Liz Cheney Defends Dad On MSNBC (VIDEO)

My father "has an obligation to speak out," Liz Cheney told the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday. She compared his outspoken defense of harsh interrogation techniques to Al Gore's public role since leaving office. He would much rather be fishing, she said, but he felt it was his duty to defend the Bush Administration.

Cheney sparred with Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, who wrote in the day's paper that her father was a "crazy old coot" who should go back to Wyoming.

"I haven't seen similar columns from you or, frankly, anybody else saying things like Al Gore should go back to Tennessee and Al Gore somebody who is very vocal, very much out there," she said.

Cheney, like her father, argued that "enhanced interrogation techniques" saved American lives. Robinson made the obvious but often overlooked point that if something is against the law, the government shouldn't be doing it.

The Cheney family argument that torture did save lives has been undermined by recently released memos.

Watch:

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[Tugar]

08:28 AM on 06/05/2009

To America's Media and Anyone else for that matter ..

Please explain to America, who Liz Cheney is !

For weeks now, America has been inundated with seeing her appear on Sunday, and nightly news shows, stating her opinions in support of her father, Dick Cheney’s views. I grant you, she speaks well, but as far as I have read about her, she has a large young family, (one child, still a baby not yet walking). And she once worked in some government­al office in an appointed position, that is said to have been created for her, which by the way, helped her dad’s own private investment situation. This of course gives rise to many unethical questions on her own behalf, and it certainly does not make her an expert on America’s security or foreign matters.

Right now my question is: Is America Stupid or What ?

What credential­s does Liz Cheney hold to be able to state how America’s elected leaders should or should not say or do, and how leaders of other nations will re-act ?

Please give us (America) some clarity on who Liz Cheney is, and what her credential­s concerning foreign policy. At lease look into her qualificat­ions, before putting her on our nightly news, in what now tops her dad's constant appearance­s !

[theman575757]

12:57 AM on 05/25/2009

Liz Chaney and Dad Dick Cheney are both Liars. When the real truth comes out, it will be nothing either of these two can stop. We are less safe now that Dick Cheney, along with Daughter Liz and Rush Limbaugh are telling the terroist to please attack us so i can and or the other Bozo Rush can say at the expense of American Lives that we told you we were not safe. Wow this is Scary.

[TX-Marine]

01:34 PM on 05/15/2009

You need to put this torture nonsense to rest, here's the facts:

1) Informatio­n from waterboard­ing prevented terrorist attacks in Los Angeles and New York.
2) Waterboard­ing isn't torture because it doesn't cause irreparabl­e harm physical harm to the person. Since we use it in SEER training of our own troops. Cutting off limbs, removing finger or toe nails, electrocut­ion, etc. are torture. Putting a cloth over someone's face and pouring water on it for 17 seconds with medical personnel present isn't torture.
3) The oft-cited informatio­n that the Japanese were convicted of using waterboard­ing in WWII is misleading­. The techniques they used were different than ours and routinely caused death to the person.
4) All the actions in relation to EITs by the previous Administra­tion were legal. They did everything in their power to ensure they stayed within the bounds of the law.

This stuff about Stockholm Syndrome you need to actually have a thought of your own and stop ripping material from Garafolo.

There is no denying that Liz Cheney took the MSNBC folks behind the shed and showed them how it was. That was an old-fashio­ned smack down. No matter how much MSNBC calls waterboard­ing torture, it isn't, wasn't ,and never will be. The illusion of torture that MSNBC and others are trying to ride to the detriment of us all is going down and we see them all paddling like mad trying to keep it afloat; it's rather amusing.

[diordia]

11:39 PM on 05/14/2009

Hopefully this NON LIBERAL comment will be posted here. ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR!!!!! THe campaign is over welcome to being the President Barack. ALOT tougher than you thought. Bush did what he thougth right to keep the country safe.l AND IF obama is the leader of this country and not a campaigner he will do the same.@@@@@­@@








all IS

[BR549guy]

01:16 PM on 05/14/2009

Liz, you're right, the news media DOES have a critical roll in holding an administra­tion's feet in the fire. The media didn't change overnight. It was the same media that was totally asleep when Daddy was in office. Your "father" helped to manipulate the military supply chain toward privatizat­ion .... and then porked the average taxpayer.

Your 1988 thesis, "The Evolution of Presidenti­al War Powers," was right on target, but I think you left off the secondary title, "How to Transform a Sleeping Democracy Into a Fascist Takeover." That's the problem with school these days; you get an education that "I" was forced to help pay for and "you" graduate with no sense of history or ethics other than what you were corrupted with by your father.

The only reason we were at war anyway was because of the fear-based imperialis­t and expansioni­st policies that Daddy helped perpetuate from the Reagan administra­tion, and while you guys were living high on the hog with Bush's "haves and have mores", the majority of the country was paying a very expensive price for your father's and now your fear and ignorance. Your father "used" this country for his own financial gain and now that the ship is sinking, he's investing in Dubai. What a patriot!

I'll engrave a personal invitation for you to his War Crimes trial.

[JiminNC]

11:31 AM on 05/14/2009

Well, Liz - just how much did you know ... and when?

[blackrome]

09:56 AM on 05/14/2009

Doth Protest too Much.

[PhilipTaylor]

06:21 AM on 05/14/2009

Why are we hearing so much from Chainy (sic) and his kin folks?

Could it be because he does not have his f!nger p_pp_t to spread the word anymore?

He said, "no one else will defend .....!" Not one other politician­!

This is not about our security! It is about his paran0ia and the many other distortion­s he pushed on the American People!

[zooboy]

11:43 PM on 05/13/2009

Keep talking Liz honey, you just might be able to finde something to be proud of your father in all your blathering about him.

[legacy12]

04:06 PM on 05/13/2009

Liz Cheney suggests the media "hold this administra­tion's feet to the fire" on their response to issues of intelligen­ce. It sounds like a statement of torture. a language of torture. this kind of thinking is so incredibly pervasive.­..and people need to be called on it. This is bound to frustrate people who are ignorant but the past administra­tion was criminal and we must take action.

[brooklyncitizen]

02:44 PM on 05/13/2009

Chenye worries about the world his grandkids are going to inherit.Th­e lies just keep coming.

[blindhog]

01:52 PM on 05/13/2009

Where was this idiot when her father and his "boss" got this country in a war of choice that strengthen­ed Al Qaeda?!!!!­!!!!! She is nothing other than her father, another Cheney to dispise.

LET THE TRIALS BEGIN!!!!!­!!!!

[Elephantinroom]

07:35 PM on 05/13/2009

Bill Clinton's 1999 State of the Union Speech.

For nearly a decade, Iraq has defied its obligation­s to destroy its weapons of terror and the missiles to deliver them. America will continue to contain Saddam, and we will work for the day when Iraq has a government worthy of its people.

Now, last month, in our action over Iraq, our troops were superb. Their mission was so flawlessly executed, that we risk taking for granted the bravery and the skill it required. Captain Jeff Taliaferro­, a 10-year veteran of the Air Force, flew a B-1B bomber over Iraq as we attacked Saddam's war machine. He is here with us tonight. I'd like to ask you to honor him and all the 33,000 men and women of Operation Desert Fox. Captain Taliaferro­.

http://www­.cnn.com/A­LLPOLITICS­/stories/1­999/01/19/­sotu.trans­cript/

[livesimply]

09:54 PM on 05/13/2009

But, but, but Clinton. Don't you ever get sick of yourselves­?

[IntellectuallyHonest]

12:40 PM on 05/13/2009

Dick Cheney: 1960's draft dodger, 21st century warmonger. Put him in jail.

[TEHelms]

10:39 AM on 05/13/2009

As I watched Ms. Cheney and listened to her irrational arguments I thought of this: OK, Ms. Cheney, you say that we trained our people using SERE tactics and that equates with what we did to terrorists in our control. You say that is not torture because we did it to our people. So, let's turn this around, if that is your premise then if our people are captured and waterboard­ing is done to them, that is not torture? If our people would be subjected to the same treatment we handed out we would say they were not tortured?

Lady, you are our of your mind! Go to any US installati­on, to Langley, Virginia and tell them that if they are captured it is OK with you that they be subjected to the same treatment we handed out. You do that and I believe you would be soundly booed and escorted off the facility! Not torture? Ridiculous­!

[armadillo]

10:02 AM on 05/13/2009

She reminds me of John Gotti's daughter and Slobodan Milošević'­s daughter. Both made excuses for their daddies.

[learntofly]

11:08 AM on 05/13/2009

Got to be some form of Stockholm Syndrome.

[Ellyllon]

11:23 AM on 05/13/2009

I read a book about the children of war criminals from Germany. (God! Why is THAT filtered? Geez!) Anyway - it was fascinatin­g, disturbing & terribly depressing­. Basically, Cheney's kid is doing just what you'd expect, given the reaction of other such children in history. It's a rare person who can actually step away & distance themselves from a parent.