CIA chief thinks Cheney wants US attacked

Surely a former VP wouldn't want their country to fall under attack just so he could say 'I told you so.' I don't want to believe this.

Well, before 9/11 Cheney said that the PNAC policies that later became known as the Bush Doctrine would only be supported by the American people if there was some kind of catastrophic, Pearl Harbor type of attack on American soil.  I think he wanted 9/11 to happen, so it doesn't surprise me that he wants a reprise.

A full 50% of the American economy is dependent on war/security/defense and so, there are many people who are paid large amounts of our tax dollar to ensure that they are not out of work.

If a cure for paranoia is ever discovered, Dick and his friends would be quite poor.

Chris is so right in identifying the larger problem of war/security/defense being necessary for reasons other than "freedom" and "homeland," and confronting the "evil doers." If you were to do a poll of Americans though, I'd bet it would demonstrate that not one in 50 has any idea how much we spend on "defense."

And... Cheney is just being nostalgic for his glory days of 9/11. It was the highlight of his life. He loved it. It provided him the opportunity to do all the things he has wanted to do since (at least) '92 when he had Wolfowitz draw up the original pre-Project for the New American Century plan to dominate the world by seizing resources and denying them to challenging countries.

Cheney and his hunting buddies made a lot of money off of 9/11 and Iraq. These old ant-Americans should sit back and live off their ill gotten fortunes and die off.

Dying off would be fine if they didn't procreate but they do and their children are no different.

I feel the same way about Cheney as I did former CIA Chief William Colby...there is a special place in hell for these two men!

Colby was the numbnuts who came up with "The Phoenix Program"(assasination teams) while head of the "Studies and Observation Group" in Vietnam, which by the way was the REAL meaning of "SOG", not Special Operations Group like so many "wannabes" wear on their T-shirts!

He is part of the present administration and will regurgitate the presidents line. I do not like Cheney, but I think he is not looking forward to an attack.

I think the apology tours of the pres. show that we are weak and will only blame Americans when it happens. It is all our fault don't you know?

...actually Mark, it doesn't show we are weak, and what was apologized for was our fault. Actually it's rather stupid to avoid admitting what everyone else already knows.

People don't apologize out of weakness, only adolescents believe that.  They apologize out of strength.  Remember the old saying:  "It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong."

Bush still hasn't admitted any of his thousand grievous errors.

I truly believe that Chaney and his handlers and a great majority of the GOP, do wish that we are attacked in order to regain their past glory.

Teddy Roosevelt believed that America should "speak softly, but carry a big stick".  Cheney wants to forget the first part, and replace the big stick with a nuclear bomb.  He's shown the typical schoolyard-bully attitude: Do everything you can to pick a fight, then retreat to your bunker when it actually happens.  His constant harping on the relative safety of the American people under Bush vs under Obama is a clue to his mindset.  He obviously believes in the "hit 'em first, and hit 'em hard" strategy of international relations.  What bothers me is that anyone is listening to this jerk.

To say that the GOP wants the United States to get attacked is absurd, especially when the Obama administration has stated that Iran can develop nuclear technology.

The next attack against the U.S. could be nuclear if the world allows countries in the Middle East to obtain nuclear technology.

Even the European press is highly critical of Obama's assertion that Iran has a "right" to develop nuclear energy.

The arrogance inherent in the statement "...if the world allows countries in the Middle East to obtain nuclear technology."  What gives anyone the right to deny it to them?  They are sovereign states, not colonies.  It is this very attitude that led to the deposing of the democratically elected leader of Iran in the 1950s and is at the root of the conflict between Iran and American today.  So long as you believe that you have the right to dictate (the root word of "dictator" and "dictatorship") to the rest of the world you will continue to make enemies of other nations and sow the seeds of future conflict.  This is why the Bush Doctrine and the agenda of the PNAC is so wrong, in addition to the moral repugnance of it:  America will destroy itself if it continues to breed enemies instead of friends and allies.

The mindset that actually thinks a nuclear armed country would attack the US is simply delusional. Why. Why open yourself up to an absolute slaughter by the greatest nuclear armed country in history and the ONLY country ever sociopathic and psychotic enough to ACTUALLY USE nuclear weapons? Do you think Middle Eastern countries are just stupid? Because they aren't. They're managed by intelligent people with educated world views. No one will ever attack us with the exception of Russia and China and that's also highly unlikely.

Only American governments have proven their stupidity, other government have proven they aren't.

"What gives anyone the right to deny it to them?  They are sovereign states, not colonies."

I don't know... maybe statements, like:  "Israel should be wiped off the map."

What about the fact that a nuclear Iran would lead to a huge upsurge in radical Islamist movements and their recruiting?  With hundreds of thousands of Muslims joining such radical groups, the existence of every Arab regime would be jeopardized; terrorism and regional instability would rise and the world would not be a safe place.

Or what about a nuclear arms race being triggered in the region which would greatly increase the likelihood of a nuclear war between two or more Middle East countries, as well as such weapons getting into the hands of radical groups?

You can't be serious?

"Do you think Middle Eastern countries are just stupid? Because they aren't. They're managed by intelligent people with educated world views. No one will ever attack us with the exception of Russia and China and that's also highly unlikely."

Are you on drugs?  That is the most idiotic statement I've ever read.  We were attacked on 9/11 by Al Qaeda.  Al Qaeda was helped by the Taliban, who control Afghanistan.  Afghanistan is in the Middle East.

"Do you think Middle Eastern countries are just stupid? Because they aren't. They're managed by intelligent people with educated world views."

You would have been better off to not make any comment and appear stupid, rather than to type what you did and prove it to everyone.

Just out of curiosity, were you referring to Mahmoud Ahmadinajad? 

Are YOU on drugs Erik? When did anyone say anything about 'wiping Israel off the map?' What a rube you are. That was never said Erik and if you had bothered to search out the Farsi translation of the speech you'd know that but instead you decided to believe the mainstream media which assisted the government into creating a false paradigm for eternal war in the Middle East. You're the idiot for believing what is patently false. Go look for the Farsi translation dumbass. I don't have the time to find it for you.

The actual words as translated were that, "the regime occupying Israel will vanish with the sands of time."

There's no Farsi word for 'wipe.' No one referred to a map. No one referred to the word 'wipe' and no one wants to invade or bomb Israel. Grow up and learn to do actual research before you spout off nonsense and prove your foolishness.

"When did anyone say anything about 'wiping Israel off the map?"

October 27, 2005

"What gives anyone the right to deny it to them?  They are sovereign states, not colonies."

I don't know... maybe statements, like:  "Israel should be wiped off the map."

John Rebel,

That was a great comeback, but it was mine.  You can't debate me using my own points.  You'll have to  come up with some of your own ideas, or you'll have to forfeit this debate.

"The mindset that actually thinks a nuclear armed country would attack the US is simply delusional."

I'm sure you would have said that a country would never help Al Qaeda attack the United States with 3 commercial airliners.  But it happened and Afghanistan helped bin Laden.

Any country who promotes suicide bombings should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.  Period.

Maybe you guys should go and discuss something other than world politics?

No Erik, you shouldn't be discussing world politics because you're obviously delusional. The US is the only country that ever displayed the psychotic thought process necessary to unleash a nuclear weapon and murder 100s of 1000s of completely innocent people while disabling for life generations affected by nuclear fallout. It's the US that is using depleted uranium all over the globe and selling these weapons to other countries. The US is the largest arms traffiker on the globe. It's the US that scares me, not Islamic countries.

"It's the US that scares me, not Islamic countries."

What ever is making you so stupid, really works.

The only current nuclear danger in the Middle East is Israel and my Jewish relatives that live there will tell you the same.

"The only current nuclear danger in the Middle East is Israel and my Jewish relatives that live there will tell you the same."

I don't think there's a single person on Gather whose self-esteem wouldn't be raised by reading your comments.

I could care less what other people think. Besides, most of the people on Gather, like you, spout mainstream media stupidity, forgetting that the mainstream media helped the government lie us into wars on three fronts. We attacked sovereign countries Erik. That's an absurd construct and we have anti-war groups operating nationally 24/7 to get us out of these wars but they're so profitable that Congress keeps funding them. The US has nothing to offer the world and we'll necessarily survive on a war economy as long as the American people can handle it which won't be more than another couple of years. At that point your dollars won't buy Beef Jerky or Top Ramon anyway.

"I could care less what other people think. Besides, most of the people on Gather, like you, spout mainstream media stupidity, forgetting that the mainstream media helped the government lie us into wars on three fronts."

The mainstream media is a bunch of racist liberals who want Shiites and Sunnis to kill each other and not have the Unites States free Iraq and Afghanistan from centuries of tyranny. 

But you're probably the only person on Earth that didn't know that.

"That's an absurd construct and we have anti-war groups operating nationally 24/7 to get us out of these wars but they're so profitable that Congress keeps funding them."

Sometimes I wish I was a known serial killer.  Then people wouldn't say stupid sh*t to me.

Most intelligent and compassionate people want to stop the rest of the world from committing genocide, like they were in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

I saw Kurds fleeing into refugee camps on the Turkish border with my own eyes, so don't bring any of that bullsh*t that genocide wasn't taking place in Iraq.

Oh, yeah, I forgot, the 1.7 million dead Iraqi's since 1980 were to save the Iraqi's from genocide. Between our embargo's and our weapons we've managed to kill more people than would have been killed had we not been involved but of course that doesn't register in your warped sense of righteousness. You are a typical serial killer Erik, that's the sad part.

The United States free Iraq and Afghanistan from centuries of tyranny? What? Are you brain dead? We're there to control resources and could care less about tyranny. The tyranny that exists there now is equally as devastating as the tyranny that existed before we interfered. You have a terribly distorted sense of reality Erik. We have destroyed, absolutely obliterated Iraq, the infrastructure is demolished. Electricity was available nationwide before we invaded and now it's intermittent at best. Water treatment is non-existant and Cholera is at epidemic proportions. Local business is virtually gone and replaced with cheap Chinese made products. Factories demolished. Home grown vegetables, fruits, meats and fish, GONE, replaced with imported foods. We completely eliminated the livestock and chicken farms in Iraq. There are none anymore. Inflation is rampant and creating havoc in the average persons life. Erik, you are in a time warp or something or you've received some really bad information.

And again, Ahmadenijad never said, "Israel should be wiped off the map." That's a lie you obviously believe. You're a sad specimen.