Does Dick Cheney have a right to criticize the current administration re: Iraq?

2014-06-19T22:31:20-04:00

As Iraq falls back int sectarian chaos and the left and right scramble for talking points to influence November's election, does Dick Cheney have a right to criticize the Obama administration over Iraq?

Partisanship aside, this is a complex issue. Did the Bush administration know, or should they have known what would happen when US combat forces left the country? Was the collapse inevitable? If it was not inevitable, how long should US forces have remained, and should they have remained absent a status of forces agreement (SoFA)?

From my perspective, this is an issue that is far older than Bush or Obama, dating back to the end of World War One and the division of the middle east between the British and French.

I know my views on the subject, but I would love to hear yours.

Response by CWO4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2014 11:29 PM

2014-06-19T23:29:41-04:00

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Jun 19 at 2014 11:55 PM

2014-06-19T23:55:17-04:00

Yes, he does. Everyone has such a right. Those who opposed the current administration's policies could also argue a moral right to do the "I told you so dance."

Whether the current, former, or any other administration's policies/stance are the right one is left as an exercise to the reader. All that is really relevant here is that VP Cheney has clearly and consistently been in opposition to the policy that the current administration has pursued.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 20 at 2014 7:34 AM

2014-06-20T07:34:23-04:00

He obviously has the right as an American to voice his opinions. With that said, since 2008 my respect for GW Bush has gone up and my respect for Cheney has gone for based upon how they've handled themselves post office.

Response by AN Ralph Shields made Jan 9 at 2015 12:49 PM

2015-01-09T12:49:46-05:00

They Knew What would happen if we went into Iraq , and Left ! Powell told them if you Break it you own it ! Instead they decided to , in doing so bringing up the worth of Companies Like Halliburton , and Texo at the cost of American Lives ! Now Look at the Region it is in total disaray

Response by TSgt Steven Summerlin made Jan 28 at 2015 11:42 PM

2015-01-28T23:42:04-05:00

Of course he does. He is still an American citizen and is afforded the 1st Amendment rights that we all have served to protect. He is probably more qualified than most to provide a critical review on the situation, having been very close to previous actions in the region.

To tack on to your other observations, I too believe that the British and French have created many of the 3rd World issues as we know them today. Both were expansionist colonial powers that brought their own administrators and police forces into many nations of the world including the Middle East. Much of Africa fell under their governance. The ruling nations decided that the burden of global rule was too great, to expensive, not politically popular anymore, whatever the reason. They left. They took all of the administrators and managers with them. There was no transitional government, and no real attempt to train the local peoples to govern themselves once again. The result was akin to the disaster that was the fall of the Soviet Union for the peoples who lived in that region. No one to manage the trade routes.. The grain stayed in the field, the millers did not know how to get it to the mills, the bakers had no flour. And it happened over and over again in nation after nation and in almost everyone of these locations warlords rose up and decimated any tribal systems that had formed. Emergency resources flown in by other nations were intercepted and kept by the warlords and still are. Many of those nations have still not recovered, and while they may have a small central government, their influence does not extend far outside of the capitol cities. I could go on, but you get the picture. The withdrawal of the British and French governments have left the areas they once ruled in a state of war for decades now.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2016 1:04 AM

2016-04-23T01:04:06-04:00

I agree with COL Vincent Stoneking It just amazes me that everything becomes politically motivated. “A new scientific or (political truth) does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”
― Max Planck, Scientific Autobiography and Other Papers

Response by Sgt Gary Thompson made May 5 at 2022 6:01 AM

2022-05-05T06:01:41-04:00

I beleive the Constitution gives him the write to say what ever he wants but, is it appropriate?