Former Vice President Dick Cheney today assailed the U.S. military's capture, under President Obama's leadership, of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s top military commander who ranks second in influence in the Taliban only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban’s founder. Speaking to ABC News stenographer interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Cheney explained that the capture of Mullah Baradar is placing America at serious risk of another terrorist attack.
In the exclusive ABC Joke News interview, Cheney stressed that the only reason that the U.S. military, under President Obama's leadership, was able to capture Mullah Baradar after Obama was in office for just one year, was due to the fact that President George W. Bush paved the way during his eight years of not being able to capture such a high-level official. "President Bush's eight years of inaction is the only reason that Obama was able to capture Baradar," Cheney explained. "If we had captured Baradar during our eight years in the White House, of course Obama would not have been able to capture Baradar now. So obviously our time in the White House is the only reason why Obama can claim credit for capturing Baradar right now. That much is clear."
Right after Cheney noted that even though the capture of Baradar was only due to the Bush administration, he continued that the capture of Baradar put the nation at serious risk. "When you have the No. 2 Taliban leader now captured, that means someone else will move into the No. 2 Taliban position," Cheney proclaimed as Stephanopoulos let him continue without noting the obvious contradiction in his statement. "So in essence, President Obama, through the capture of Mullah Baradar, has served to grow the future Taliban leadership. Once again, President Obama puts our country's national security at serious risk."
At the end of the interview, Stephanopoulos thanked Cheney for his time and told him he could pick up the shoes that Stephanopoulos licked clean for him at the building's concierge desk.