The United States might have been able to avert the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks had controversial National Security Agency surveillance programs been in place at the time, former Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday, NBC’s First Read team writes. Cheney defended the NSA’s ability to monitor phone and email data, and said Edward Snowden, the analyst who admitted to having leaked details about the classified program, is a “traitor.”
Many of the broad surveillance programs were implemented after the 9/11 attacks, prompted by President George W. Bush, who argued for broader government powers to prevent future attacks.
Cheney rebuked Obama’s assertions that he has scaled back some surveillance practices undertaken by his predecessor. “I don’t pay a lot of attention, frankly, to what Barack Obama says,” Cheney said.
“I find a lot of it is, in other areas — the IRS, Benghazi — not credible. I’m obviously not a fan of the incumbent president.”
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2 Responses
It didn’t prevent the Boston marathon bombing, Bengazi, or the Fort Hood shooting. Why does he think it would have prevented 9/11?
A. Reading the memo that said bin Laden is determined to attack the US might have prevented 9/11, but Obama did not read that memo – oh, wait, Cheney as VP, someone else was president, the they did not read the memo either.
B. Why does anybody pay any attention to this guy – worst US president, or vice president, ever? He had his chance, made a hash of it. Enough already.