Cheney Says Harsh Interrogations Kept US Safe

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 7, 2009 7:54 PM CST

(Newser) – Dick Cheney asserted today that "we don't torture" but said the limited use of "enhanced interrogation" such as waterboarding yielded information that helped fend off terror attacks, the Washington Examiner reports. Cheney told a roundtable of conservative journalists that the administration doesn't get enough credit for "what didn't happen." He added that "President Obama is going to have his hands full" because "it's a big, complex, dangerous world out there."

“For a few senior al-Qaeda officers we captured early on, some of whom were subject to enhanced interrogation,” Cheney said, “we produced a wealth of information for us—a basic database about al-Qaeda." In another interview with CBS radio, Cheney dismissed the "urban legend" that he called the shots in the White House and joked that he's "actually quite lovable."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Vice President Dick Cheney waits for senators to arrive in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Vice President Dick Cheney attends the unveiling of President George W. Bush's portrait at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday, Dec. 19, 2008, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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There was never any question about who was in charge: It was George Bush and that’s how we operated. - Dick Cheney

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 5 comments

Caps

Jan 14, 2009 3:58 AM CST

My goodness, I don't think anything could love this right wing nut with diarrhea of the mouth.

PosterNutbag

Jan 9, 2009 1:48 AM CST

King, I think you should go out and get a kitten that will rub against your leg and purr, to let you know that you are loved. Only love can conquer hate, and violence breeds violence. OK, suppose Bush and Cheney had good intentions, and that they prevented some attacks that might have been carried out on U.S. citizens, in their zest for torture they have made us the most despised country in the world. They are breeding the terrorists of tomorrow. They have also exponentially increased the likelihood that our own soldiers will be tortured if they become POWs, does anyone think about that? Our troops probably do. None of this matters to Bush and Cheney. They want to protect the profit margins of the military-industrial complex, not the American people. Bush/Cheney needs the terrorists as much as a preacher needs the devil. If the devil was eradicated (by the way, where's Osama?), the preacher would be out of a job. As long as they have an enemy to fight with, the MIC continues to profit from war, whether we "win" the war or not.

Caps

Jan 8, 2009 2:49 AM CST

Please watch Rendition Movie and you can understand that things went on that should not have.

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