Liz Cheney attacks Obama

The former vice-president's daughter tosses out the red meat at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference

Published April 9, 2010 12:35AM (EDT)

In this Feb. 18, 2010, Liz Cheney, board member, Keep America Safe, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in Washington.
In this Feb. 18, 2010, Liz Cheney, board member, Keep America Safe, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in Washington.

Liz Cheney wasn't exactly shy about going after President Obama in her speech at the opening session of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference here.

"President Obama should stop apologizing for this great nation and start defending it," she said, in one of several lines in her 30 minute speech that won big ovations from the crowd. Other bits of Cheney wisdom that went over big:

  • "Somebody needs to keep reminding this administration that foreign terrorists do not have constitutional rights."
  • "The media has played this up as a confrontation between Dick Cheney and Barack Obama. I prefer to think of it as a constructive dialog -- between a two-term vice president and a one-term president."
  • "Regardless of massive public disapproval of the healthcare plan, this president rammed it through on a partisan vote. President Obama's phony numbers are about to become our very real problem."
  • "One of the greatest thinkers of our time, in my opinion, is Charles Krauthammer."

In fairness, she did also say conservatives need to applaud Obama when he does the right thing. But she made it clear that "doing the right thing" basically entails "doing whatever the Bush administration would be doing if it were still in charge."

One line in Cheney's speech, though it didn't get much of a reaction from the audience, seemed like a bit more than a throwaway. "It will fall to our next president, whenever he -- or she -- takes office on Jan. 20, 2013," Cheney said, to lead the nation back to the right path. With Sarah Palin speaking here on Friday, was Cheney trying to encourage her to run in 2012?


By Mike Madden

Mike Madden is Salon's Washington correspondent. A complete listing of his articles is here. Follow him on Twitter here.

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