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Gibbs: What Cheney Calls 'Dithering,' Obama Calls 'His Solemn Responsibility'

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Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked at today's press briefing to comment on former Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion last night that the Obama White House was "dithering" on Afghanistan and should "do what it takes to win."

"It's a curious comment," Gibbs said. "I think it's pretty safe to say that the vice president was, for seven years, not focused on Afghanistan. Even more curious given that an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president's for more than eight months."

And then Gibbs delivered this one:

What Vice President Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and to the American public. I think we've all seen what happens when somebody doesn't take that responsibility seriously.

When asked about requests for additional troops -- currently and during the Bush administration -- and Cheney's criticism, Gibbs said, "That's a fabulous question for the vice president who seems to have forgotten his role in the last seven years of Afghanistan."

I'm simply saying, I think it's interesting that what the vice president is suggesting the president isn't acting on is what the previous administration didn't act on.

"It defies some modicum of logic," Gibbs said.

This is just the latest in what's become a pretty snippy back-and-forth blame game between the Obama and Bush administrations. Already this week, former Bush adviser Karl Rove called Gibbs "a bully," former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino likened the Obama administration's war on Fox News to the actions of a dictator, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, senior adviser David Axelrod and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett all said on Sunday that the Bush White House was responsible for some of the country's current problems.

We'll have video of Gibbs up shortly.

Late Update: Here's the video.

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20 comments

Recommend Recommend (4)

October 22, 2009 1:50 PM   

Cheney in November 2007, in an interview by Nina Easton: "I don't see signs on the horizon of a significant economic slowdown."

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071109-11.html

How can one man be so consistently Wrong?

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October 22, 2009 2:45 PM    in reply to Turnaround

Simple.

Just look at his party affiliation.

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October 22, 2009 3:17 PM    in reply to _jonny_5_

Right on. Nuff said.

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mJJ

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October 22, 2009 3:21 PM    in reply to Turnaround

Sorry. Mr. Cheney. as a life long Republican, I must tell you that you are sounding totally irrational about the Bush era's plans for Afghanistan. If it were not so tragic, I would understand you are just making an obscene joke. BUT, the sad part is that you are NOT joking. A plan you say? Let me see. A diversion of troops to Iraq instead of Afghanistan where the master perp of 9/11 was hiding out, support for Karzai who was obviously a menace to his own country, and all those years with as you now say, under staffing of the Afghanistan war. If Afghanistan was so vital, why did your administration diddle around before sending more troops. And I note, you never did get Bin Laden. Yep, even in my Republican's eyes, some silly conduct of the Afghan war! It is the shame of our party and history no doubt will record it as the reason for Democratic Party drumming of Republicans in the last election and probably for years to come. My advice, Mr. Cheney, quit stirring the pot in an attempt to seem relevant. It is definitely not working.

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October 23, 2009 5:19 AM    in reply to mJJ

I agree. Cheney struggles to keep his sneer straight as he is criticizing Obama while ignoring his actions which emptied out resources of troops and equipment from Afghanistan so he could attack Iraq.

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October 22, 2009 1:53 PM   

Speaking of dithering, why did Dick Cheney dither through 5 deferments on whether he would respond to his country's call to serve in Vietnam?

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October 22, 2009 2:51 PM    in reply to Hussein Stemper

he "dithered" thru 5 deferments because he is a coward. It's o.k. with hime to send out young people into harms way, but heavens he is too important to go to war!! So sick of him and his wise a** daughter

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October 22, 2009 3:46 PM    in reply to Evie G

Who was deferment #5.

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October 22, 2009 2:35 PM   

Dick Cheney was right when he said that undermining our Commander-in-Chief in a time of war sends the wrong message to our allies and our enemies.

Therefore, Dick Cheney is a traitor to America.

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October 22, 2009 2:55 PM   

Here's the problem. The "dithering" meme got started when Tom Ricks was writing it on his Foreign Policy blog. As soon as he did, the danger was imminent that the opportunitistic hacks like Cheney would pick up on it and run with it. Ricks is a good reporter, but his subjective judgments about the character of the policy deliberations are about as accurate as any Beltway pundit. He should've known better.

It's almost like when Joe Klein wrote an article during the campaign about Obama's "patriotism problem" and then looked *shocked* when the McCain camp jumped on it.

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October 22, 2009 2:58 PM   

If I were an unindicted war criminal I'd be less inclined to exhort the President to commit more troops and treasure to the Afghan effort. And never mind the fact that Dick and W took their eyes off the ball in that theatre so they could go after Saddam and his stockpiles of WMD. At least W has the good grace to confine his post-presidential activities to giving motivational seminars.

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October 22, 2009 3:34 PM    in reply to jacks45

If I were an unindicted war criminal like the former V.P., I'd consider myself lucky and keep my face off tv. For once W is doing the smart thing.

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LFC

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October 22, 2009 3:04 PM   

"Obama has to stop dithering on Afghanistan and solve our monumental f***-up so we can take credit for it!"

-- Dick Cheney, Former V-P, Current Maximum Douche

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October 22, 2009 3:55 PM   

It's time to put Dick Cheney in an orange jumpsuit and send down Gitmo for a little waterboarding.

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October 22, 2009 4:30 PM   

Cheney, as always, speaks like a true coward.

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October 22, 2009 6:26 PM   

Has Cheney ever been right about anything?

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October 22, 2009 6:42 PM    in reply to margaret

Indeed, yes, margaret. Buried beneath Mr. Cheney's seemingly endless pile of fecal matter, he in fact supports gay marriage. Just goes to prove that even a blind squirrel can find a nut now and then....

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October 23, 2009 12:09 AM   

On Cheney's approach to counter-insurgency warfare in Afghanistan, Gen.Paul Eaton (Ret.):

1. Deny it. 2. Ignore it. 3. Bomb it.

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October 23, 2009 3:37 AM   

Hell I don't know what the president is going to decide. But I know he is being thoughtful and taking everything into consideration instead of shooting from the hip.

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