CHENEY VS. REALITY DEBATE WRAP-UP
IRAQ
CHENEY: "I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11." - Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
CHENEY MADE THAT CLAIM REPEATEDLY BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR
Cheney: "His regime has had high-level contacts with al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to al Qaeda terrorists." (Cheney Remarks, 12/2/02)
Cheney: "I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi government." (National Public Radio, "Morning Edition," 1/22/04)
FACT: 9-11 Commission Report Said No "Collaborative Operational Relationship" Existed Between Iraq and Al Qaeda. "We have seen no evidence that these or the earlier contacts ever developed into a collaborative operational relationship. Nor have we seen evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States." (9-11 Commission Final Report, 7/22/04)
FACT: Senate Intelligence Committee Report Found No "Established, Formal" Relationship Between Iraq and Al Qaeda. "The Senate Intelligence Committee's report said CIA analysts were reasonable in their conclusion that there was no 'established, formal' relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda, nor proof that the two had collaborated in attacks. The committee noted that no new information had emerged since the CIA's key reports to suggest otherwise." (LA Times, 7/10/04)
FACT: Secretary Rumsfeld Said On October 4, 2004, that He Had No "Hard Evidence" to Link Two. "...To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two." (Donald Rumsfeld at Council on Foreign Relations, 10/4/04)
CHENEY: "And with respect to this operation, we have seen the situation in which, first, they voted to commit the troops, to send them to war, John Edwards and John Kerry. Then they came back and when the question was whether or not you provide them with the resources they needed, body armor, spare parts and ammunition, they voted against it." - Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
KERRY HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ON SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS
John Kerry Voted to Fund Iraq's Reconstruction Through Shared Sacrifice - Not a Blank Check for a Failed Policy. After witnessing the way in which the president went to war - without our allies, without properly equipping the troops, without a plan to win the peace - John Kerry supported a responsible plan to pay for George Bush's $87 billion Iraq reconstruction plan, co- sponsoring and voting for an amendment to rescind the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans in order to pay for Iraq. The amendment failed, and the Bush administration still has no plan to win the peace or a way to pay the bill. "The best way to support our troops and take the target off their backs is with a real strategy to win the peace in Iraq - not by throwing $87 billion at George Bush's failed policies," Kerry said. "I am voting 'no' on the Iraq resolution to hold the President accountable and force him finally to develop a real plan that secures the safety of our troops and stabilizes Iraq." (SA 1796, Kerry original cosponsor 10/1/03; Vote No. 373, 10/2/03; Vote No. 400, 10/17/03; Kerry statement, Congressional Record, 10/17/03)
This Was A Vote to Protest Bush's Failed Policy in Iraq - Kerry KNEW the $87 Billion Would Pass: "KERRY: It will get about 90 votes, maybe 85 votes. There's no question it will pass. But I think it is important to make it clear to America this is not the right way. We are--I mean, look, we're spending $30,000 for pickup trucks in this bill. We've got $6,000 cell phones. We're building prisons for them for years to come. We have an extraordinary amount of padding in this expenditure, and we do not have the kind of support on the ground that really protects our troops. There's a better way to carry out this policy, and I intend to stand up and fight for America's interests, for our troops' interests, for the long-term security of our country, and that's what I'm doing with this vote." (CNBC Capital Report, 10/17/03)
WHITE HOUSE THREATENED TO VETO ITS OWN BILL
White House Threatened to Veto $87 Billion if Congress Made the Funds a Loan. George Bush repeatedly says on the campaign trail that "There is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat." But "The White House threatened ... to veto its own spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan if Congress made reconstruction aid a loan, taking its most forceful stand on the issue even as more lawmakers supported a reimbursement by Iraq. ... 'If this provision is not removed, the president's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill,' Joshua B. Bolten, the White House budget director, wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders." (Bush remarks, 9/13/04; New York Times, 10/22/03)
WAR ON TERRORISM
CHENEY: "We heard Senator Kerry say the other night there should be some global test before U.S. Troops are deployed preemptively to protect the United States."- Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY: John Kerry Will Not Hesitate to Use Military Force to Protect America
Kerry Will Never Hesitate To Use Military Force To Preempt Any Imminent Threat to America's Security. "As president, I will never hesitate to use military force to pre-empt any imminent threat to our nations security. I will never give any country or any international institution a veto over our national security. I will use all of America's power to defeat terrorists before they strike us." (Associated Press, 9/16/04)
Kerry Has Said He Would Launch Preemptive Strikes Against Terrorists. "Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Friday he would be willing to launch a pre-emptive strike against terrorists if he had adequate intelligence of a threat. Kerry offered some support for one of the most controversial aspects of President Bush's national security policy, even as he criticized the president for not reforming intelligence agencies after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. 'Am I prepared as president to go get them before they get us if we locate them and have the sufficient intelligence? You bet I am,' he said at a news conference at his Washington headquarters." (Associated Press, 7/16/04)
Kerry: "The President Always Has The Right, And Always Has Had The Right For Preemptive Strike." (First Presidential Debate, Miami, FL, 9/30/04)
CHENEY: "Concern about Iraq specifically focused on the fact that Saddam Hussein had been, for years, listed on the state sponsor of terror, that they he had established relationships with Abu Nidal, who operated out of Baghdad; he paid $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers; and he had an established relationship with al Qaeda."
REALITY: Cheney's Halliburton Did Business With Iraq, Iran; Both Were State Sponsors of Terrorism
While Cheney Was CEO, Halliburton Acquired Companies That Held Contracts With Saddam. Despite the fact that Cheney claimed that we've not done any business in Iraq since the sanctions are imposed, and I had a standing policy that I wouldn't do that, under Cheneys leadership, Halliburton acquired two subsidiaries which had signed contracts to sell more than $ 73 million in oil production equipment to Iraq under the oil-for-food program. The subsidiaries, based in France, sold water and sewage treatment pumps, spare parts for oil facilities and pipeline equipment to Baghdad through French affiliates from the first half of 1997 to the summer of 2000, U.N. records show. The subsidiaries traded with Iraq for more than a year under Cheney, signing nearly $30 million in contracts before Cheney sold off Halliburtons stake in the subsidiaries. (Washington Post, 6/23/01; Petroleum Economist, 6/93; ABC News, This Week, 7/30/00)
Under Cheney, Halliburton Subsidiaries Did Business In Iran. Under Cheneys leadership, Halliburton bought out Dresser Industries in 1998 and, subsequently, acquired Dressers subsidiary Kellogg Iran. A report release by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson showed that Halliburton had opened an office in Iran under the name Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., its Cayman Islands subsidiary, in February 2000 and forecasts more than $39 million worth of services for 2003. A 60 Minutes report found little separation between Halliburton headquarters and their Cayman subsidiary and that if mail for the Halliburton subsidiary comes here, to this address, they reroute it to Halliburton headquarters in Houston. (Houston Chronicle, 12/15/03; Office of New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, 12/15/03; Halliburton Co. 10-Q, 5/7/04; Halliburton 10- K, 4/5/99; Russian Oil and Gas Report, 6/27/01; ABC, This Week, 7/30/00; New York Times, 9/10/02; CBS News, 60 Minutes, 1/25/04)
IRAN
Q: "After four years of vice president and with Iran having been declared by your administration as part of the axis of evil, do you still believe we should lift sanctions on Iran?
CHENEY: "No, I do not. And at the time I was talking specifically about this question of unilateral sanctions."
REALITY: Cheney Pushed To Have Sanctions Lifted
While in Canada, Cheney Called for End to U.S. Sanctions Against Iran. In June 2000, Cheney called for an end to U.S. sanctions against Iran. Speaking at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Canada, Cheney said, "I would hope we could find ways to improve (US-Iran relations). One of the ways I think is to allow American firms to do the same thing that most other firms around the world are able to do now, and that is to be active in Iran. ... We're kept out of there primarily by our own government, which has made a decision that U.S. firms should not be allowed to invest significantly in Iran, and I think that's a mistake." Cheney said Halliburton has some operations in Iran through foreign subsidiaries, but that "we would like to do more than we're able to do in Iran at present." (Hart's Middle East Oil and Gas, 6/27/00; Calgary Herald, 6/15/00)
Cheney Called Getting U.S. Business Into Iran His "Favorite Hobby Horse." When he ran Halliburton, Cheney "frequently complained about the Iran sanctions. In a 1998 speech he called the topic 'my favorite hobby horse,' arguing that unilateral U.S. sanctions aimed at changing other nations' behaviors usually end up penalizing U.S. companies." (Dallas Morning News, 9/8/04) ECONOMY
CHENEY: "We have added 1.7 million jobs to the economy."- Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
The Economy is 7 million jobs Short of Bush Administration Prediction. The economy needed to create more than 6 million jobs during the Bush administration just to keep up with population growth. In fact, the 2002 Economic Report of the President projected more than 6 million new jobs between January 2001 and August 2004. Instead, we have lost 900,000 million jobs. As a result, we are more than 7 million jobs short of the prediction which President Bush made after 9/11, the tech bubble, and the recession. (BLS and Economic Report of the President, 2002. Note the Economic Report of the President projected an average of 138.3 million jobs in 2004. That corresponds to roughly 138.7 million jobs in August; the actual jobs total in August was 131.5 million.)
CHENEY: "We, of course, have been through a difficult recession and then the aftermath of 9/11 where we lost over a million jobs after that attack.."- Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
MANY PRESIDENTS HAVE FACED WAR AND MANAGED TO CREATE JOBS. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and George Bush Sr. all faced wars and managed to create jobs. Franklin Roosevelt led America toward victory in World War II, after recovering from a devastating attack upon Pearl Harbor. Yet Roosevelt still managed to create jobs: from 1941 until his death in 1945, FDR created 5,567,000 private sector jobs. Truman led the United States to victory over Japan in World War II, and acted to prevent Communist North Korea from taking over South Korea, yet he managed to create 6,452,000 private sector jobs during his term. LBJ committed the United States to the divisive war in Vietnam, yet managed to create 9,458,000 private sector jobs during his term. Nixon faced the Vietnam War, yet created 7,117,000 private sector jobs during his term.The first Bush's recession lasted July 1990-March 1991. George H.W. Bush led a victorious world coalition against Iraq after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Yet George H.W. Bush created 1,465,000 private sector jobs during his term. (Bureau of Labor Statistics; National Bureau of Economic Research)
FACT: Bush On Track To Become First President Since Hoover To Experience Net Job Loss. Despite the fact the other presidents faced challenges such as Pearl Harbor, World War II, Vietnam, and a number of recessions-and all of whom created jobs during their terms-Bush blames 9/11 for the net job losses during his term in office. Bush has lost 1.6 million private sector jobs since taking office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
SMALL BUSINESS
CHENEY: "A great many of our small businesses pay taxes under the personal income taxes rather than the corporate, and about nine hundred thousand small businesses will be hit if you do in fact do what they want to do at the top bracket. That's not smart because 7 out of 10 new jobs in america are created by small businesses. You do not want to tax them. Bad idea to increase the burden on those folks."- Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
Undoing Tax Cuts Will Have Little Impact on Small Businesses. According to the Wall Street Journal, undoing tax cuts "Will Have Little Impact on Small Businesses" and "Bush Assertion on Tax Cuts Is at Odds With IRS Data," according to the Washington Post. George Bush uses a misleading definition of small business, a definition that factcheck.org points out would include George Bush himself because "He reported $84 of business income from his part ownership of a timber-growing enterprise." The Wall Street Journal says that, "Few of them (small businesses) make enough money to be affected by Sen. Kerry's proposal to undo the Bush tax cuts on those with incomes above $200,000." Finally, the Bush charges ignore the 35 million small businesses that pay lower taxes under the Kerry proposals - including tax cuts for small businesses that create jobs, provide health insurance, zero capital gains for startup investments in small businesses, and a 5 percent reduction in the corporate rate. (Wall Street Journal, "Undoing Tax Cuts Will Have Little Impact on Small Businesses," 4/1/2004; Washington Post, "Bush Assertion on Tax Cuts Is at Odds With IRS Data," 2/24/2004; factcheck.org, "A Bush-Cheney ad says Kerry would raise taxes for 900,000 'small businesses' and 'hurt jobs.' It's a big exaggeration," 9/23/2004)
EDUCATION
CHENEY: "I think the most important thing we can do is have a first class public school system. I'm a product of public schools much the president's first legislative priority was the no child left behind act, the first legislation we introduced and we got it passed that first summer on a bipartisan basis." - Dick Cheney (Presidential Debates, 10/5/04)
REALITY:
Cheney Twice Voted Against Creation of Department of Education, Repeatedly Voted Against Education and Head Start Funding. In 1979, Cheney voted against the House passage of the bill and the conference report that created the Department of Education. Cheney also voted against the House version, which passed 210 to 206; the conference report passed 215 to 201. Over his career in Congress, Cheney voted against funding the Department of Education on at least 12 occasions, as well as repeatedly voting against funding for Head Start. (H.R. 2444, 1979 CQ Almanac, p. 87-H, No. 289; S. 210, 1979 CQ Almanac, p. 137, No. 468; H.R. 4389, 7998 7205, 3913, 6028, 3424, 5233, 3058, 4783, 4091, 3058, 4783; H.R. 4298, 5145, 5885, 4421)
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