Cheney doubles down: Announces formation of anti-Obama group and calls president ‘dangerous’

How President Obama's policies are impacting the crisis in Iraq
How President Obama's policies are impacting the crisis in Iraq

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz Cheney stood by their harsh criticism of President Obama during an interview Wednesday night in which they called him “dangerous.”

The pair also announced the formation of a new anti-Obama political group, The Alliance for a Strong America.

“Uh, yes. I think there’s no question,” Liz Cheney told Fox News host Megyn Kelly during a joint appearance on The Kelly File. “He’s made it clear that his desire is to weaken the nation. There’s no question that he’s a dangerous president.”

The appearance came a day after the Cheneys authored an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which they accused the president of weakening American interests and of having a failed approach to dealing with the escalating threats to Iraqi security.

The pair also posted a new video online to accompany the announcement of The Alliance for a Strong America, a 501(c)(4) organization, which lists its stated goal as “reversing President Obama’s policies.”

“The policies of the last six years have left America diminished and weakened,” Mr. Cheney says in the video. “Our enemies no longer fear us. Our allies no longer trust us.”

Kelly pressed the former vice president on critics who argue that he deserves more blame for the current situation in Iraq and should not be offering his dissenting opinions on the administration’s foreign policy.

“They should have been able to come to an agreement with the Iraqis and I think the failure to do has precipitated this crisis,” Mr. Cheney said when Kelly asked if Obama was simply following through on an agreement made between former President George W. Bush and the Iraqi government to withdraw troops.

“Our generals recommended a stay behind force of 14,000 to 18,000 the White House rejected it,” Cheney said. “I believe the Iraqis looked at it and believed we weren’t serious,” about security in the region.

“That’s no surprise, frankly,” Liz Cheney said when asked about criticism of her father and Bush. “There’s a lot of people that say 'let’s blame the Bush Cheney administration.' There’s a lot out there being said that’s not true from this administration.”

Mr. Cheney also ratcheted up his personal attacks on Obama, saying that foreign leaders had told him they believe the president secretly supports anti-American organizations.

“They don’t trust us anymore,” Cheney said. “They see the administration they think as supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.”

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