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Cheney Declares (In Secret) That NSA Surveillance Could Have Prevented 9-11 and Calls NSA Abuses “Hogwash”

250px-46_Dick_Cheney_3x4A secret recording has surfaced of Vice President Dick Cheney speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition where he held forth on various subjects — assuming that the session was closed to the public and press. Cheney appears to be intent on, again, revising history to get people to embrace a security state. You may recall how Cheney (who is often cited as a potential defendant in a torture prosecution) publicly assuring the nation that the Bush torture program produced valuable intelligence. That assertion has been previously dismissed by experts and insiders. However, as we discussed recently, the forthcoming Senate Report goes into great deal to show that not only is that assertion untrue but that the CIA actively sought to hide the fact that the torture program produced insignificant intelligence (and that detainees were tortured despite their cooperation in conventional interrogations). Cheney is now fighting to defend the massive surveillance of citizens — again dismissing even the concessions of intelligence officials about abuses and violations under the program. Cheney told a rapturous crowd that all such accounts were “hogwash.” He further pumped the crowd with support for an attack on Iran to add yet another war to our current international conflicts.

In his March 29th remarks, Cheney insisted that suggestions “That we have created in the National Security Agency this monster bureaucracy that’s reading everybody’s mail, listening to everybody’s phone calls, infringing upon our civil liberties and civil rights — hogwash.” He then adds the assertion that, if we had only embraced massive surveillance previously, “It probably would’ve allowed us to stop 9/11.”

It is a signature moment for Cheney. Once again, when confronted with the creation of a security state and mass surveillance, he plays the 9-11 card. There has never been any suggestion that the program would have prevented 9-11. More importantly, Cheney seems to be forgetting the findings of virtually every investigation of 9-11 that the CIA and FBI could have prevented the attacks with existing powers. Intelligence officials failed to share information and use existing powers to prevent the attack despite various indications that the attack was coming. Of course those findings do not play as well for expanding the powers and budgets of those very same agencies. Instead, citizens are asked to embrace torture, kill lists, and massive surveillance if they want to avoid an attack.

For many outside of this country, the very fact that Cheney has not been prosecuted for his role in the torture program is a consistent reminder of the failure of the country to fulfilled its obligations under existing treaties, as reflected by the recent U.N. report (only the latest such UN criticism). Cheney is a fascinating study of how some citizens and leaders seem to have an overwhelming inclination toward authoritarian power (not just to wield it but to be subject to it). It could not be more disconnected with the views and values of the Framers who deeply distrusted government powers and foreign entanglements. Even in the face of reports and statements from intelligence officials to the contrary, Cheney continues to deny reality in support of near absolute powers in the president. It is hard to tell if he truly believes these accounts or simply seeks to sustain a rivaling narrative. Either way, it increasingly appears so disconnected from reality as to be doublespeak, or even delusional, for Cheney.

Source: Yahoo

212 thoughts on “Cheney Declares (In Secret) That NSA Surveillance Could Have Prevented 9-11 and Calls NSA Abuses “Hogwash””

  1. No you do not. I don’t have any censoring ability here. I appreciate the truth, not too much to ask, is it?

  6. paul, Oliver Stone is a paranoid, conspiratorial, coke head. He has become an embarrassment.

  7. pete, I was quite conflicted when I was in college[1970-74]. I came from a blue collar background. I was taught to respect servicemen. My father and 5 of my uncles fought in WW2. My uncle Dom was left for dead @ the horrible Battle of the Bulge. He spent 6 months in a UK hospital. As mentioned, I had a friend and mentor die in Viet Nam. In my classes were quite a few Vietnam vets. Some were liberal, some conservative. They told me of being called “Baby Killers.” I don’t remember any saying they were spit on. The conflict came w/ classmates from higher socioeconomic backgrounds who were adamant, and even violent anti-war. They scoffed @ the vets who I knew were good people. The protesters was primarily upper middle class white. I was blue collar who supported the vets and most supported the war. Tough times when you’re torn, tough times.

    1. Nick,

      During the mid 60s I was in and out of demarcation centers, traveled through numerous airports while wearing a uniform and never once had anyone spit on me or call me any names. I’ve never seen that happen to any soldier at any time. Yes, it probably did occur but it certainly wasn’t common place. And many of my travels took me to and through the San Francisco Bay Area not known for its quiet conservative ambiance.

      At one airport my plane had just left the gate as I arrived to board. The airline stopped the plane on the tarmac, brought out some portable steps for me to use, all so I wouldn’t miss my flight.

      At another airport I was filthy tired, and I emphasize the word filthy as I really needed a shower. So one airline directed me to the pilot’s “locker room” facility so I could clean up—it was very interesting listening to the pilot’s stories.

      When I traveled in uniform during the 60s I was always treated very well here at home. Not so much in some overseas assignments but that was to be expected.

  8. The record speaks for itself. That is one of the beauties of a documented, unedited, non-delete blog. Waldo contends the Iranian hostages are not responsible of the death of 8 US soldiers, trying to rescue the hostages, some of who were being tortured. It’s all there!! And also some other interesting comments! Res ipsa loquitur, baby.

    1. pete – you have proof that breitbart is untruthful? anymore than MSNBC or ABC or etc.

      Thanks for the film, but could you give me the point where they are spit on so I can fast forward. 🙂 BTW, I am not sure that I am not violating some copyright law here.

  11. Oliver Stone’s film Born on the Fourth of July, based on Ron Kovic’s autobiography of the same name, depicts Kovic and fellow Vietnam Veterans Against the War activists Bobby Muller, Bill Wieman and Mark Clevinger were spat upon at the convention.[5] The scene was actually not in Kovic’s autobiography, but was taken almost frame for frame and word by word from a documentary film made at the 1972 Republican Convention in Miami 1972 titled “Operation Last Patrol” by filmmaker and actor Frank Cavestani and photo journalist Cathrine Leroy.

    1. pete – regardless of the veracity of the incident, I have real trouble with anything that Oliver Stone does. He is a fine film maker but he is not a truthful filmmaker.

    2. pete – checked out Operation Last Patrol on both IMDb and RottenTomatoes. It has NO reviews. Where did you get the info on the film?

  13. To clear the record, there are well known commenters who have a nasty habit of misrepresenting what other commenters have said. Waldo did not do and say what his accuser here stated regarding a different thread. Very telling that one must twist words of others to try to get an ally, it’s pathetic actually.

  14. pete – are you inferring that Republican spit on Vietnam Vets? Or was this that faux group that Kerry was a part of?

  15. randyjet

    the only documented case of spitting on vietnam vets that i’ve been able to find was at the 1972 republican national convention in miami.

    you remember the republicans, the same people who sported purple heart band aids at their convention in 2004.

  16. randyjet – my take on the medals is just what is reported by the armed services themselves. And there is evidence the Kerry wrote his own ‘action report’ to get one of his Purple Hearts. We still have Purple Hears left over from WWII so no reason not to be handing them out like candy.

  18. Jane Fonda was a traitor and gave aid and comfort to the enemy. I have a good friend who died this past January. He was a WW2 vet and as liberal as anyone here. He lived in the Twin Cities and spent winters in San Diego w/ us. Ray was a calm, easy going, gentleman. I never saw him riled up except about Jane Fonda. Do you realize the PROFOUND difference between protest and being a traitor?? Any vet I know, and I know many, despised Jane Fonda for being a traitor. You’re still AWOL.

  19. I have to agree, Jane Fonda is a traitor. I do not care how good she looks with her clothes off, she is still a traitor. You do not apologize for being a traitor. That does not get you off the hook. However, being married to Ted Turner might have been some punishment for her.

  20. Paul,

    Your following comment is rather abrasive and insulting: …”He (me) evidently enlisted to avoid the draft.” How about I enlisted out of a sense of honor and duty, did that ever occur to you?

    Yes, many draftees were sent to Advanced Infantry Training right out of Basic Training and then on to Viet Nam. Many other draftees were sent to other training facilities and not sent to Viet Nam. Many enlistees were also sent to Vietnam right after their individual training. You seem to be under the impression that one could enlist for a particular job training and then the US Army would honor that request out of the goodness of their hearts—you’ve never been in the Army. Yes, the Army would make an effort to send an enlistee to the school of his/her choice; however, at that point the Army’s commitment is done. When the enlistee’s training is finished he/she would be sent wherever the Army wanted—-including Vietnam carrying a rifle. Based upon my own experiences, your generalities about draftees and enlisted personnel are not completely accurate, there were many and numerous exceptions. However I am wrong about one particular draftee, my friend and bunk mate:

    I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and was sent to Ft. Polk, LA for Basic Training in November, 1965. My bunkmate was a young black man from Richmond, CA–hell we were all young. We were given Christmas leave that year with my friend and I traveling together. Our first stop was the airport in Lake Charles, LA to catch a flight to the West Coast. When we got to the airport we immediately headed to the men’s room where we both encountered something out of the Twilight Zone, only this was really happening. There were restroom signs for White Men, White Women and Colored. The drinking fountains were simply labeled: “Whites Only.”

    I’ve heard of this type of overt racism but this was my first experience with pure hatred. Here we were, being trained to fight in our Nation’s war yet we couldn’t use the same bathroom. We could share a foxhole but not a toilet. While we were both angered, I felt ashamed of my country. We both used the Colored Bathroom—I wasn’t going to leave my friend alone to fend for himself in that disgusting racial atmosphere. I was the recipient of some angry stares when leaving the Colored bathroom but could give as good as I got. Guess the local racists didn’t want to have an altercation with two GIs wearing their Class A uniforms. I’m sure they were good Christians so maybe they had the Christmas Spirit?

    A number of years later I visited the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall in a nearby city where I was living at the time. I examined the names, found a good High School friend, a number of buddies I served with, and then I saw my friend’s name, my friend who wasn’t allowed to use the same bathroom as whites. He was shot and killed in a worthless war while being treated as cannon fodder. I’m not ashamed to say I fell on my knees and everything started pouring out…..

    So, yes Paul in this case I did know a draftee who was sent to Vietnam. Do you have any other questions or subtle insults you would like to throw my way?

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