Ed Schultz: Dick Cheney ‘will do anything’ for power

By David Edwards and Muriel Kane CIA director Leon Panetta stirred up controversy last week when he was quoted in an interview as saying that former Vice President Dick Cheney, in his criticism of the Obama administration, almost seems to be “wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point.”

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough saw Panetta’s remark as a good topic for debate when his fellow MSNBC host Ed Schultz appeared on Tuesday’s Morning Joe.

“Let’s pick a topic that’ll get us really angry,” Scarborough proposed to Schultz. “Leon Panetta and Dick Cheney. Do you agree with the CIA director that it’s almost as if Dick Cheney hopes Americans will die so he gains some political advantage?”

“Absolutely,” Schultz replied.

“You believe the former vice president wants Americans to die in a terrorist attack so he can regain a political advantage?” Scarborough repeated incredulously.

“You got it, Joe,” Schultz agreed. “I think Dick Cheney’s all about power. I think Dick Cheney is all about seeing this country go conservative and a hard right wing, and I think he’ll do anything to get it that way.”

“I must say, I’m stunned,” Scarborough responded. “I could never imagine thinking that of a Democrat or a liberal … that a political opponent of mine wanted blood to be shed of Americans so they could gain an advantage in the polls.”

“That’s Dick Cheney,” Schultz affirmed. “I think he’s one of the most ruthless politicians in the history of this country. … He’s setting the narrative up so he can do, ‘I told you so.’”

“I’m just not willing to go there,” Scarborough retorted. ‘I believe Dick Cheney’s doing this because he believes, like me, some policies that have been implemented make America less weak [sic].”

Scarborough’s co-host Mike Brzezinski attempted to mediate, suggesting that “it would have been much better if [Cheney] had made a really intense attempt to talk to the White House. … I feel like he just went to the public arena and made some really strong statements about our president. … There was something inelegant about it.”

“Barack Obama and his supporters have been calling Dick Cheney evil for two years,” Scarborough objected. “If people called me evil, I don’t think I would call up, ‘Hey, can I come over and talk.’ … He’s been called evil for 2-3 years, and I don’t know that he’s going to pick up the phone.”

This video is from MSNBC’s Morning Joe, broadcast June 16, 2009.