Dick Cheney: We’re in a ‘dangerous’ period ‘more threatening’ than pre-9/11

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States is facing a period more threatening than the time period prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and that the next “mass casualty” attack against the United States will be worse than 9/11.

Speaking with The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, Mr. Cheney predicted that should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, many other countries in the region would as well.

“So we’re in a very dangerous period, and I think it’s more threatening than the period before 9/11,” Mr. Cheney said. “I think 9/11 will turn out to be not nearly as bad as the next mass casualty attack against the United States — which, if and when it comes, will be with something far deadlier than [with] airline tickets and box cutters.”

While former President George W. Bush has mostly refrained from offering public commentary on President Obama’s administration, Mr. Cheney, who served as Mr. Bush’s vice president, has been a frequent critic of Mr. Obama’s policies, particularly when it comes to foreign policy and the war on terror.