Powell backs Obama on National security: 'We are not less safe'

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | February 22, 2010 at 06:14 am

333 views | 16 Recommendations | 14 comments

Speaking to 'Face the Nation' , on Sunday, Colin Powell insisted that all claims made by Cheney and others regarding the US being "less safe" under President Obama are not credible and and should be discounted.

Going further, Powell challenged former Vice President Dick Cheney's other statements, such as doing away with EIT (extreme interrogation techniques) as in waterboarding puts the US in a vulnerable position.

He also asserted that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) which was put in place under W Bush, is still operational at airports and depots.

"The point is made, 'We don't waterboard anymore or use extreme interrogation techniques.' Most of those extreme interrogation techniques and waterboarding were done away with in the Bush administration," Powell said. "They've been made officially done away with in this current administration."
"The Transportation Security Administration created by George Bush is still in action working in our airports; they take care of me every day that I go to an airport," Powell told moderator Bob Schieffer.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was also created under President Bush, "and it is still under President Obama working hard," he said. "Our counterterrorism authorities and forces are hard at work. Our law enforcement officials are hard at work. We have gone after the enemy in Afghanistan with 50,000 more troops, more predators are striking al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan. We have continued the policies that President Bush put in place with respect to Iraq.

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Hugh Askew

at 07:34 on February 22nd, 2010

"Most of those extreme interrogation techniques and waterboarding were done away with in the Bush administration," Powell said. "They've been made officially done away with in this current administration."

That will certainly disappoint the more rabid Bush and Cheney haters, although most will likely pretend Powell never said it.

t k kidwai

at 07:51 on February 22nd, 2010

Dick Chenny,one of the most coward VP,is telling that we are less safe.Wasn't he a member of Bush Bin Satan's team which was responsible for controlled demolition of WTC.When he heard of attack,although he had advance knowledge, being an active member of devilish cacaus,he hid himself in a bunker.

An appallingly ignorant Secretary of State,Vice President,Americans should be ashamed of.This poor fellow didn't know the difference between a pyramid and ziggurat. TheLos Angeles Times published a report(February 14,1991) Defence Secretary Richard Chenny said the Iraqi Military Command had placed two Soviet made MiG21 fighter-bombers'right next to the pyramid at Ur'.In a television interview he said "the pyramids of Iraq were older than the pyramids of Egypt".Only a lunkheaded person could say so.We all know that there are no pyramids in Iraq.

Obama shouldn't pay any attention to bombastic non-sense frequently uttered by a coward.

YankeeJim

at 09:22 on February 22nd, 2010

Roy, when you finish reading Smart Data, you might conclude that there is a way to measure everything.

Rory Cripps

at 13:12 on February 22nd, 2010

We have continued the policies that President Bush put in place with respect to Iraq.

I'm sure that statement pleased Obama supporters . . . .

Hugh Askew

at 14:32 on February 22nd, 2010

Yes, but Bush and Cheney still need to be tried as war criminals - because the are Republican war criminals.

Karen Hatter

at 14:44 on February 22nd, 2010

Hugh, although it might be possible to successfully prosecute the former President and Vice President as war criminals due to the actions of the Bush administration, not because of their party affiliation, given the current climate in the U.S., any attempts to do so would threaten to tear the nation apart, further fragmenting its citizenry, which is not too far from occurring even now.

Hugh Askew

at 15:28 on February 22nd, 2010

Actually Karen, i was being, as one member has labeled me, sardonic. ie: derisively mocking.

If Bush/Cheney are guilty of war crimes - as alleged by some - then so are most other presidents, including the current one.

I do agree with your comment, btw - in spades.

Rory Cripps

at 15:35 on February 22nd, 2010

Hugh: Again! I see that you're on a roll tonight!

If Bush/Cheney are guilty of war crimes - as alleged by some - then so are most other presidents, including the current one.

No doubt about it! And it's impossible to argue with the logic contained in that assertion.

You are being a bit viperish though! LOL!

t k kidwai

at 16:58 on February 22nd, 2010

Karen,I beg to differ with your analysis that if Bush and Chenny are tried,in my opinion they should be tried and publicly hanged for their crimes against humanity,an attempt to try them would divide Americans.Current situation,like all other situations which prevailed at a given time were media fabrication.Situations are always in a fluid state.If they are prosecuted for their war crimes,may be citizenry is cohered.Let Obama try and see the results.

Karen Hatter

at 17:24 on February 22nd, 2010

I see your point T K Kidwai but, I've based my opinion on the reactions of those who have supported the actions of the Bush administration, mainly coming from the Republican Party and all those who have boisterously defended what I believe were their illegal actions.

The overruling of the findings of wrong doing of the manuevers of the White House's legal advisors, by Eric Holder and this administration's Justice Department, which lets the legal team of advisors in place during the Bush administration off the hook, guarantees an uphill battle to attempt to have anyone tried in this matter.

Judge Bybee, John Yoo and the rest of the crew, acting under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' Justice Department, provided the Bush White House with cover for the desired actions of authorizing torture, which were carried out using the bogus legal cover they were given.

The Bush administration allowed the flow of what would be considered legal or illegal to go back and forth in a manner never before used by any administration.

'We want to do this' was told to the White House lawyers, usually having been funnelled from the CIA by the White House, namely the National Security Council, to the lawyers and they, the White House lawyers, wrote laws to accommodate the White House's desires.

Any attempt to prosecute will be nearly impossible if those crafting the law for torture are not held accountable.

The defensive argument? 'The White House legal advisors said it was legal and they wrote findings and changed the law to make it so.'

Hugh Askew

at 15:54 on February 22nd, 2010

Viperish? Naw, simply sardonic, as is my wont.

As to the logic, that is something that will not sway the hatred, nor the vitriol, of those who seek vengeance against Cheney for the sin of being Vice-President to GW Bush.

Besides, Cheney was just too stupid to be Vice-Presidential.

Rory Cripps

at 17:09 on February 22nd, 2010

Hugh: It's a no-win situation. I'm by no means defending Cheney or Bush here. But there are dyed-in-the-wool ideologues on both the left and right. You can say to them that the sky is blue or that the earth is round and they'll argue against those statements if those statements are seen as a threat to or run counter to their ideology. I can never understand why Americans have such an emotional attachment to a particular political party. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been screwing the American people for years and it's only recently that the American people have reacted and have begun to realize what America's politicians have been up to all these years.

t k kidwai

at 16:36 on February 22nd, 2010

Even without being Vice-Presedential,he would have remained a stupid.His stupidity and nuinsance value had nothing do with his official positions he enjoyed during Presidency of Bush Bin Satan.

Mannie (not verified)

at 10:10 on February 23rd, 2010

Has anyone considered that V.P Cheney, & W. bush were actually not stupid but rather conplicit with their actions? its like the saying "you may know me but, not know who I am". these constitution breakers and many other presidents including the current one know exactly what they are doing, but yet are complicit with their action.