Cheney Swipes Powell, Says He'd Rather Have Limbaugh In GOP (VIDEO)

Dick Cheney's frosty relationship with fellow Bush cabinet member Colin Powell was a well-reported aspect of the past administration. On Sunday, however, the former Vice President took a very public dig at the one-time Secretary of State, saying he wasn't even sure if Powell was still a Republican.

Asked whether he would side with Powell over Rush Limbaugh about the future of the GOP (moderation vs. doubling down on core principles), Cheney sided definitively with the brash talk radio host.

"If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh," he said. "My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican."

Slightly taken aback, host Bob Schieffer asked Cheney whether he truly thought Powell was "not a Republican."

"I just noted he endorsed the Democratic candidate for president this time, Barack Obama," the former VP replied. "I assumed that that is some indication of his loyalty and his interest."

Watch:

Powell's endorsement of Obama has been a real irritant for many members of the GOP, despite the fact that the former Secretary of State is far from the only high-profile Republican to have supported the new president. While Cheney defined the move as a product of Powell's changing politics; Limbaugh has insisted the endorsement was race-based.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[harriettubman]

Cheney and Rumsfailed are the very reason Powell left before the second term. Who wants to work with a bunch of two faced, control freaks?

Cheney wanted to be president so bad that's why he's currently doing arm chair politics on Obama's every move. Go retire and relax that heart of yours. It probably needs a rest from all that pent up frustration over not having his way any more.

[Bronxdude]

It's the draft dodgers (Rush and Cheney) versus the decorated war hero, General Colin Powell. Enough said!

[American50]

These libs just keep watching as the federal government gets even bigger and bigger

But thats what they want!!!

[golferman]

No it's not. Obama is trying to save this country from a depression that your buddies left us. But keep saying it and repeat it over and over until it becomes true in your mind. It shouldn't take long.

[JFD8]

The GOP brand is hurtin'
Its future remains uncertain;
It needs a new mentor
Yet still front and center's
The Phantom of Halliburton.

News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8

[Lasnoe]

I don't understand what the problem is? Cheney spoke correctly.... I wasn't aware that Powell was a republican either..... McCain was the most moderate candidate the republicans could have nominated.... Powell has been calling for the Republican party to become more moderate for years.....

Now that they finally nominate someone who was moderate, Powell endorses the farthest left leaning congressman? How could any self respecting republican or conservative pick Powell over Limbaugh???

That would be like criticizing Obama for picking Palosi over Lieberman...

[klmebane]

mccain was moderated until 2004, after that not so much. why is it that the only measure of someone's political affiliation seems to be that they support the person with the same letter after their name regardless of whether or not they actually agree with the persons campaign platform??

and in terms of "left-leaning" obama is far more moderate than he is left leaning.

[FormerReaganite]

Obama just *seems* left wing because being moderate, he is *relatively* left of Bush. We will get used to moderate politics (again) now that Obama has rescued us from the ultra-rightists who have held power since 1994.

[CalverH]

I think you forget about the choice of the VP candidate, someone who is not that moderate ...

[Clayton139]

He's Repulsive !

[coultersnemesis]

literally.

the. sight. of . him.

makes. me. have. a .

gagging. feeling.

urge. to. p u k e.

[afgail]

To Dick Cheney: "At long last have you no shame?" An echo from the McCarthy hearings.

[FormerReaganite]

I'll bet McCarthy would not have tortured Communists.

[me again]

Why give Chney a forum, he is highly predicatble. At this point he's yesterdays' news and Shieffer does a diservice to the American public by inviting him on his show.

[TimtheEnchanted]

If they don't give him airtime, he'll torture them.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

I agree with that. But certain, powerful interests want to rehabilitate him, just like certain powerful interests want to rehabilitate people from the Iraq War crowd like Lieberman, Kenneth Pollack and Ari Fleischer. They even had Ari Fleischer on the Comedy Channel to do exactly that.

[WilliamGossett]

This is the first high profile GOP to say that Powell must leave the GOP. Limbaugh is a radio commentator and not actually a high profile GOP. To "kick out" another GOP is pretty serious action and indicates the true polarization of views that this country has degenerated to. Scary.

Obama must continue in his attempts to get the moderate GOP vote as to lose to the right wing segment which will happen if we don't continue to be inclusive is not merely insanity or undesirable, it is literally suicide. This losing control again is NOT an option.
Purist liberalism is NOT an option.
Maintaining the win is the ONLY option.

[HyperInfluential]

But Powell is still well-respected, and Cheney's about to go to jail for War Crimes! I don't think he's in any position to kick anybody out. Powell will have the last laugh as he sits in the gallery at Cheney's trial.

[Kaviraj]

Cheney's about to go to jail for War Crimes!

How would you know? I have my grave doubts about that. I reckon you Americans cannot make that happen, notwithstanding all the evidence he presents to attest to the fact he co-authorised the torture - his defence of the practise says as much. So don't hold your breath.

[deebell]

Dick Cheney has the worst approval ratings ever. Powell's numbers are very high, among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

If Republicans want to continue to be a player, they need to drop the embarrassing presence of Cheney, Steele, Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, et al, and embrace the moderates like Powell who can be elected.

[harriettubman]

I've always wondered why the hell Powell was in that party in the first place. There's no respect for other cultures, unless that's a criteria. Palin's platform was to incite racial overtones at the rallies. At the RNC there was nothing but a sea of white faces. No diversity whatsoever. That's the way it has been, is and will be. Steele means nothing to me but another Republican. He's not some peace maker.

[exclintonsupporter]

In America, people have the right to choose who they want to vote for. For all the right reason's. Powell endorsed Obama over McCain. McCain was too erratic during the primaries and who knows how he would have lead the country. Powell is not a stupid person...he doesn't just go along to get along...and I suspect that is why he resigned in the first place. Because he endorsed a Dem once, doesn't mean that he agrees with all the policies of the Democratic Party...it means that he believed this President would be the best leader of the two.

[lesterbud]

Why is it the only time we even knew we had a VP during the previous 8 years was when he:

Shot someone
Was being searched for after a terrorist attack
or
Was himself claiming he was not part of our government

And now a day does not go by when we don't get a heaping shovel-load of manure from him.

Is it that he just can't contain his hatred of Americans?

[GTFOOH]

Could there be a bigger ASSHAT?

[dRwOOD]

I find it interesting that this story is being ignored by MSM - over @ Polit ico it barely warranted a blog entry...... but yet the Sykes "story" is so overblown

[me again]

I love the irony of Cheney, Mr. Deferment himself, going after a man who not only honorably served, but rose from the officers ranks to the highest active military position in the land.

[HyperInfluential]

OMG I just got this mental image of Cheney sitting in his lair, drinking a coffee and relaxing, listening to Rush Limbaugh's show, and thinking, "Yeah, THAT'S the way it oughtta be!" Sad, old white men regretting they can't oppress everybody anymore.

[KansAmerican]

Of course Cheney would favor Rush Limbaugh over Colin Powell. Rush and Dick are both compulsive, habitual liars. Both, as a matter of policy, have advocated activities and programs that were in defiance of our laws and constitution (citizen wire-taps, torture, etc.). In addition, they share a common history of being dedicated draft dodgers.

[HyperInfluential]

I just call 'em "bad'uns" for short. 'Cause the stuff they want to do is bad for America. It's like they either don't care or actively hate the Founders and their Dream.

[issabel]

i totally agree, i wish people would wake up!