The first Meet the Press after 9/11:
MR. RUSSERT: Why does he hate us so much?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: It must have something to do with his background, his own upbringing. He’s the son of a prominent Saudi family, successful business group with significant wealth. He went and served in Afghanistan with the mujahedeen during the war against the Russians, and he has, for whatever reason, developed this intense hatred of everything that relates to the United States. And his objective, obviously, is to try to influence our behavior to force us to withdraw from that part of the world, and clearly he’s not going to be successful. And…
MR. RUSSERT: He has stated unequivocally that he wants the United States out of the Middle East. He no longer wants the United States to be the ally of Israel. Will our relationship with Israel change in any way, shape or form because of this event?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: No. The fact of the matter is that the — we’ll not allow him to achieve his aims. We’re not about to change our policies…
Via Thomas DiLorenzo