Petraeus Rejects Cheney Comments, Says US No Less Safe Under Obama (VIDEO)

On CNN Sunday, General David Petraeus countered former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent claim that Obama's administration had made America less safe.

"I wouldn't necessarily agree with that," said the general, who has served under both administrations. "I think that there is in fact a good debate going on about the importance of values in everything we do. If one violates the values we hold so dear, we jeopardize [our troops]."

Watch:

Cheney argued that Obama's new detainee policies, meant to bring U.S. policy more in line with our values, had left the country open to attack.

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Comments

[kashifsaeed28]

Dick Cheny is just an opportunist who during his days wanted Americans to feel less safe so that he could go about his illegal wars and make a lot of oil bucks for himself.

My blog:
http://project-you-are-not-alone.blogspot.com

[twiggy2]

cnn has gone from reporting news to reporting hearsay, innuendos and common catch phrases. does anyone think for themselves anymore? they just rethread.
when it comes to the obama adminstration these people totally freak out. the "over exposure" comment was absurd. how can a President who represents and serves the people talk to us ,and the press too much.
obama is holding himself accountable to his standards, which very few people can rise to and understand.

BARAK OABAMA - THE PEOPLES' PRESIDENT

[ched]

"I wouldn't necessarily agree with that," said the general."

Wouldn't necessarily agree with that? Is that really the best you can do, especially since you're still, you know, in charge of that part of the world?

Sounds like somebody's looking to run for President sooner than later.

Time to send Betray-us packing.

[cimitator]

Did bin Laden considered Bush more an ally than an enemy?

Why would bin Laden want to attack the United States after 9/11 once he saw how much damage Bush was inflicting on America's reputation, military preparedness, and financial stability. My guess is he decided something equivalent to... why get in the way of a good thing?

[gallimaufry03]

Cheney? Who's Cheney?

[LeftLeanWing]

Luke and Leia Skywalker's Daddy.

[candlepower]

wheelchair instead of black helmet and suit
I guess he has yet to take on obeewan

[HerbTee]

I can't help noticing in this thread there are ReTHUGliKKKans who keep spewing that President Obama will wreck the country with his economic plans. Yet, as an alternative to the President's plans, the ReTHUGs produced 19 pages of mindless BS with no numbers or specifics in it and called it a budget plan. ReTHUGs still keep pushing this nonsense that tax cuts for the rich and continuing to allow corporate greed, excesses and tax breaks is the answer to all our prayers.

ReTHUGs have offered NOTHING substantial to either correct our current situation and to gradually reverse the mistakes of the past so not to repeat them. Instead, ReTHUGs only offer more of the same that got us into this mess in the first place. ReTHUGs care absolutely nothing about the poor, the working class and the middle class. ReTHUGs are self-absorbed m ut ants who are only satisfied with their money, to grasp, lie, cheat and steal for political power without the inherent abilities among themselves to govern effectively and compassionately, are incapable of taking responsibility for anything they do and only wish to feed their unbridled greed at the expense of others. ReTHUGs are quite happy being content with themselves while the rest of us suffer and rot.

Here it is for all ReTHUG t w i ts! Either work with or compromise with the President on his economic plans, offer a much better, an alternative or a comparable plan to his, or S-T-F-U!

[candlepower]

That right there is the modus of those who believe they are born to rule. They now find themselves out of a job and will do anything to change that. Cheney makin' like he can see terrorists in his wing mirror
PAH to him
Probably just fails to recognise his own reflection

[wiserat70]

I didn't think vampires had a reflection!

[wiserat70]

Has anyone noticed the "real budget" complete with numbers is due to be unveiled to the public on APRIL 1 - How appropriate! Since the entire ReTHUGS (great name) have been fooling the entire country for the past 8 years, why not continue and hope we "fools" will buy it. Just read that
Michael Steele is "done reaching out to Obama". Must have escaped my notice since all I have
heard from him is total criticism and outright belligerent rhetoric. Have Cheney pick him up in
his wheelchair and fly off into the sunset.

[nance72]

This is the new computer virus/worm that has been in the news that is hitting April 1.
The republican worm/virus .

[JohnQ2]

The ignorence is astounding. Light the torches and march up to those evil rich Republican's castle and burn them at the stake. Why are the rich always portrayed as fat cats sitting in offices of big corporations laughing at the minions below. Yet Oprah, Hollywood actors, sports and rock stars, etc are considered to be righteous? You probably have an evil rich person living on your street (unless your in a shelter). He is the guy who went through business school and worked hard for years to get his business going and now is struggling to get by in this economy. Yeah he's going to be there when others are laid off, he owns the company. The CEOs of the GMs and the AIGs are a small percentage of those in the 250,000 plus catagory. The vast majority are the ones who own the carpet stores, the accounting firms, the janitorial service, the laundromat chain etc. They aren't waiting until their taxed out of business they're cutting back now and bracing for the storm.

[Jorge Said]

The Cheney administration (c'mon, who are we kidding? We know who was in charge the past 8 years..) fired or censured anyone who disagreed with their world view or with their ideas on how best to fight this war...I honestly believe that Gen. P and POTUS have had many a private convo and different ideas have been exchanged and discussed. On some, a consensus was reached; on others, POTUS put his foot down and Gen. P locked his heels and belted out a resounding YES, SIR!! Nature of the biz, folks...but I doubt that POTUS would fire him if he didn't completely agree with him as long as Gen. P was tactful and laid out his arguments lucidly and in private.

**3 time vet of Operation Iraqi Freedom**

[LittleGirl]

You repeated what I mentioned to my husband on sunday when we watched this. I can just see it now - clapped heels and saluted with a Yes Sir.

I went to CNN's site as late as today looking for a place to comment on John King's show. Couldn't find anywhere to leave a comment and the only comment area was already closed on the subject. I wanted to send a strong message to CNN. If I wanted to hear Republican talking points and opinions, I'd go to Faux News. It's no wonder CNN dropped in ratings; King's show is a spin off of Faux's sunday show, only 4 hours of it! wow. exhausting.

We won't be watching King's show anymore. Last sunday was the last straw.

[wiserat70]

I, too, tried to leave a blistering response to John King's sickening interview (?).
Couldn't find a place to register it. Odd, Keith Olbermann, Wolf, Rachael and others
all have a place to leave your comments. Could it be that J.King was ashamed.
Nah, apparently he doesn't have any or he would have demonstrated that he had a
spine or integrity during the interview

[HeevenSteven]

Leave it to our brilliant media to stir up what should be a non debate. Roberts gives Cheney a platform to spout crap, then get Patraeus to refute it. Win-Win for CNN, lose-lose for America. Do we learn anything watching CNN? No, we only get more ignorant.

[oldcitizen]

Then don't watch CNN. Tune in to FOX where you supposedly get just the facts and the unvarnished truth from such brilliant investigative reporters and analysts as O'Reilly, Hannity, and Beck. You will never be dissatisfied with the journalistic integrity of this trio because they are always unbiased, non-partisan, and offer positive, constructive solutions to the serious problems and issues that divide us as a people. Or, just listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio. He knows all there is to know about everything and everyone and never tries to stir up debate, spout crap, lie or scare us in anyway. If you are already ignorant enough to listen and believe anything these guys say, then you need not worry about getting more ignorant!

[HeevenSteven]

False choice! My point obviously went over your head.

Yes FOX and talk radio are so much worse, but we all know they're clowns. CNN is more respected by moderates, but they're no less clowns...and don't get me started on Lou Dobbs..

[FlamingLibrul]

"I wouldn't necessarily agree with that,"

Oh yeah, what a stinging rejection of what Cheney said. Just ruthless. Well, Petraeus is a politician in uniform after all. He knows where his bread's been buttered- and he wouldn't want to hamper his after-retirement chances of getting a job at some neoCon think-tank.

[sueno]

Petraeus goes with the "current wind" of politics-
He has "betrayed" us in the past, so I find this "typical" of him-

[omobob]

Former Pres. Bush appointed Petraeus after his handling of the "surge" with glowing platitudes.
Sorry the Good General no longer has to kowtow to to Dick and can call them, as he sees them without fear of reprisles from the Dick Goon Squads. BTW—""betrayed" us" for Petraeus, a lame shot. I doubt you served.

[sippewissett]

Get language like "betrayed" out of your postings or they are just rants. Petraeus reports to the POTUS who is Commander in Chief. Do you think there was a lot of room for debate in the Bush-Cheney administration, especially after a previous general had been fired for estimating a higher level of troops needed than Bush-Rumsfeld wanted to hear?

As a military careerist, you either go with POTUS or have to resign. Some choice for Petraeus. I'm glad he's still around and having dialog with the POTUS on American values and how these are reflected in our military operations. What a refreshing change!

[HST]

Do you think the Boosh administration "forced" Petraeus to write an op-ed piece in the newspaper endorsing the reelection of Boosh? Generals are supposed to be above politics
Betraeus is NOT. In my book that makes him a political shill.

[Sundialsvc4]

Yes, there really are "outrageously dangerous people" out there in our world. And maybe, or maybe not, some of them are right now confined at "Gitmo." I don't expect to be privy to all of the information that may be known about these people, as I have no "need to know."

However, if we simply look at this thing (for the moment) as an exercise in international law-enforcement, it is plain to see that "image is everything." If you don't represent international law, then you have debased yourself in your enemy's eyes to be no better than he is. If you don't respect the principles of international law, then you can't say that you represent it. And the final result that will come about is no better than anything you started with; in fact, it is much worse, and yes, much more dangerous to the soldiers under your command.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself," but we ought to fear "fear itself" quite greatly. Its capacity to do harm to us all has no end.

Richard Cheney is, for the moment, now "a toothless serpent," but he is still filled with venom and may still strike.

[HerbTee]

Well stated Sundial.

[candlepower]

I agree with one proviso-
We have to concern ourselves with the great undecideds out there. It is the large mass of people in the world who saw us vote for Barrack Hussein and that was enough for them to see terrorist propaganda for what it is. They are less likely to provide cover for the hardcore jeehadists and that is the market sample to whom we do not want to debase ourselves.
I doubt our current enemy will be fazed by our compassion and human rights as he has decided we are part of some great delusion.

[wiserat70]

I would like to know who in hell keeps inviting him on TV!! He is irrelevent!!!!! Gone, please let
us forget him - until the World Courts sinks its teeth into him and all the Bushies.

[Canaris]

Obama, unlike Bush, left Gen. Petraeus with no doubt at all who the boss is. To his credit, it appears Gen. Petraeus was listening.

[HerbTee]

So true. When former candidate Obama visited Iraq and received his situational briefing from General Petraeus, it was there that Obama indicated a major split from the same old, same old courted by Bush. The general had to know then that if Obama became President, things were definitely going to be very different.

[alvdh1]

Wow!!!!! This surprises the hell out me given the fact that less than 10% of Americans agree with Grumpy.

[vippy]

Petraeus has to be more like a politician when it comes to his position. I don't envy him. If he says
anything against the administration he will be replaced. We know of those who spoke out against
Bush's policies, a many good men had to leave. Cheney and Bush were cowards, who refused to
serve. Well, Bush had to have his record cleaned up by Harriet Miers. No one ever remembered
serving with him.

[exflatlander]

Sorry, you must be thinking of the previous administration that fired, demonized, or otherwise persecuted anybody who disagreed with them. Kinda Stalinesque.

[inorbit]

Cheney speaks like the true Chicken Hawk that he has always been.

[HerbTee]

Yep! Cheney's mindset has always been, "send everyone else off to war...just not me."