White House's Robert Gibbs Fires Back At Dick Cheney

The White House dismissed criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney who, among other things, lambasted the Obama Administration on Fox News Sunday for a opening a review of CIA interrogation practices during the Bush Administration.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration had heard it all before from Cheney from almost its opening days.

Gibbs also said Cheney had his fact wrongs. And, in the equivalent of catching and throwing Cheney's grenade back at him, Gibbs pointed out that Cheney hasn't been a particularly reliable foreign-policy expert.

An excerpt of Gibbs' relevant interchange with reporters:

REPORTER: And lastly, I just wanted to know if you have any comment on remarks that former Vice President Cheney made yesterday: "I just think it's" — about the preliminary review of whether CIA officers broke any laws: "I think it's an outrageous precedent to set to have this kind of intensely partisan, politicized look back at the prior administration." He said it would create a chilling effect at the CIA and the actions are not making the country safer.

MR. GIBBS: Yeah. I mean, this is — you've — this is the same song and dance we've heard since literally the first day of our administration. So I don't have — I don't have a lot to say.I think the vice president, if you watched some of his interview, was clearly — clearly had his facts on a number of things wrong.

 

REPORTER: Such as?

MR. GIBBS: The notion that somehow this White House is going to be making interrogation decisions, not — not — the high-value detainee interrogation group that's stationed at the FBI will have participants from all different intelligence and law enforcement agencies within our government, which has allowed people like Fran Townsend to compliment the creation of this group, somebody who, as you know, was tasked with homeland security in the previous administration.

I think — I think what was also illuminating, Jake, were Senator McCain's comments yesterday about whether — the impact that these enhanced interrogation techniques, that the president looked at and has now outlawed, the effect that they've had on our standing in the world and our foreign policy. I think he certainly doesn't agree with us on every issue as it relates to this. I understand that. But I thought, given his experience, I think they are tremendously illuminating.

I would add this. I'm not entirely sure that Dick Cheney's predictions on foreign policy have borne a whole lot of fruit over the last eight years in a way that have been either positive or, best of my recollection, very correct.