Who is Liz Cheney and What is She Saying About Obama that is so Controversial?

Elizabeth "Liz" Cheney, the older daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, released a statement last week where she challenged President Obama to reverse his decision to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. Cheney also called on President Obama to overrule the Justice Department's decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed before a civilian court in New York City and to to classify the attempted Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, as an enemy combatant.

In her statement Cheney, who is the founder of the nonprofit group Keep America Safe, said:
"President Obama has weakened American security by treating terror as a law enforcement matter, refusing to use every tool at his disposal to prevent attacks, and taking his eye off the ball. America's homeland security and counterterrorism systems will continue to erode in the absence of strong, consistent, unwavering presidential stewardship. It's time for the President to make defending this nation his top priority."

She continued to focus on Obama's lack of terrorism response in a discussion on "This Week" with conservative commentator George Will who had made the point, "I think he (Obama) began to dig out of the hole he had dug for himself with his first statement which was that this was an isolated extremist, which seems to cast this problem of terrorism as a problem of neurotic individuals rather than conspiratorial groups arming, training, and directing as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula did with this man."

Cheney retaliated with, "There is clearly a problem here. I disagree with George. I don't think that the events, the briefings that were provided this week have begun to give Americans any comfort that there is a real understanding of the threat the nation faces and what it's going to take to deal with it."

Who Is Liz Cheney and What Are Her Credentials?

Liz Cheney's credentials are impressive, and her opinion is based upon experience. Not only is Cheney the daughter of former Secretary of Defense and Vice President Dick Cheney, but Liz Cheney held her own positions in the U.S. State Department. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and later as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives during the administration of George W. Bush. She also headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group (ISOG), a unit established within the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in March of 2006.

Cheney has been politically active on behalf of the Republican Party. She was one of three national co-chairs for Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign, and in 2009 Liz Cheney was one of three people who launched the organization, Keep America Safe to provide information for concerned Americans about critical national security issues. She is married to Philip Perry, former General Counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Liz Cheney has grown up cutting her teeth on defense issues, surrounded by family and peers who eat, sleep, and breathe security issues. Her detractors may not agree with all her opinions, but there is no doubt her opinions are qualified and well researched.

Sources:

http://www.keepamericasafe.com/?p=2730

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-christina-romer-george-liz-cheney-al/story?id=9523512

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cheney

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