Hahahahahahahahaha!
Okay, now that I'm under control again, let me try to explain my tremendous amusement with this statement. First, it's got to be one of the biggest understatements of the decade. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was a hardened, career terrorist who had most likely undergone training to build up a resistance to interrogation techniques. Do you know how long he lasted in the waterboarding session before surrendering everything he knew?
30 seconds.
If that's not a 'remarkably successful' interrogation technique, nothing is.
And no, waterboarding is not torture. If you want to make that statement, then you need to go ahead and say that America tortures its own soldiers, because waterboarding is standard training procedure for some military units. Get over yourself.
The other thing that amuses me is that this statement will undoubtedly be met with tremendous gnashing of teeth and sputtering rage by the Left, and I'm certain that Cheney doesn't give a rat's behind about that. It's always a good thing to irritate liberals, and it really says something about them when a simple statement of fact -- DAMN those things! -- throws them into a hissy fit. Gateway Pundit says it this way:
Nutroot's. Heads. Explode.
No kidding. And that's precisely what makes it so much fun.
GP also links to a story about how Obama should be grateful to Bush:
Vice President Cheney predicts that Barack Obama will be grateful for the state of presidency he inherits from President Bush.
And while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional Democrats have repeatedly criticized Bush for grabbing power, Cheney argued that Obama, the Democratic president-elect, will be glad of it.
"My guess is, once they get here and they're faced with the same problems we deal with every day, that they will appreciate some of the things we put in place," said Cheney Monday in a telephone interview with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Furthermore, Cheney does not think Obama is about to give those hard-won gains back to Congress.
"I think the Obama administration is not likely to cede that authority back to the Congress," said Cheney. "I think they'll find that given a challenge they face they'll need all the authority they can muster."
Cheney has made expansion of presidential and vice-presidential power a hallmark of the administration.
Over the past eight years, Bush, Cheney and senior executive branch officials have pursued innovative legal theories to expand their prerogatives.
Bush attached signing statements to legislation asserting his power to disobey elements of newly enacted laws and approved warrantless surveillance of persons making international calls from the U.S.
He also authorized the detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and established military tribunals to try suspects outside the U.S. courts system.
And while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional Democrats have repeatedly criticized Bush for grabbing power, Cheney argued that Obama, the Democratic president-elect, will be glad of it.
"My guess is, once they get here and they're faced with the same problems we deal with every day, that they will appreciate some of the things we put in place," said Cheney Monday in a telephone interview with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Furthermore, Cheney does not think Obama is about to give those hard-won gains back to Congress.
"I think the Obama administration is not likely to cede that authority back to the Congress," said Cheney. "I think they'll find that given a challenge they face they'll need all the authority they can muster."
Cheney has made expansion of presidential and vice-presidential power a hallmark of the administration.
Over the past eight years, Bush, Cheney and senior executive branch officials have pursued innovative legal theories to expand their prerogatives.
Bush attached signing statements to legislation asserting his power to disobey elements of newly enacted laws and approved warrantless surveillance of persons making international calls from the U.S.
He also authorized the detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and established military tribunals to try suspects outside the U.S. courts system.
Once again, just watching liberals even contemplate being grateful to Bush for anything is great entertainment! I'm not sure how much authoritative mustering will be done by the Obamessiah since that would require character, spine, and a core set of ideals on which to rely...but I digress.
I'm sure Cheney enjoyed delivering those suggestions as much as conservatives get a kick out of hearing them. Besides, even if it's never publicly admitted, the simple fact that Obama will benefit from those policies -- especially given that if he uses them it will most likely be to roll back his ultra-Leftist campaign promises -- will put the lie to all the Leftist opposition over the past eight years and show even more clearly that Obama is just another same-old-same-old politician.
Besides, it's not like the Left can hate Cheney any more than they already do, so he might as well poke them every chance he gets. It's not like many of them are willing to go hunting with him or anything.
There's my two cents.
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