Sen. John McCain said Monday he disagreed with former vice president Dick Cheney’s assertion that the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki could be equated with enhanced interrogation techniques.
“They’re two entirely different things,” McCain said Monday on CNN’s “American Morning.” “One is that this was specifically authorized by Congress after 9/11. And it’s action that is taken against a declared enemy of the United States of America. I’m glad they did it. I’m glad that they will continue.”
On Sunday, Cheney said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Barack Obama owed the Bush administration an apology for criticizing enhanced interrogation techniques.
“The thing I am waiting for is for the administration to go back and correct something they said two years ago, when they criticized us for quote, overreacting to the events of 9/11,” Cheney said Sunday. “They in effect said we had walked away from our ideals, taking policy contrary to our ideals when we had enhanced interrogation techniques. They have clearly moved in the direction of taking robust action when they feel it is justified. In this case, it was. They need to go back and reconsider what the president said in Cairo.”
Cheney’s daughter Liz reiterated his point Sunday.
“I think he did tremendous damage,” Liz Cheney said, also on “State of the Union.” “I think he slandered the nation and I think he owes an apology to the American people.”
McCain wouldn’t say definitively Monday whether or not Obama owed Bush an apology, pointing out instead that the Senate had voted against using enhanced interrogation techniques.
“Well, it was 90-6 in the United States Senate to prohibit cruel and inhumane mistreatment. It was an amendment in a peaceful legislation that I was the sponsor of. The Senate has spoken. The American people have spoken. The people of the world have spoken. Torturing people in violation of international agreements such as the Geneva conventions is prohibited, and frankly very harmful to the image of the United States of America.”
{Political Ticker/Matzav.com Newscenter}
