Bob Shrum does what everyone who is calling themselves a Democrat on the television needs to do when they go up against one of these Cheney apologists like Ron Christie -- call them a liar to their face. Ron Christie does his best to spin his former boss Dick Cheney's lies on This Week about terrorism trials and Shrum calls him out for it, much to the shagrin of Christie.
Christie seems to be having a bit of trouble remembering that the Supreme Court ruled against the Bush administration on military tribunals and Shrum reminds him of why they changed course. I get tired of seeing Christie be brought on as a guest on any of these talking head shows because you know ahead of time what you're going to get out of him. Water carrying for the crimes of the Bush administration and lots of lies and feigned indignation if someone else manages to get a word in with him.
MATTHEWS: Ron?
CHRISTIE: Well, I`m glad you brought that clip, Chris, because 2001 to 2005, the United States did not have the full infrastructure in place.
President Bush, after there were a couple of Supreme Court cases that we took a look at, he went back to the Congress. He passed the Military Commission Act of 2006, which allows enemy combatants to be tried in a military tribunal...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
CHRISTIE: ... designating those who were aligned and affiliated with al Qaeda.
So, for Bob to say, well, the Bush administration tried Richard Reid this way -- Bob, you have to look at history. Richard Reid was apprehended right after 9/11. The Bush administration acted swiftly and responsibly in a bipartisan manner with the Congress to say, we need to recognize we`re at war. We need to make sure we have the right tools to prosecute this war and to fight this war.
MATTHEWS: OK.
SHRUM: Ron, Ron...
CHRISTIE: And that`s exactly what they did.
SHRUM: ... that`s just a lie. That`s a lie.
CHRISTIE: How is that a lie? Bob, I hate to...
SHRUM: Swiftly? 2001 to 2006 is swift? Whose definition of swift is that?
The Bush administration didn`t do that because they wanted to. They did it because, in 2006, they had set up these military commissions, and the Supreme Court threw them out as unconstitutional.
CHRISTIE: Well...
(CROSSTALK)
SHRUM: They used civilian trials. Those civilian trials worked.
Some -- now, the -- the -- the Obama administration is now redesigning those military commissions, so that, if they have to be, they can be used. But why do we insist on making this argument, where some very hard-line people in the Bush administration advocated using civilian courts? Why do we insist on saying, gee, if somebody agrees with them on that, they must be soft on terrorism?
Dick Cheney lost that shoot-out in the Roosevelt Room. The president agreed with the Justice Department, President Bush.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
CHRISTIE: Well...
SHRUM: Are we saying he was soft on terrorism?
CHRISTIE: Well, Bob, all I have to say to you is, a lie is a pretty heavy term. And the facts actually are -- bear themselves out.
SHRUM: Well, but that`s not -- but it was a lie. Go back and tell me how it`s swift between 2001 and 2006.
CHRISTIE: Excuse me. Excuse me. Let`s not -- let`s not have a little filibuster here.
SHRUM: How is that swift?
CHRISTIE: Actually, between 2001 and 2006...
SHRUM: Is five years swift?
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTIE: Between 2001 and 2005, the United States did not have the proper infrastructure in place. After 2006, we did.
MATTHEWS: OK.
CHRISTIE: But, again, the reason why this administration...
MATTHEWS: OK. Gentlemen, we have got to go. I have got to go.
Transcript via Nexis Lexis.
