--- description: Cheney called Paul an "isolationist" and argued for a more active role in the current Iraq conflict title: Dick Cheney Responds to Rand Paul Criticism About Iraq image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iraq](/tag/iraq/) ## Iraq Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Dick Cheney Fires Back at Rand Paul Over Iraq Criticism  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 22, 2014 6:58 PM CUT  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 22, 2014 6:58 PM CUT Dick Cheney bit back at [Sen. Rand Paul’s criticism](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/22/dick-cheney-and-rand-paul-clash-over-iraq/ "undefined") of his foreign policy stance on Sunday, after Paul responded to the former vice president’s recent editorial accusing President Barack Obama of mishandling Iraq. Appearing on NBC’s _Meet the Press_ on Sunday, Paul criticized Cheney’s support of the Iraq war and accused its supporters of [“emboldening Iran.”](http://time.com/2906741/rand-paul-barack-obama-iraq/ "undefined") On CNN’s _State of the Union_, [Paul also said](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/22/dick-cheney-and-rand-paul-clash-over-iraq/ "undefined") intervention in Iraq is to blame for its [current conflict](http://time.com/2909424/sunni-militants-push-for-control-of-iraqs-western-border/ "undefined"), the Washington _Post_ reports. During an appearance on ABC’s _This Week_ _,_ Cheney defended himself. “If we spend our time debating what happened 11 or 12 years ago, we’re going to miss the threat that is growing and that we do face,” Cheney said. “Rand Paul, with all due respect, is basically an isolationist. He doesn’t believe we ought to be involved in that part of the world. I think it’s absolutely essential.” Cheney said “there are no good, easy answers in Iraq,” but he argued for an increased military presence in the wake of the expansion of extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which [Obama has called a “destabilizing” force](http://time.com/2909424/sunni-militants-push-for-control-of-iraqs-western-border/ "undefined") in the region. “What I would do now is, among other things, be realistic about the nature of the threat,” Cheney said. “I’m not sure we’ve really addressed the problem. I would definitely be helping the resistance up in Syria, in ISIS’s back yard, with training and weapons and so forth, in order to be able to do a more effective job on that end of the party.” \[[_Washington Post_](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/22/dick-cheney-and-rand-paul-clash-over-iraq/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2909563/dick-cheney-rand-paul-obama-iraq/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2909563/dick-cheney-rand-paul-obama-iraq/"},"headline":"Dick Cheney Fires Back at Rand Paul Over Iraq Criticism","datePublished":"2014-06-22T18:58:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:33:33.160Z","description":"The former vice president called Paul an \"isolationist\" and argued for a more active role in the current Iraq conflict","url":"https://time.com/2909563/dick-cheney-rand-paul-obama-iraq/","keywords":["Iraq","Barack Obama","Rand Paul","ISIS","dick cheney"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iraq/","name":"Iraq"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2909563/dick-cheney-rand-paul-obama-iraq/","name":"Dick Cheney Fires Back at Rand Paul Over Iraq Criticism"}}]}] ```