Dick Cheney has strong words for the president. According to the Associated Press:
Former vice president Dick Cheney accused the White House of dithering over the strategy for the war in Afghanistan and urged President Barack Obama to "do what it takes to win."
"Make no mistake. Signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries," Cheney said Wednesday night while accepting an award from a conservative national security group, the Center for Security Policy.
I have news for Dick. Afghanistan is lost. It was lost because of your administration. It was lost because of your incompetence. It was lost because of your lunatic agenda.
- Your administration allowed Osama bin Laden to get away, when he could have been caught or killed, at the battle of Tora Bora. Dick.
- Your administration disastrously shifted its focus from those who had attacked us on 9/11 to those who had nothing to do with it. Dick.
- Because of that, the Taliban grew stronger both in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, while Al Qaeda also regrouped and grew stronger in both countries. On your watch. Dick.
- In fact, both countries ended up having to negotiate with the Taliban. On your watch. Dick.
- And then your administration began running around blaming our allies for your disaster. Dick.
Everything that is now wrong in Afghanistan is your fault. Dick. That President Obama even has to be worrying about Afghanistan is proof that you didn't do your job. Dick. That 9/11 even happened was due to your administration's having been asleep at the wheel. Dick.
President Obama does have to figure out what to do about the Afghanistan disaster he inherited from your administration. Dick. But he is being deliberate and circumspect. Something you were not. Dick. Something for which the entire world has suffered. Dick.
Update [2009-10-22 13:51:3 by Turkana]: In the comments, Rip Van Mongo has the reaction from Robert Gibbs:
What Vice President Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and to the American public. I think we've all seen what happens when somebody doesn't take that responsibility seriously.
And:
I'm simply saying, I think it's interesting that what the vice president is suggesting the president isn't acting on is what the previous administration didn't act on.
There's nothing to add to that...
Update [2009-10-22 14:14:44 by Turkana]: Also in the comments, Kitty has Speaker Pelosi's reaction (bad link, so this will do):
"That’s really just not dignified," Pelosi said when asked to respond to Cheney, who made his comments in a speech yesterday. "The president has a very difficult decision to make. He’s got to have the facts."
Pelosi said Cheney’s remarks are not "very constructive," adding that "his administration made matters worse in Afghanistan."
Worse? She's too kind...
Update [2009-10-22 14:21:9 by Turkana]: And also in the comments, TheThinkerWhoNeedsAnEditor has retired General Paul Eaton:
The record is clear: Dick Cheney and the Bush administration were incompetent war fighters. They ignored Afghanistan for 7 years with a crude approach to counter-insurgency warfare best illustrated by: 1. Deny it. 2. Ignore it. 3. Bomb it. While our intelligence agencies called the region the greatest threat to America, the Bush White House under-resourced our military efforts, shifted attention to Iraq, and failed to bring to justice the masterminds of September 11.
The only time Cheney and his cabal of foreign policy 'experts' have anything to say is when they feel compelled to protect this failed legacy. While President Obama is tasked with cleaning up the considerable mess they left behind, they continue to defend torture or rewrite a legacy of indifference on Afghanistan. Simply put, Mr. Cheney sees history throughout extremely myopic and partisan eyes.