TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Cheney: CIA Investigation "Offends The Hell Out Of Me," Obama Administration Should Be Asking Us For Advice
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, former Vice President Dick Cheney lambasted the Obama administration for investigation CIA interrogation methods, calling it an "outrageous political act." "I guess the other thing that offends the hell out of me, frankly, Chris [Wallace], is we had a track record now of eight years of defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from Al Qaeda," said Cheney. "The approach of the Obama administration should be to come to those people who were involved in that policy and say, how did you do it? What were the keys to keeping this country safe over that period of time?"

Kerry: Kennedy Would Fight For Public Option -- But Would Accept A Bill Without It
Appearing on This Week, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said that Ted Kennedy would not have rejected a health care bill that lacked a public option: "He would fight for it, and he would do everything in his power to get it, just like he did for the minimum wage or like he did for children's health care, et cetera. But if he didn't see the ability to be able to get it done, he would not throw the baby out with the bathwater. He would not say no to anything because we have to reduce the cost. We have to make these changes. And he would find the best way forward."

McCain: I Worry About CIA Investigation "Getting Out Of Control"
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) criticized the Obama administration for launching an investigation of Bush-era interrogation tactics -- though McCain made clear that he did oppose the interrogation methods themselves. "I believe that the president was right when he said we ought to go forward and not back," said McCain. "I worry about the morale and effectiveness of the CIA. I worry about this thing getting out of control."

Feinstein: I Wish Holder Had Waited On CIA Investigation
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) criticized the Obama administration's investigation of CIA interrogation practices, on the grounds that the Intelligence Committee has already been reviewing the matter. "We're well along in that study. And I'm trying to push it along even more quickly at this time," said Feinstein. "We are not going to be deterred from completing this study. And candidly, I wish that the attorney general had waited."

Cantwell: "No One Is Above The Law"
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) defended the investigation of the CIA. "No one is above the law," said Cantwell. "This is not a political process. This is a legal process. It's a legal process to find out whether the law was broken."

Hatch: If Ted Were Here, We Wouldn't Be In The Mess We're In
Appearing on This Week, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that Ted Kennedy would have found a way to reach a bipartisan compromise on health care. "If he was here I don't think we'd be in the mess were are in right now," said Hatch.

Dodd: Kennedy "Expected More of Us" On Health Care
Appearing on State of the Union, said that his friend Ted Kennedy would be "terribly disappointed" if partisan politics dominated the debate over health care. "He expected more of us and I think we can meet that expectation and I'm confident we can," said Dodd.

Maria Shriver: Ted Kennedy's "Heart Was Extraordinary"
Appearing on Meet The Press, California First Lady Maria Shriver paid tribute to her uncle, Ted Kennedy. "Well, Teddy was, I think, known to the people who knew him, and his heart was extraordinary," said Shriver. "He was the most compassionate, empathetic man. And I think he was that way because he himself was wounded and he himself knew pain, he himself knew struggle, he knew abandonment. He knew all of the things that pain a human being. And so when he saw other human beings in pain, or where their character was questioned or where they had loss, he was always the first person to reach out."