To the surprise of no one, Dick Cheney's first post-long-national-nightmare-is-over interview was a recitation of his usual crap (although he did spice things up with a warning to America, along with a declaration of love for Rush Limbaugh).
So instead rehashing what Dick had to say, let's take a look at the performance by John King ... because let's face it; when an interview with the most controversial Vice President in history begins with:
President Obama urges absolute confidence in the struggling economy, but can the country afford his ambitious plans?
... you know that you're looking at an hour chock full of fair and balanced.
And leaving out the times King would state an Obama policy, with the question being, "is that how you see it," let's take a look at a few of the feet-charring moments Cheney faced:
- When you look at that budget, $3.6 trillion, redirecting the government's resources in health care, in energy, in the environment, also a pretty large $1.75 billion deficit the first year out, do you think that is consistent with what he promised in the campaign or do you think he is overreaching his mandate?
- As you know, there is a debate in this town about whether the president is trying to do too much, too fast ...
- I want to show you one more newspaper headline in this segment. This is a newspaper many Americans might not recognize, but I read it and I know you read it ... Is the president of the United States trying to brazenly deceive the American people?
- When we come back, President Obama has made some significant changes to the way the United States fights the war on terror. Will those changes put the country in more danger? We'll ask former Vice President Dick Cheney ...
- Are you convinced the new president is listening to his commanders and not bound by his campaign rhetoric?
- So I want to give you a chance, because many people will say, Vice President Cheney just said Barack Obama, President Obama is making us less safe, more at risk, which you just said. I want to give you a chance -- and take as much time as you want -- to prove it.
How bad was this interview? Consider this question:
But another 9/11, because of a tactic like waterboarding or a black site, can you say with certainty you stopped another attempt to do something on that level?
And after letting Cheney blather on about how torture works, and how it helped the Bush administration stop "a great many 9/11's" (although he couldn't tell King about them because then he'd have to kill him), King came back with this devastating follow-up:
Much more of our conversation with the former Vice President Dick Cheney ahead. What's life like after the vice presidency, and how's his health? We'll ask when our exclusive interview with Mr. Cheney continues in just a moment. Don't go anywhere.
Pitiful.