Rachel Maddow Fact-Checks ‘Maestro Of Terror Politics’ Dick Cheney

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by Glynnis MacNicol | 9:49 am, December 31st, 2009

» 12 comments

rachel_cheney It’s been somewhat amusing this past week to hear media types express surprise over the fact that last week’s attempted bombing of Flight 253 resulted in an immediate round of partisan finger-pointing on Capitol Hill. I’m not sure what people were expecting after a year that must have set the record for bitter partisanship battling, but I shudder at this point to think what it would to take place to have both parties agree on…anything.

Yesterday, the always helpful former Vice President Dick Cheney got in the mix telling Politico that “as I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war.” Which is a bit much for any number of reasons not the least of which (really not the least…more on that in a moment), is that President Obama just sent 30, 000 extra troops to Afghanistan last month. Cheney goes on:

He seems to think if he has a low key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of 9/11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core al Qaeda trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, ‘war on terror,’ we won’t be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe. Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency — social transformation — the restructuring of American society. President Obama’s first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war.”

Really? Well Rachel Maddow for one isn’t having it. After bemoaning the Dem’s lack of response to the flurry of criticism coming from the right she hits back at both Cheney and the party as a whole (video below) for both their inaccuracies and hypocrisies :

“Republicans left to their own devices have in this case excitedly launched a series of obviously baseless, factually incorrect, demonstrably untrue, hypocritical attacks. Dick Cheney comments today probably the worst among them.”

Maddow then proceeds to list a litany of names and events that happened under the Bush-Cheney watch, which also made us less safe according to Cheney’s description of yesterday. These would include: Richard Reid and Zacharias Moussaoui and Guantanamo. All of which appears to put Maddow in the awkward, Catch-22-ish position of defending Obama against Cheney using the argument that if Cheney and Bush did it it makes it all right? Or merely makes Cheney a hypocrite. The mind reels.

Perhaps the only conclusion to really draw from all this that when it comes to politics and national security during the Aughts aught has really changed. Maddow’s full response is below.

911, barack obama, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, msnbc, northwest flight 253, Rachel Maddow, Richard Reid, The State of Journalism, The State of Politics, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Zacharias Moussaoui

http://www.facebook.com/people/Joe-Callan/100000200979966 Joe Callan

Well, luckily for Mr. Obama, Mr. Cheney is as flailingly hypocritical a former veep as Mr. Gore is, so his words carry weight with about the 1 out of 20 people in the country that actually think he’s a intelligent, rational man.
ImNotBlue

Good… good. I was worried that the one “Columnist” post you made, Glynnis, would wise you up to the fact that your “articles” are really just opinion pieces. But, this has reassured me that you remain confused as ever, reluctant to admit that yours is an OPINION.

Ah well… if you weren’t trying to attack Palin, Beck, or a non-Liberal… or promoting Rachel Maddow… what would you do? I’m sure you’ve got to put food on the table too! It’s just a shame Mediaite has chosen to let you sully it’s reputation with meaningless, irrelevant, hopelessly biased, re-tread posts from the blue blogs.
SWWT

She’s so well-informed. Maybe if she fact-checked non-republicans/conservatives she’d have a bit more credibility.
Dandee

I would just like to say that Rachel Maddow is a liar. Just like the president. I have watched her, just to hear all of her jabbing. She would probably laugh at a Funeral. She does nothing but laugh, when there really isn’t anything to laugh about. I sat and listened to her tell us that Napolitano did NOT say what I heard her say. IF she meant somhting else instead, WHY didn’t she say it. She is NOT to be trusted anymore than Maddow. This administration is the most stupid I have ever seen in my lifetime of over 80 years. So far they have done nothing they promised, instead they are tearing our country apart and yet you people cannot see it, WHY?
TfT

Is this article a JOKE? After years and years and years of democrats and media (oops, I repeat myself) politicizing every move that Bush/Cheney took in the GWOT, Rachel has the audacity to say and do this? (I do note that CNN and other hosts on MSNBC went after Cheney as well, making themselves look just like the hypocrites they are).

Instead of looking at THIS event, Maddow goes off on her tantrum. Here, let me get you some info for Rachel:

This employee says that despite statements from the Obama Administration, such information was flagged and given higher priority during the Bush Administration, but that since the changeover “we are encouraged to not create the appearance that we are profiling or targeting Muslims” (extracted from stratasphere, DOS source.

The media protection of teh ONE is humorous, dangerous, but humorous none-the-less. Good thing the pubic isn’t buying it.

The “I inhereted the watch list” just doesn’t work. Perhaps the President should put away his golf clubs, grow a pair, and do some work. He is pathetic, along with the media sycophants who kiss is behind daily.

Rachel and Olbermann mocked, yes mocked Bush/Cheney when we blocked attacks. Mocked them when the threat advisories were raised — claiming they were making stuff up out of whole cloth.

I wonder if the ongoing battle between DNI and CIA caused this info to fall through the cracks. Of course, I doubt that Rachel mentioned that battle, even though it has been discussed on MSNBC. Rachel doesn’t dare criticize the Obama administration.

The media hypocrisy is stunning, jaw dropping stuff. Rachel’s numbers such, and this is one of the reasons why. People aren’t stupid, despite that Rachel believes they are.

Obama has softened the policies and the “chickens are coming home to roost”.
TfT

PS: Rasmussen is reporting: Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day.
homie

Are you proud of that? Do you enjoy being hated by the majority of every country on the planet?

America has reached it’s zenith a long time ago and today it is in free-fall. Enjoy the torture while it lasts. Hopefully your new Asian masters won’t apply any to you and yours.
StewartIII

Hot Air — Rasmussen: 58% prefer the Cheney option on EunuchBomber
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/31/rasmussen-58-prefer-the-cheney-option-on-eunuchbomber/
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Maddow ripped Cheney and that hypocrite deserved it. Republicans are working hard to do what Al Qaeda could not — make the Flight 253 bungler a successful terrorist. Is it any wonder so many believe the Republicans are on AQ’s side? Republicans are rehabilitating a bungled attempt by a mentally ill individual who failed in his ‘mission’ and are making him a Al Qaeda Hero. With friends like that does America need enemies?
Ceek

Rachel and “fact check” don’t belong in the same sentence.
ImNotBlue

homie says:
December 31, 2009 at 5:41 pm

Are you proud of that? Do you enjoy being hated by the majority of every country on the planet?

Speaking for myself, my desire to be “popular” isn’t as strong as my desire to be “correct.” The rest of the world can hate America, if it means we’re doing the right thing for us and the rest of society. We can pretend that “leading by example,” or being “extra sensitive” will help us out… but in the end, we’ll still be hated… there will just be less of us, because we allowed our enemies to take advantage of our trust. I’d gladly be hated, if it means that tomorrow I’m still alive.

Bill Adkins says:
December 31, 2009 at 9:25 pm

What in the hell are you talking about? You mention no facts, no evidence, just a bunch of garbled nonsense! What is your argument?! That by pointing out it was lucky that didn’t blow up that plane, not anything we actively did, America is making a mistake? Are you suggesting we should rely on luck as our defense from now on?
http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Guo/100000649950349 James Guo

happy New Year guys