Political Quote of the Day

Dick Cheney was asked his opinion of Obama:

“He has been an unmitigated disaster to the country.”

Direct and to the point. Refreshing in a politician. Apparently the new heart is working just fine.

Political Photo of the Day

He takes a licking, but his new heart keeps ticking.  Dick Cheney is home after his heart transplant (from Liz Cheney):

Get well, Mr. Vice President!

Dick Cheney Recovering From Heart Transplant Surgery

From Jake Tapper of ABC News:

@jaketapper: VP Cheney recovering in ICU at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church VA after undergoing heart transplant surgery on Sat.

Todd Starnes adds this:

The family does not know the identity of the donor but are "forever grateful for this lifesaving gift."

I wish him well. He's served his country well in many different capacities, from congressman to chief-of-staff to Gerald Ford to Defense Secretary under Bush 41 to VP under Bush 43.  In-between he contributed to job creation and energy production.

Ben Domenech adds a lighter note:

Cheney 2012: I have the heart of a liberal. I ripped it out of him and stuck it in my own chest.

Who knows, that could be true.  I guarantee you the media will be frantically trying to find out who the donor was so they can make some sort of ironic connection to Cheney.

Canucks Go Crazy Over Event Featuring Conservatives

The tolerant left strikes again, this time in Canada:

Just two days after it was announced that former Vice President DickCheney canceled an April speaking engagement in Toronto, Canada, organizers working with Spectre Live, the promotion company for the event, have reportedly received death threats and harassing phone calls at the company’s Toronto office. In light of the cancellation, Mark Steyn will be taking to the stage to give a performance that he guarantees will be more than “a guy giving a speech.”

Yesterday I heard a local L.A. talk show host mocking Cheney for canceling this event. Looks like Cheney's security concerns were well founded.

I'll bet Steyn's performance will be a barn-burner.

10 Facts About Dick Cheney You Probably Didn't Know

Daily Caller has some information from Dick Cheney's new book that you might find interesting.  Read it here.

Lefty Losers Still Think They Have a Case Against Bush/Cheney

At least it keeps them busy (from Daily Caller):

Human Rights Watch still wants to get George Bush -- In times of trouble, some take great comfort in nostalgia. Remember "Bush Lied, People Died" and "No Blood For Oil" and all that? Ahh, the good old days. Some people want to make that feeling last forever, as TheDC's Amanda Seitz reports: "Human Rights Watch is pressuring President Barack Obama to investigate and criminally prosecute former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney. The group says there is 'overwhelming evidence' that the Bush administration ordered the torture and abuse of various detainees. Its allegations are contained in a 107-page report. 'There are solid grounds to investigate Bush, Cheney, [Donald] Rumsfeld, and [CIA Director George] Tenet for authorizing torture and war crimes,' Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth wrote in a press release. 'President Obama has treated torture as an unfortunate policy choice rather than a crime.' The report asks other countries to prosecute Bush and several of his top aides (if the United States does not take legal action) for violating international law. 'The U.S. has a legal obligation to investigate these crimes,' Roth wrote in the statement. 'If the U.S. doesn’t act on them, other countries should.' The report also discredits the Bush administration's consultations with legal counsel over the permissibility of waterboarding and illegal detention, arguing that such precautions don’t lessen the severity of the crime." Yeah, Obama will get right on that, just as soon as he's done bragging about killing Bin Laden.

Lefties are so cute when they're delusional.

Cheney and Condi Weigh In

President Bush decided that he didn't want to spend his post-presidency commenting on what his successors did, so attacks on his work go undefended unless Dick Cheney or Condi Rice get involved. Cheney is not shy about defending the Bush Administration or the tactics employed in the war on terror.  

Cheney to America: "You're welcome" -- Yesterday Dick Cheney appeared on Fox News Sunday, in part to defend the Bush administration's use of hydrotherapy on recalcitrant terrorists. As relayed by TheDC's Jeff Poor, here's Cheney defending his record: "We went to a lot of trouble to find out what we could do, how far we could go, what was legal and so forth. Out of that emerged what we called enhanced interrogation. It worked. It provided some absolutely vital pieces of intelligence. There is a study that was done by the CIA in the National Archives, some of it has been declassified now, that shows that enhanced interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed provided a vast treasure trove if you will of intelligence. It was a good program. It was a legal program. It was not torture. I would strongly recommend we continue it.” Barack is now in the unique position of taking credit for a victory that wouldn't have happened without policies he has condemned. As TheDC's Jim Treacher notes: "Pouring water on a terrorist’s face goes against our core values as Americans. You gotta break into his house and shoot him in the eyes." 

On Friday Condi Rice chewed up and spat out lefty MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell. You can see the video here. The left's arguments simply don't stand up to logic and facts.

Political Headline of the Day

From CPAC:

Paul Supporters Hijack Cheney-Rumsfeld Reunion

From what I understand the Ron Paul people heckled both Cheney and Rumsfeld. Until the Paulestinians learn that heckling doesn't make people more sympathetic to their candidate they'll continue to be a sideshow act. Ron Paul is the bearded lady in the freak show tent that you pass on your way to the Big Top. Nothing more.

Trump Sets the Paulestinians Straight

Apparently becoming weary of the rudeness of the Ron Paul fans, Donald Trump decided to set them straight:

Business mogul Donald Trump said Thursday that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) could not possibly win the 2012 presidential race.

"By the way, Ron Paul cannot get elected, I'm sorry to tell you," Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday. "I like Ron Paul, I think he's a good guy, but honestly he just has zero chance of getting elected."

Both Trump's names and Paul's have been mentioned as possible candidates for the 2012 presidential race.

For reasons unknown to me, the Ron Paul fans seem to be consistently immature. I see it on Facebook, in their little demonstrations, and in public forums like CPAC. They'll do their best to stack the CPAC straw poll and will consider that a great victory if he wins, but Trump is right - Ron Paul cannot win the presidency.

Jeffrey Griese reported the day this way on Facebook:

Fascinating day at CPAC. Mitt Romney conservatives still at war with Rand & Ron Paul libertarians. Surprise visit by Donald Trump, bluntly stated "Ron Paul doesn't have a chance of becoming President." Physical fights break out on floor. Hour later Dick Cheney makes suprise visit, a Paul supporter shouts 'WAR CRIMINAL!', libertarians walk out, secret service appears. Very aggresive atmosphere at LPAC..I mean CPAC.

Anybody who thinks Dick Cheney is a war criminal is no conservative. The Paulestinians need to grow up.

And I like this definition of Libertarianism from Frank J at IMAO:

Libertarianism: A completely reasonable political philosophy espoused most loudly by the completely insane.

Cheney: Obama a One-Termer

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will make some news today:

Former vice president Dick Cheney, back in the public eye after a major heart operation, predicts that President Obama will be a one-term president because of health care and other big government programs.

In an interview to air Tuesday on NBC's Today show, Cheney cited Obama's "overall approach to expanding the size of government, expanding the deficit, and giving more and more authority and power to the government over the private sector."

As for health care, Cheney said Obama has "enacted a program that a great many people are very worried about. And that there's a lot of support out there for the effort to repeal that health care package."

According to excerpts released by NBC, the former vice president also talks about his newly implanted heart pump, Obama's national security record, the Arizona shooting, and his offer to step aside as George W. Bush's running mate prior to the 2004 election.

Of course, if Obamacare was fully implemented at his age and with his history Cheney wouldn't be allowed to have a heart transplant.

Another article has more on the Cheney interview:

President Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues were necessary, according to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

In his first interview since undergoing major heart surgery last July, Cheney said he thinks Obama has been forced to rethink some of his national security positions now that he sits in the Oval Office.

"I think he's learned that what we did was far more appropriate than he ever gave us credit for while he was a candidate. So I think he's learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election."

Cheney also asserted that Obama has learned that the prison at Guantanamo Bay simply cannot be closed, despite the promises he made while campaigning for the White House.

"I think he's learned that he's not going to be able to close Guantanamo," Cheney said. "That it's — if you didn't have it, you'd have to create one like that. You've got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans."

Watch the lefty heads explode as they respond to Bush's evil overlord.

Cheney Finds a Shovel Ready Project

A very thin looking Dick Cheney took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the George W. Bush Presidential Center and had a few things to say about the former and current presidents:

At groundbreaking ceremony in Dallas for the George W. Bush Presidential Center today, former Vice President Dick Cheney said “history is beginning to come around” to a more positive view of former President George W. Bush.

Cheney said that Mr. Bush, whose approval rating upon leaving office was just 22 percent, always understood that “judgments are a little more measured” with the passage of time. He added that Americans “can tell a decent, goodhearted stand up guy when they see him.”

Cheney, who (unlike Mr. Bush) has been a vocal critic of President Obama, also took a shot at the current administration. Speaking of his expectation that construction would move quickly on the presidential center following the groundbreaking, Cheney quipped that “this may be the only shovel ready project in America.” The reference was to the Obama-supported stimulus package that Republicans have criticized as ineffective.

There's video at the link.

Today's Insane Conspiracy Theory

Offered by disgraced former Congressman Eric Massa:

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) tells Esquire that four retired generals had informed him that General David Petraeus "had met twice in secret with former vice president Dick Cheney. In those meetings, the generals said, Cheney had attempted to recruit Petraeus to run for president as a Republican in 2012."

"The generals had told him, and Massa had agreed, that if someone didn't act immediately to reveal this plot, American constitutional democracy itself was at risk."

Said Massa: "General David Petraeus, a commander with soldiers deployed in two theaters of war, has had multiple meetings with Dick Cheney, the former vice-president of the United States, to discuss Petraeus's candidacy for the Republican nomination for the presidency. And in fact, that's more than a constitutional crisis. That's treason."

Time to get back on the meds, Massa.

Cheney Endorses Meg Whitman for California Governor

The race for California governor between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner has featured a collection of ads in which each candidate calls the other a liberal.  Odds are there's some truth behind both campaign's advertising.

I saw Steve Poizner in person a week ago and liked what I heard, but I've also heard a lot of things that are troubling. Poizner has closed from 50 points down to only 2 down, so it's a real horse race. Frankly, I'm still conflicted about this race.

Today former Vice President and conservative superstar Dick Cheney offers his endorsement in the race:

I am proud to endorse Meg Whitman to be the next governor of California. Meg has the conservative values, leadership skills and vision to reform state government and usher in an era

of strong economic growth and prosperity.

There is a lot at stake in this election. What happens in California has a direct bearing on the health of the U.S. economy. America cannot afford to have its largest state teetering on the edge of financial collapse. California needs a proven executive who has the mettle to stand up to the entrenched special interests in Sacramento and cut spending.

Meg is a leader who will not shy away from confronting the public employee unions. She has put pension reform at the center of her agenda. She is a firm believer in the power of tax cuts to strengthen small businesses and create jobs. She knows that welfare must be a temporary hand-up and not a way of life. She is committed to local control of education, and she has a strong and practical approach to securing the border and addressing the problems associated with illegal immigration.

Meg's conservatism is rooted in the optimism that people can achieve great things if government doesn't stand in their way. As I have come to know her better, I have been reminded of another great leader from California. As a young congressman from Wyoming in the 1980s, I was an unabashed foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. I saw an inspirational leader lift the nation out of the malaise left behind by Jimmy Carter's liberalism. I believe Meg Whitman can do for California what Ronald Reagan did for America.

What's interesting about this endorsment op-ed is Cheney spends more time telling us why we should vote AGAINST Poizner than why we should vote FOR Whitman:

In 2000, when I first ran on the national ticket with President George W. Bush, Mr. Poizner endorsed Vice President Al Gore. With the election hanging in the balance, he donated $10,000 to the Gore-Lieberman Recount Committee in Florida. In 2004, during the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, Mr. Poizner, who was then a candidate for the state Assembly, opposed the tax cuts that were the centerpiece of our economic recovery plan.

He also broke ranks with our party on national security and the "war on terror." Mr. Poizner

opposed the war in Iraq. To amplify his opposition to the national security policies of the Bush administration, he invited Richard Clarke to campaign for him in California.

At the time, Mr. Clarke, a former staff member of the National Security Council, was making the rounds on cable television to market a book that blamed the Bush administration for mismanaging the terrorist threat and enabling the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation. There was a clear purpose behind the Clarke campaign visit. Mr. Poizner was breaking from the Bush-Cheney ticket and our policy goals because he thought it helped his political ambitions.

The intervening years have proven that the resolve of the Bush administration and the courage of our soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan kept America safe at a perilous time in our nation's history.

While I have doubts about the authenticity of the conservative voice that Mr. Poizner now speaks in, there is no disputing that Meg Whitman is the Republican the Democrats fear the most in this election. The unions and the Democratic donors invested in Attorney General Jerry Brown's success have already started to run misleading ads attacking Meg Whitman. This is a clear admission on their part that Meg is the toughest Republican candidate for governor. The Democrats know that Meg can beat them in November, and, more importantly, they know she will put an end to the failed status quo in Sacramento as governor.

I encourage my fellow Republicans to vote for Meg Whitman. She is a woman of courage, a leader with conviction, a true fiscal conservative and champion of the values we hold dearest.

I don't doubt that the Dems are more afraid of Whitman than they are of Poizner. Whitman has hundreds of millions of dollars of her own money she can throw into the race, and her real world experience running eBay plays well against Jerry Brown's life in politics where he never had to make a payroll or create a job. In this economy Whitman's experience is definitely an asset.

Poizner is talking a good game these days, but I'm skeptical that either of these candidates are as conservative as they portray themselves.  I'm afraid they could both be as liberal as they portray each other.

10 Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You

With the former Vice President now being blamed for the Gulf Oil Spill (yes, it's silly, but it gives the left a thrill up their leg), we should all be reminded that Cheney is a dangerous man:

And don't forget, he can shoot you too.

Cheney Endorses Grayson in Kentucky

This ought to get the Ron Paulistinians all up in arms:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has injected himself into Kentucky’s Senate contest, endorsing Republican hopeful Trey Grayson as “the real conservative in this race.”

In a statement, Mr. Cheney indicated that Mr. Grayson, Kentucky’s secretary of state, would be stronger on national security and fiscal issues than his primary opponent – Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Representative Ron Paul, the 2008 presidential candidate.

“Trey Grayson knows we must stay on offense in the fight against terrorism by keeping the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay open and trying terrorist suspects using military tribunals, supporting the troop surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, and maintaining the Patriot Act so we can effectively monitor the activities of terrorists abroad,” Mr. Cheney said.

I guess Cheney is a bit afraid that nuts don't fall far from the tree.

Karl Rove: How Bush Chose Cheney

Karl Rove's new book will be filled with a lot of revelations about the Bush presidency, and it includes the story of how Dick Cheney became the VP choice:

The parts of the 516-page book that cover the selection of Cheney as Bush's running mate suggest that the longtime Republican insider was not comfortable when offered the position.

"Cheney arrived at Bush's Crawford ranch in early July with a stack of binders on other prospects," Rove writes. "After they had worked their way through the pile, Bush took Cheney out to the backyard. I'm sure Cheney wondered what was up: Crawford in July is hot. Bush surprised Cheney by asking him to think about becoming his running mate. Cheney said he'd consider it but wasn't certain it was a good idea for Bush or for him."

Rove goes on to deny that Cheney, who was tasked with helping Bush vet potential vice presidential candidates, somehow manipulated the selection process to his advantage.

"Some people have suggested that Cheney engineered his own selection. This is far-fetched. I saw the man squirm as Bush pressed him to accept," Rove writes. "Cheney had a clear understanding of what John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, had said about the office - that it was 'not worth a bucket of warm piss.' Cheney was too much of a patriot to act on that knowledge."

Before settling on Cheney, Rove writes that Bush considered nine other candidates: Govs. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, Frank Keating of Oklahoma, and John Engler of Michigan; Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Bill Frist and Fred Thompson of Tennessee; former Sen. John Danforth of Missouri and former Gov. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

I think Bush made the right call. Those other guys would have been strong candidates, but what we didn't know at the time was how much we'd need a guy with Cheney's Defense Department background when 9/11 happened.

Here's One Canadian That's Not a Fan of National Health Care

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is not the least bit apologetic about choosing to have his heart surgery done in the United States instead of under the Canadian National Health Care System:

An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Williams said he went to Miami to have a "minimally invasive" surgery for an ailment first detected nearly a year ago, based on the advice of his doctors.

"This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla.

"I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics."

If you read further in the article he chose the American procedure because it was more advanced - not to mention civilized - than the Canadian procedure that was available to him. I've got to believe that he will not be a big fan of Obamacare because along with limiting American's choices in health care, it will limit the choices for Canadians as well.

In a somewhat related story, former Vice President Dick Cheney suffered a mild heart attack yesterday - his 5th since age 37 - but he reportedly did not go to Canada seeking treatment.

Darth Cheney Wows Them at CPAC

The evil lord of the Bush realm, Dick Cheney, surprised the conservatives gathered at CPAC today and gave them a little red meat:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise appearance Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference to pay homage to the movement and declare that Barack Obama will be a “one-term president.”

Cheney came up on stage after a speech by his daughter Liz, who hammered Obama’s policies on terrorism and laid blame on administration officials for the attempted Christmas Day bombing.

The room exploded with excitement for the former vice president, who was greeted with cheers of “run, Dick, run!”

“A welcome like that is almost enough to make me want to run for office again — but I’m not gonna do it,” he said.

Cheney made clear that he has passed the torch to his daughter, of whom he said he is “enormously proud.”

I think Cheney would be a terrific president, but I don't think he wants the job and I don't think he could get elected. Maybe some future president can use him as a Chief of Staff or top advisor again or something.

Political Quote of the Day

From Dick Cheney:

ABC’s Jonathan Karl: One thing he (Joe Biden) said is that he thinks Iraq would ultimately prove to be one of the greatest achievements of the Obama Administration.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney: Well (laugh) I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by my friend Joe Biden. I’m glad he now believes Iraq is a success. Of course, Obama and Biden campaigned from one end of the country to another for two years criticizing our Iraq policy. They opposed the surge that was absolutely crucial to our getting to the point where we’re at now with respect to Iraq. For them to try to take credit for what’s happened in Iraq strikes me as a little strange. If they had had their way, if we followed the policies of pursued from the outset or abdicated, Saddam Hussein would still be in power in Baghdad today.

Biden also proposed splitting Iraq into three different countries. The fact is, none of his ideas were workable or correct.

How Scared is the White House of Dick Cheney?

Scared enough that the liberal press is already warning us that he might say something controversial about Obama on the Sunday shows today:

Former Vice President Cheney will appear on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, and it’s a safe bet what he will say: President Barack Obama projects weakness to terrorists and puts American lives at risk.

It’s the kind of brutal charge — nuance-free and politically explosive — that has become a Cheney specialty since he left office 13 months ago.

Cheney’s broadsides on Afghanistan policy, detention and surveillance policies, and Obama’s general philosophy about the U.S. role in a dangerous world inevitably dominate the news. No other figure in Republican politics has equal ability to drive debate on national security, rally Obama critics and force the administration to respond. On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden will be countering Cheney on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

But the backlashes to Cheney have become every bit as vicious as his own attacks. Some nonpartisan national security analysts have called Cheney’s critiques distorted and even demagogic. Some prominent liberal commentators have called them unpatriotic, and possibly mentally unbalanced. Even a conservative Republican senator respected on foreign policy issues recently called Cheney’s criticism of Obama unfair.

Cheney has been unrelenting in his criticism of Obama and he's probably been the sanest commentator yet on the failings of the Obama administration. He clearly has them spooked and I imagine he'll make some more news today.