Policy changes pursued by US President Barack Obama have increased the risk of terrorist attacks for the country, dpa quoted former vice president Dick Cheney as saying in an interview with broadcaster CNN today. When asked if Obama's new policies had increased the risks to the United States, Cheney answered "yes." Cheney added that the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies - including its secret information-gathering tactics - had been "absolutely essential" in warding off subsequent attacks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York. "President Obama campaigned against it all across the country, and now he is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack," Cheney said in the interview. Obama has announced plans to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba that was opened by the Bush administration to hold terrorism suspects. He has also said he opposes violent interrogation tactics that were endorsed by the previous administration and wants to hold interrogators to international standards.
