by this 'action'

Will there EVER be an investigat­ion... by anybody?
Or will this be like Paulson's response to us as to Where and Who got the money from the Bailout?
Nada.

I saw where Cheney this week still 'approves' of the 'waterboarding techniques­'..he used. He said it was 'necessary and effective'.
If Cheney says the 'use' is Legal.... we should use it. Everybody is 'equal'...­UNDER the Law.

If that's true... "Can we please waterboard Paulson?"