Dick Cheney's Real Record
Cheney Lied About WMDs And Hussein's Links to Al Qaeda
10/04/04 --
Cheney Said There Was "No Doubt" That Saddam
Possessed WMDs. "Simply stated, there is no doubt that
Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." [Dick
Cheney, Speech to VFW, 8/26/03]
Cheney Said Hussein Had Ties to Al Qaeda. "But we
also have to address the question of where might these terrorists
acquire weapons of mass destruction, chemical weapons, biological
weapons, nuclear weapons? And Saddam Hussein becomes a prime
suspect in that regard because of his past track record and
because we know he has, in fact, developed these kinds of
capabilities, chemical and biological weapons. We know he's used
chemical weapons. We know he's reconstituted these programs since
the Gulf War. We know he's out trying once again to produce
nuclear weapons and we know that he has a long-standing
relationship with various terrorist groups, including the al-Qaeda
organization." [NBC, "Meet the Press," 3/16/03]
Cheney: Ousting Saddam in 1991 Would "Not Have Been
Easy" -- New Government Difficult to Establish.
"There were ample reasons for the first President Bush not to
go after Mr. Hussein. The current vice president and then the
secretary of defense, Dick Cheney, outlined some of them in an
interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1992, when
he said: 'If we'd gone to Baghdad and got rid of Saddam Hussein --
assuming we could have found him -- we'd have had to put a lot of
forces in and run him to ground someplace. He would not have been
easy to capture. Then you've got to put a new government in his
place, and then you're faced with the question of what kind of
government are you going to establish in Iraq? Is it going to be a
Kurdish government, or a Shia government or a Sunni government?'
Mr. Cheney continued. 'How many forces are you going to have to
leave there to keep it propped up, how many casualties are you
going to take through the course of this operation?'" [New
York Times, 12/16/03]
Cheney Reaps Profits from Halliburton at the Expense of
American Taxpayers and Troops
Halliburton Awarded No-Bid Rebuilding Contracts Worth
Billions. In March 2003, the Pentagon awarded Halliburton's
construction wing, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), a no-bid contract
to help rebuild Iraqi oil fields after a possible war there,
including advice on putting out oil well fires. The Army Corps of
Engineers said that Halliburton's compensation for rejuvenating
Iraq's oil industry could be up to $7 billion. [San Francisco
Chronicle, 3/8/03; Ottawa Citizen, 3/7/03; Wall Street Journal,
3/7/03; New York Times, 4/11/03; Associated Press, 11/5/03]
Halliburton Gouged Gas Prices In Postwar Iraq At Expense Of
American Taxpayers. The military investigated Halliburton and
found that it overcharged for gas it imported into Iraq from
Kuwait. US taxpayers and the United Nations oil-for-food program
are paying Halliburton an average price of $2.64 per gallon, which
is more than twice what others pay for Kuwait fuel. The
appropriations bill that President Bush signed in November 2003
mandates that taxpayers subsidize all gas important costs
beginning in 2004. Pentagon auditors have asked the Department of
Defense to investigate Halliburton's activity in Kuwait, and in
December the military ended its contract to with Halliburton
subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root to import oil. [Reuters,
12/11/03; New York Times, 12/10/03; Associated Press, 11/5/03;
Washington Post, 12/31/03, 1/16/04]
Halliburton Reaps Profits While Forcing Troops To Eat In
Filthy Conditions. Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg, Brown
& Root [KBR] serves 110,000 soldiers in Iraq their meals. For
that service, American taxpayers pay Halliburton "$28 per
soldier per day." But, according to NBC News, "Pentagon
inspections of mess halls run by KBR are finding a mess in some of
them...In the main Baghdad dining facility where President Bush
surprised the troops on Thanksgiving, inspectors found filthy
kitchen conditions in each of the three previous months.
Complaints filed in August, September and again in October report
problems. Blood all over the floor of refrigerators, dirty pans,
dirty grills, dirty salad bars, rotting meats and vegetables. In
October, the inspector writes that Halliburton's previous promises
to fix the problems have not been followed through and warns the
company serious repercussions may result, due to improper handling
and serving of food." [NBC News, 12/12/03]
Cheney Proposed to Cut Defense Programs Vital to Recent
Military Operations
Cheney Proposed Cutting F-16 Aircraft. In testimony
before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "If
you're going to have a smaller air force, you don't need as many
F-16s...The F-16D we basically continue to buy and close it out
because we're not going to have as big a force structure and we
won't need as many F-16s." According to the Boston Globe,
Bush's 1991 defense budget "kill[ed] 81 programs for
potential savings of $ 11.9 billion...Major weapons killed
include[d]....the Air Force's F-16 airplane." [Cheney
testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 2/7/91; Boston Globe,
2/5/91]
Cheney Proposed Cuts to B-2 Program. According to the
Boston Globe, in 1990, "Defense Secretary Richard Cheney
announced a cutback... of nearly 45 percent in the
administration's B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to
75..." [Boston Globe, 4/27/90]
Cheney Proposed Cutting AH-64 Apaches. In testimony
before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee,
Cheney said, "This is just a list of some of the programs
that I've recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the
Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the
Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera." In testimony
before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "The
Army, as I indicated in my earlier testimony, recommended to me
that we keep a robust Apache helicopter program going forward,
AH-64...I forced the Army to make choices...So I recommended that
we cancel the AH-64 program two years out." [Cheney
testimony, Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee,
6/12/90; Cheney Testimony, House Armed Services Committee,
7/13/89, emphasis added]
Cheney Proposed Cutting M-1 Abrams Tanks. In testimony
before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee,
Cheney said, "This is just a list of some of the programs
that I've recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the
Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the
Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera." The Boston Globe
reported on the impact of Cheney's cuts to armored tanks:
"The Army's cupboard is left particularly bare. Coming in the
wake of last year's killing of the M-1 tank and the Apache
helicopter, the death of the M-2 means the Army will soon have
virtually no major weapons in production." [Cheney testimony,
Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 6/12/90;
Boston Globe, 2/5/91]
Cheney Proposed Cutting B-52 Bombers. In 1990, Cheney
proposed cutting 14 B-52 bombers. Cheney also sought the
retirement of two Navy battleships, two nuclear cruisers, and
eight nuclear-powered attack submarines. In 1991, Cheney scrapped
the Navy's A-12 Stealth attack plane, a fighter that was
proclaimed to be a key part of the future of navy aviation in
advanced stealth technology. [Newsday, 2/5/91; NY Times, 1/8/91;
Boston Globe, 4/27/90; Boston Globe, 1/30/90]
Cheney's Record as Secretary of Defense Includes Cutting
Troops and Bases
Cheney Cut Thousands of Active-Duty, Reserve, and Civilian
Forces. In January 1990, Cheney banned the hiring of any new
civilian personnel in the Defense Department through the end of
September, which left more than 65,000 jobs vacant. Under the
budget proposed in 1990, the Pentagon would have reduced active
military personnel by 38,000; selected reserves would have fallen
by 3,000. The budget called for the deactivation of two Army
divisions. Long range, the Pentagon planned to reduce its work
force by 300,000, including about 200,000 military personnel and
100,000 civilians. In 1991, he called for reduction of 200,000
active and reserve military personnel over two years. In 1992,
Cheney called for cutting 500,000 active-duty people, 200,000
reservists, and 200,000 civilians over five years. [Minneapolis
Star-Tribune, 2/2/92; Chicago Tribune, 2/20/91; 1990 CQ Almanac,
p. 672; Washington Post, 1/13/90; Boston Globe, 1/30/90]
Active-Duty and Reserve Forces Endured Huge Reductions Under
Cheney. The LA Times reported in November 1991 that the number
of active-duty military personnel had decreased by over 106,000,
or 5 percent of the total forces. The National Guard and Reserves
had been cut by nearly 38,000, instead of the 105,000 the Bush
Administration sought. [LA Times, 11/2/91]
Cheney Proposed Over 70 Base Closures. In 1990, Cheney
proposed the closure of 72 domestic military installations and 12
overseas facilities. On April 12, 1991, Cheney proposed to close
31 major domestic military bases. The plan also called for
shutting 12 smaller bases and reducing operations at 28 others. He
submitted his list of closures to a commission on base closings on
April 15, 1991. In 1992, Cheney proposed 70 overseas military base
closures, three of which were in Turkey. [Aerospace Daily,
8/17/92; 1991 CQ Almanac, p. 427; Chicago Tribune, 1/30/90]
Cheney Conducted Secret Energy Task Force Meetings Composed
Largely of Energy Industry Officials
Cheney Chaired Nine Cabinet Level Meetings on Energy Task
Force, Met With Enron Officials. Vice President Dick Cheney
chaired nine meetings of the Cabinet-level Energy Task Force that
Vice President Cheney chaired between January and May 2001. Each
of the meetings lasted 90 minutes. According to Enron Spokesman
Vance Meyer, during the course of the Energy Task Force meetings,
there was a thirty minute meeting between Vice President Cheney,
then Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay and "another executive."
Cheney's Energy Task Force officials met with 118 energy industry
or corporate groups, 13 environmental groups and 1 consumer group
during meetings of the energy task force. The Supreme Court will
hear oral arguments in the case on April 27, 2004. [Washington
Post, 3/26/02, 5/17/01; New York Times, 5/10/01; 5/20/01; 4/25/04]
Cheney Failed to Provide Body Armor for Troops in Iraq For
More Than a Year
Cheney Admits One Year After Iraq War Began That Troops
Lacked Body Armor. The war on Iraq commenced in March 2003. In
an interview with Brit Hume of Fox News on March 17, 2004, one
year later, Cheney said, "I believe the chief of staff of the
Army and the vice chief -- vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs have
testified recently that all of our troops in Iraq are now properly
equipped with the newest body armor. So there were -- the main
problem had been just the sheer capacity to produce these items
early on." [Fox News Special Report with Brit Hume, 3/17/04]
Bush Administration Made At Least Five Separate Promises to
Provide Body Armor; Despite Recent Claims, Some Troops Still
Waiting. The Bush Administration first promised that all
troops would be fully equipped with body armor by the end of
November 2003. They continued to extend the deadline to the end of
December, January, and then February, until they finally claimed
in March 2004 that all troops were equipped with body armor.
However, Major General Charles Swannack, commander of the 82nd
Airborne Division, reported in March that, "We are still
short a significant amount of vehicles, radios, and body armor to
properly equip [soldiers]." The AP reported in late March,
"Soldiers headed for Iraq are still buying their own body
armor - and in many cases, their families are buying it for them -
despite assurances from the military that the gear will be in hand
before they're in harm's way." [House Appropriations
Committee, Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, 9/24/03; UPI,
12/3/03; Hartford Courant, 1/11/04; House Appropriations
Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 2/12/04; Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing, 3/2/04; NY Daily News, 3/11/04; AP, 3/26/04]
Cheney Has Failed to Keep Faith With Those Who Have Worn the
Uniform
In 1981, Cheney Voted Against Raising Military Pay for
Senior and Junior Enlisted Personnel. In 1981, Cheney voted
against an amendment to increase the pay of senior enlisted
personnel by 18-22 percent and the basic pay of junior enlisted
personnel by 7-9 percent. The amendment was rejected 170-232.
[1981 CQ Almanac, p.66-H, vote #192]
In 1982, Cheney Voted Against Authorizing Military Pay
Raise. In 1982, Cheney voted against the "Uniformed
Services Pay Act" which would have authorized a pay raise in
FY 1983 for uniformed members of the armed services. The bill
would have also restricted the hiring of private contractors to
perform Department of Defense services. The vote was a motion to
suspend the rules and pass the bill. The motion was rejected
214-186. [1982 CQ Almanac, p.98-H, vote #330]
As Congressman, Cheney Consistently Voted Against Veterans
Administration Funding. In 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987,
and 1988, Cheney was one of a small number of House members to
passage of bills that provided funding for the Veterans
Administration. In 1983, Cheney voted against bringing a bill to
the House floor and paired against House passage of a bill that
provided funding for the Veterans Administration. In 1981, Cheney
was one of only 41 House members to vote against House passage of
a bill that provided business loans and additional educational
benefits to Vietnam veterans. In 1983, Cheney was one of only 30
House members to vote against House passage of a bill that would
have provided $54 million for Agent Orange studies and $75 million
for the Emergency Veterans Jobs Training Act. [H.R. 7631, 1980 CQ
Almanac, p. 119-H, #395; H.R. 4034, 1981 CQ Almanac, p. 53-H,
#138; p. 67-H, #191; H.R. 6956, 1982 CQ Almanac, p. 95-H, #314; p.
7-F, P.L. 97-272; H.R. 3133, 1983 CQ Almanac, p. 44-H, #137; p.
65-H, #215; H.R. 3038, 1985 CQ Almanac, p. 77-H, #236; p. 115-H,
#368; H.R. 5313, 1986 CQ Almanac, p. 101-H, #353; H.R. 2783, 1987
CQ Almanac, p. 101-H, #328; H.R. 4800, 1988 CQ Almanac, p. 64-H,
#198; p. 86-H, #268; H.R. 3423, 1981 CQ Almanac, p. 29-H, #51;
H.R. 3959, 1983 CQ Almanac, p. 109-H, #363]
Cheney Had "Other Priorities" During Vietnam War
Cheney Had "Other Priorities" During Vietnam War.
Vice President Dick Cheney received five deferments during the
Vietnam War from 1963 to 1966, a period of heightened American
commitment in Vietnam. He later dismissed questions about his
failure to serve by simply saying, "I had other priorities in
the '60s." [McGrory, Washington Post, 7/27/00; Geyer, Chicago
Tribune, 2/6/04; Arizona Republic, 1/22/04]
Cheney and Bush Campaign Distort Record of Cheney's
Deferments. The Washington Post reported in 1991 that Cheney
received five deferments, four 2-S student deferments and one
under the 3-A classification -- "registrant with a child or
children; or registrant deferred by reason of extreme hardship to
dependents." In his Senate confirmation hearing, Cheney said
he "would have obviously been happy to serve had I been
called," which contradicting his earlier statement, "I
had other priorities in the '60s than military service." Bush
staff members said Cheney received only three deferments, two for
school and one for being a new father. [Washington Post, 4/3/91;
Des Moines Register, 8/2/00]
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