|
|
Liz Cheney on Homeland Security |
CHENEY: The over reaching threat to our freedom, Constitution, and individual liberties. How have these rights been protected? This administration has a massive expansion of the federal government and the complete disregard for the rule of law. Americans should understand that we are really at a fork in the road, and if we head down the wrong road, we are going to look a lot like a European social democracy. The other issue is radical Islamic terrorism, a threat that is getting stronger today. With both these issues there is the potential of very dire consequences if we are to do nothing.
A: You have to look at some of his own speeches. Look at the speech he made at the U.N. in 2009, when he said no world order that elevates one nation above others can long survive. That's not somebody who believes in American exceptionalism. Going to Cairo that year, talking about how America abandoned its values after 9/11. You don't go onto foreign soil, the home of Mohammed Atta, and criticize us. This is a president who is uncomfortable with American strength, uncomfortable with American power. I believe he came into office intending to take us down a notch. I think he came into office believing we're a force for ill in the world.
A: I think if you looked at the differences between my dad and me, I think the biggest difference is he's never been a 47-year-old mother of five. Another area is he's more confident in the NSA program. My view of the NSA program is the following: I think it saved lives. I think it prevented attacks. And I don't think we can be in a position where we're saying, shut the whole thing down. But I do know that today, with a President who so clearly flouts the rule of law and the Constitution, there are legitimate concerns about whether we have the balance between civil liberties and our security right. That's a question we have to ask constantly.
A: No. And I also think that it's important to make sure that we all have all the facts before we undertake discussions about any element, any aspect of the war on terror. There's been a lot of desire and attempt on the part of some members of the media and others to run with stories without all the facts. Our commitment to democracy is one that's very much understood and that has borne fruit and we've developed some very important partnerships throughout the region. In my own personal experience, I was at the State Department until 2003 and then I left for a year. In 2005, I was struck by the different atmosphere in the Middle East. The situation has changed fundamentally now: we were really running to keep up with people in the region who were calling for freedom.