Biden: Cheney "Dead Wrong," Country Is "More Safe" Under Obama (VIDEO)

Vice President Joseph Biden on Tuesday forcefully rejected the argument, made most notably by his predecessor Dick Cheney, that the United States is less safe under President Obama's leadership.

Asked by CNN's Gloria Borger whether Cheney's comments were "out of line," Biden said no, "but he is dead wrong."

"[T]he last administration left us in a weaker posture than we've been any time since World War II," Biden argued. "Less regarded in the world, stretched more thinly than we ever have been in the past, two wars under way, virtually no respect in entire parts of the world."

The Vice President then went a step further, stating that the country is actually safer now than it was during the Bush presidency. "I guarantee you we are safer today, our interests are more secure today than they were any time during the eight years... We are more safe. We are more secure. Our interests are more secure, not just at home, but around the world. We are rebuilding America's ability to lead."

Later, Biden recalled a point he had made to George W. Bush about his administration's foreign policy errors. "I remember President Bush saying to me one time in the Oval Office, and he was a great guy, enjoyed being with him. He said to me, he said, well, Joe, he said, I'm a leader. And I said, Mr. President, turn around and look behind you. No one's following. People are beginning to follow the United States again as a consequence of our administration."

Comments

[SparkyDash]

Funny...looks like VP Joe Biden was right...even Politico gave Biden the "win" in the VP vs. VP challenge yesterday.

Politico?

Yup. Congrats Joe.

[PrincipiaChamp]

"Mr. President, turn around and look behind you. No one's following."

Wow. Thank you Mr. Vice President...this country has been waiting for you.

[DerekRC]

Flat out lies from Joe Biden. But that simply doesn't matter to lunatic hate-filled Democrats

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/09/bush-aides-challenge-bidens-boasts-oval-office-slapdowns/

[SparkyDash]

flagged

[ObjectiveRealist]

You don't have a recording or notarized transcript. Joe Biden didn't _lie_, Rove is just trying to play he said / she said and ignorant, lunatic, hate-filled, Republican losers (fact: 4 November 2008, you LOST, losers!) are lapping it up.

[LockeanLiberal]

History of terror, Part 2
These stats come from Center for Defense Info and include only attacks targeting US interests with fatalities.

This is not a winning resume for a counter-terrorism strategy and it certainly reflects badly on Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II. Rather than trying to indict each others favorite presidents, let’s instead look at attacks based on the prevailing counter-terrorism strategy at the time. All of these attacks occurred when the strategy was non-preventive, response-oriented, and looked at acts of terror as crimes rather than as acts of war.

When the strategy became focused on prevention using the military, rather than police to investigate after the fact, attacks against the U.S. domestically and abroad came to a screeching halt.

Our new president wants to go back to the old strategy because the strategy that works makes us unpopular.

[ObjectiveRealist]

Why do you include attacks on military personnel abroad before 11 September 2001 but not afterward? Al Qaeda attacks on soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2002 and the present must also be included in any honest "history of terror against the U.S. over the last 25 years." Such honest accounting disproves your militarist assertions.
quote:
All of these attacks occurred when the strategy was non-preventive, response-oriented, and looked at acts of terror as crimes rather than as acts of war.

When the strategy became focused on prevention using the military, rather than police to investigate after the fact, attacks against the U.S. domestically and abroad came to a screeching halt.
/quote
Unless you count "al Qaeda in Iraq" as terrorists and their use of IEDs as terrorism, as Cheney/Bus­h/Rumsfeld often did in defense of their invasion of Iraq.

[LockeanLiberal]

Here is a breif history of terror against the U.S. over the last 25 years:

Sept. 11, 2001 – WTC, Pentagon, Shanksville approximately 3,000 deaths
Oct. 12, 2000 - USS 17 sailors killed
Aug. 7, 1998 - U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, 291 killed
July 27, 1996 - Atlanta Olympic games , one death.
June 25, 1996 - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (Khubar Towers). 19 U.S. military killed
Nov. 13, 1995 - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 7 killed (5 US military)
Apr. 19, 1995 - Murrow Federal Building in Oklahoma City, 168 killed
Feb. 1993 – First WTC attack, 6 killed.
Dec. 21, 1988 - Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. 259 killed
Apr. 1986 - TWA flight explosion in Athens, Greece. Four killed
Apr. 1986 - Berlin disco bombing kills 2.
Dec. 1985 -Rome and Vienna international airports. 16 people are killed in the two attacks..
Nov. 1985 - Egyptair flight hijacked. All 60 aboard killed.
Oct. 1985 - Achille Lauro. American Leon Klinghoffer is killed.
Aug. 1985 - Frankfurt, Germany US based car bomb kills two.
June 1985 - In San Salvador, El Salvador, 13 people are killed in a machine gun attack including four U.S. Marines and two American businessmen.
Apr. 1985 - A bomb at U.S. air base in Madrid, Spain, killing 18.
Nov. 1984 - U.S. embassy Bogota, Colombia bombing kills one.
Oct. 1983 - U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut attack, 241 US servicemen lost.
Apr. 1983 - U.S. embassy in Beirut bombing kills 63 (17 Americans).

[iawill]

Thanks to Vice President Biden for this commentary. During the Bush/Cheney Administration I was always bothered by the fact that Cheney had his own "Security Council". In my opinion it implied that he had no confidence in Condolezza Rice (who was the National Security Advisor) during the first term or her successor. Then the fact that Rumsfeld (Defense) would not talk to Rice or Powell (State) and at the approval of Bush and Cheney just showed how arrogant they were and how disjointed the team was. No wonder we have such a Big Mess in Iraq! Rumsfeld would not even communicate with the top military officials. I am not a military strategist but common sense will tell you that in order to have an effective military strategy especially in cases of war, there needs to be communication among the team. Duh!

[american-dolt]

I wish someone would shut Cheneys blowhole for good.

[taddles]

Cheney's comment, that the present administration is making us less safe, is directly charging the President with treason. If Cheney has any real information to substantiate such a claim than he should make it public, withholding evidence of criminal activity is a crime. If he has no real information that the present administration is making us less safe than he should be charged with sedition.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

If you think for a minute that our government has ever needed permission to listen in on your phone calls or read your emails you are living in a Woody Allen world. I say this not berate you but to help you realize that we have been monitored since the beginning of our government. Every bit of technology in this country has to go through the government for compliance, so that they can cut off communications, transmissions, etc.. The problem is that Pres 43 felt a need to flaunt this fact to the public, somethings we the people don't need to know.

[Eoin45]

And you know any of this how? A Woody Allen world? What the h e l l does that mean? How about some limks to support anything you say?

[destruct1]

Ok...cool....now i can believe it....joe said so....phew.

[Eoin45]

Ok...cool....now i can believe it....George and Dick said so....phew.

[jemiltd]

I watched part of this interview. What was most striking to me was the unnerving double teaming in the questioning, something I am disappointed with in Wolfe. They didn't allow the Vice President to complete a sentence, barraged him with interjected questions in hopes, apparently, of creating a gaffe or a gotcha.
If I were Vice President Biden I would have taken control of the interview by pausing or stop talking and reflect before responding. That said, the Wolfe was rude, grasping and just not good journalism.

[Genep34]

Whereas Cheney is completely unchallenged by John King.

[ashleysmith]

I noticed that too. Wolfe and Gloria seemed disappointed when Joe did not make any gaffes, and seemed to be trying to make something out of his criticism of Israel. I mean, does anyone actually think that Israel attacking Iran would be a good thing? I'm more disappointed in CNN every day.

[PrincipiaChamp]

Joe did a wonderful job and was spot on...I hope it absolutely ruined Wolfe's, Borger's, Che n e y's, CNN's and the whole GOP's day...week...year.

I'm tired of people hanging on to every little utterance hoping for some silly misspeak. Who doesn't misspeak every single day?

Biden knocked this interview out of the park. Good for Joe.

[Shashi0224]

I loved reading that Joe, when speaking to bush, basically said that in order to be a leader people need to be following. No one followed bush.....he was not a leader. Bush was an ignorant, arrogant bully that thinking people at home and around the world despised.

[howcome]

hey Joe, What do you think about your boss bowing to a monarch? Can't wait until you espouse

[Shashi0224]

How dare we respect another nation......

[BabblingBrooks]

It's more a matter of respecting the American people. Our president is equal to, not subservient to, other countries' leaders. One notes that we do not bow or kneel before the British monarch either.

It is a breach of traditional protocol and shows a lack of respect for America and Americans for our president to bow before the Arabian King.

Check out the Sean Connery/Richard Gere Lancelot, or the more recent King Leonidas of "300."

[hortonhearsawho2]

ur cra.p is in every post...

[Eoin45]

hey howcome, What do you think about your bending over for George Bush?

[Eoin45]

"Can't wait until you espouse?' What does that mean? d a m n you;re illiterate.

[rockyb26]

nobody messes with Joe

[WANSU]

Rocky, you are quite right!. I saw Joe in the morning trying to defend Cheney and he was spanked by his guest Donny Dotch who came in and defended Obama 100%. We need Joe the VP to kick a... when their administration is attacked!

[Jaczar]

All of those who executed the 9/11 tragedy are dead. A couple of the planners are still at large (bin Laden & al Zawahri). It wouldn't matter in the overall scheme of things if they were killed or captured, terrorism would go on. A change in American foreign policy (a less aggresive footprint in the world would be helpful, along with less support for oppressive regimes like Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt for example) would also lessen the hatred for America in the Middle East where most of the terrorism originates.

[Okieborn]

I watched Keith Olbermann last night questioning WHY President Obama will not pursue the rights of the American citizenry. I am a Democrat who wants to know , WHY President Obama is protecting Bush and Cheney !!
I would like my privacy back !!! No More Wire Tapping Please !!!

[Boneszy]

Well Obama has kept a few things that Bush did in place, I guess either one Obama is not all he is cracked up to be or two Bush did somethings that Obama and crew deem good things to keep in place.

I mean if Obama is behind it how can it be bad right?

[jemiltd]

Don't be so sure that he is protecting them.. There is a time and place for everything.