What a pair

I anxiously awaited the comments and opinions of former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday morning on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” What he said ran the gamut – predictable, stubborn, unapologetic and non-forgiving. One of his emanations, though, if true, indicates that his boss and America’s former president was a liar.

What was predictable about Cheney’s views was his belief that America wasn’t attacked again following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack because of security measures enacted by former President George W. Bush. He still contends that changes to Bush policies by President Barack Obama have made America unsafe.

Cheney stubbornly holds on to the belief that former Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein was an ally and partner of Osama bin Laden’s and his al-Qaida network. He also believes, despite proof otherwise, that Sadam had weapons of mass destruction and, therefore, the U.S. invasion of Iraq was necessary and the right thing to do.

Finally, Cheney’s thoughts about torture and former Secretary of State Colin Powell leaves no doubt that he feels no remorse for waterboarding captured terror suspects and feels good-riddance to Powell. Cheney feels that information gained from using torture (waterboarding) was effective and justifiable – that it kept us safe.

When “Face the Nation” host Bob Scheiffer asked about Powell’s comment that the Republican Party was losing its moderate members because of Rush Limbaugh, Cheney said he felt Powell was no longer a Republican. And to prove he hadn’t misspoken, he emphasized that he preferred Limbaugh’s views to Powell’s.

Cheney made one statement that, in retrospect, I believe indicates that Bush lied. Before giving his take on Powell, Scheiffer questioned him about who had knowledge of and gave approval of waterboarding. Cheney said that he knew of the procedure and, after Scheiffer pressed him with a follow-up question, said Bush had to know.

Surprisingly, very little has been made of that answer. If Bush knew and gave the okay to use it, his later assertion in a news conference that America does not torture, was a lie. If Bush believed the end justified the means, then he sent a terrible message and set a worse example.

Bush’s actions – his approval and later denial of torture – rank up there with a certain answer from former President Bill Clinton. If any of you has forgotten, when asked while under oath during his impeachment trial if he’d ever had sex with Monica Lewinsky, Clinton replied it depends on how sex is defined.

Good leaders, especially the U.S. president, lead by example. If their decisions are only to be judged by their results, then we’re headed for trouble.

If a bank robber holds up a bank or steals from a store, he need only assert that he stole to provide for his family. Using logic similar to that of Bush’s would allow his lawyer to defend him because his family needed food or shelter. Thus the thief’s robbery was justified.

Nelson Graves, of Augusta County, is a columnist for The News Virginian. E-mail him at .