Former Vice President Dick Cheney blasted President Barack Obama on Monday for proposed cuts to the military, saying the President would prefer food stamps to a strong national defense.
Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Cheney if he thought Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s proposal to shrink the Army to pre-World War II levels was “dangerous.”
“I’ve obviously not been a strong supporter of Barack Obama. But this really is over the top,” Cheney said. “It does enormous long-term damage to our military, and they act as though it’s highway spending you can turn on and off.”
Cheney noted that “friends” he’s worked with in the Middle East no longer trust the United States and lamented that budget considerations were taking a toll on the prestige of the American military.
“[Obama would] much rather spend the money on food stamps than he would on a strong military or support for our troops,” he said.
But as Think Progress pointed out, Cheney’s line of attack actually disparaged the troops too — over 900,000 veterans currently depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
