and justice for all. >> play ball. >> ben is one of the trustee members, thank you for coming. >> when a guest has gone out of their way and spend their life in public service and performed for the american people, i think

that they need to be thanked and introduced in a thoughtful way. and so that was the challenge that i faced once again and prepared to write an introduction with president cheney and his accomplished daughter, liz. i plan to do just that.

and i'm sure for the 1000 of you gathered here this evening, it is special. and that is because tonight we are in the presence of another true american hero, vice president cheney and liz, welcome to the reagan library. >> i like that one. >> how do you define someone who has quite literally dedicated his entire life to his country. and in the process has selflessly come to the aid of our country in times of crisis.

so if any of you are counting, that is for presidents, not five as i previously noted. and the fifth at he served with great honor and without hesitation was ronald reagan. >> what is new and what is exciting about their visit today

is that they are here with a new book entitled "exceptional:wiser world needs help". they wrote then that the obama foreign policies are trying to lead the world from behind was in a state of collapse and the ramifications for america were dire. their book is published expand on that theme in great detail and it is a must read not only for those following events in the campaign trail of 2016, but i am hopeful that it will also become assigned reading in history classes. and that's what it is.

and president reagan helped to define and defend and has been under attack by president obama and his administration for years. it has been an assault that has led to the undoing of america's position in the world. so with that, ladies and gentlemen, let me please ask you to join me in welcoming to the stage dick cheney and former assistant secretary of state liz cheney. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. it is a joy and an honor for us to be able to be back at the reagan library.

as john mentioned, the whole concept of american exceptionalism is one that president reagan would not have even questioned. and in many ways we were very inspired by president reagan by the things that he did and said during his presidency and before. and his notion that it was critically important that the united states leave the world. his rejection of ideals and ideas of moral equivalency were at the forefront. you will see that we will open the book and the quote that leads the whole thing is by president ronald reagan. on march 23, 1983, he said that it is up to eyes in our time to

choose wisely between the hard but necessary task and blindly hope for the best while the enemy is of freedom grows stronger day after day. again as we sit here tonight another moment like that at a moment when the nation is under tremendous threat and one we have to decide. it can sometimes be very easy to sort of say, you know, things are such a mass. washington is such a mess. i'm just going to try to sort of live my life and focus on what is happening very close to me here at home. and try to shut out the debates that are going on. one of the reasons we will does love this is to urge people not to do that and it depends upon people not doing that.

enter lovebirds once said >> andrew roberts once said the only possible conclusion must be all three. that we were one of this revolutionary ideal that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, that made us a model for others around the world. and it's her leadership, our willingness to lead.

america has been a greater force for good than any other nation in the history of mankind. they are not learning that the because of us hundreds of millions of people around the world for decades have lived in freedom. and we want to not just talk about where we are today, although that is a critically important part of the book and to talk about the truth about america and what we did in world war ii and in the cold war and in the first year of the war on terror. ronald reagan simply forget what we did we will not know who we are. we were very much inspired by that. and by the idea that kids have to have a place they can go to understand the reality of what

america has accomplished. one of the great blessings for me was being able to work on this book with my dad. along with my mom gave mary and myself the tremendous blessing of learning to love history. and learning to love this great nation. someone who has obviously been involved not as far back as 1939 the close. so i would like to start by getting your impression. you know, when people talk about president obama talking about what does he fall on the spectrum of democratic and republican presidents.

.. >> >> out of the cia. in terms of the national

security agency of the al qaeda overseas in their contacts setback in the aftermath of 9/11. they carry out instructions of the president of the united states programs approved by the national security council and by the books from a legal standpoint and he wanted most people investigated and arrested. i a understood he won the election but what i did not understand is those who were patriots putting their lives on a line and i found that

deeply disturbing while those are the first things he would do when he got into office and we spent a lot of time reading a lot of history and my own dad served in the navy. but as i thought about it that there has been over the decades the proposition of the u.s. role in the world and the willingness on occasion to use when necessary. for people like fdr and

world war ii and then into the cold war through ronald reagan. above barack obama was clear outside. in my opinion to be fundamentally discreet was not of the accord of our history and policy over that period of time. could partly that is what stimulated but if you look at the book and go through to document carefully where we believe that have not

been done via earlier presidents of presidential leadership of how big a role the u.s. ought to play with the policies over the last 67 years now end but we have to do go forward. >> in 1983 president reagan gave a speech from the oval office and he talked about defense spending. and explained it is critically important to

decide the threats and then allocate the resources in this set of recommendations we have it is an issue we have heard some of the candidates talk about what those that didn't have enough attention to which we have made a real change. >> i am often times asked the vice president secretary of defense all of them had something. but my favorite job especially during desert storm was a high point in my

career but i came away with that with deep regard for the military on a reasonable basis of why in my view to having more important responsibility to build highways that the federal government gets involved in. with the single most important responsibility. and i also became very much aware to get tangled up in the budget but the length of time that it takes that you have to do that you cannot

just write a check to turn around. it doesn't work that way. i was tremendously impressed with the secretary of defense with the first weekend of the crisis and we went through all of that. is in relatively short order it produced what ultimately became desert storm. but as i thought back we were blast because he believed in a strong

military with the f-15 fighter and the abrams tank all of those the he had been a part of from desert storm 10 years later but the first denied it is a called president reagan living in beverly hills and retired i think jim for all the things [laughter] he said it didn't cost $600. [laughter] but at one point during the welcome home ceremony i had

the opportunity to go visit the president and mrs. reagan in their home he was doing pretty well health wise. with the addition to the soviets he sat on the footstool and focused on reface part of that was to compensate for the memory problems but he kept me there two hours and i thank him profusely but now i think about going forward

the military is in terrible shape today. the army chief of staff as the major commander force he was the guy who operated on the ground. he commanded for significant period but he made a speech over the last six months would that be are we the readiness level today is from the time in the history the air force chief of staff

the air force has fewer aircraft than any other time in history. but with the testimony of congress with the current state of affairs that they are not capable in a crisis as what the military is called upon to do it is in terrible shape and then decide to meet the threat. this is a result of the budget act and it was

adopted because it is so a egregious to say we will never live with this but it was so bad to come up with the better solution and now we have the sequester and the approach to all the spending accounts. that accounts for 17 percent of the budget. and then how well we perform in a crisis. and that is a huge concern from the agenda of added frustration. >> as we were finishing our

book come with the agreement with the iran nuclear deal we have a section that analyzes that agreement. one of the things you talk about is the extent to which the concessions made at the end. talk about lifting of the restrictions of the icbm program giving the irradiance the ability to launch a nuclear attack. a very direct criticism obviously the administration is making claims. i would like to hear you talk about the concerns you have and what you think about the claims of the last few days. >> that was intriguing i gave a speech yesterday that

was scheduled for a couple months. the white house response but they didn't ask any policy questions. and wanted to be popular. [laughter] but it is a terrible deal. in so many different ways. to stop proliferation in the even before that to have all

those countries are not going to sit tight and then they acquire their own and there is no doubt in my mind to precipitate the part of that frustration that all through the negotiation it isn't about terrorism or ballistic missiles or conventional weapons. but it turns out it was all those things.

and with the embargo on the ballistic missiles because the few years down the road with the conventional weapons but the agreement was signed earlier this year that was the worst of forced for those hours deeply involved building the ied. and those that have lifted the sanctions and since that

agreement was initialed in with the aircraft missile. so if you go through the sequence so in the non-proliferation treaty and to distinguish between a nuclear weapon state to

enrich uranium. but those that we sanction their right to vanilla violates but it also tears up the resolutions and those were targeted on the iranians. there now zeroing out in to

have management capabilities. and it is a direct violation of. in to go through the process the outcome is bleak a terrible direction to go down the president puts in place to create your researchers in we will have to live with all of that. >> a way to sum up some time to hear the president say it is better than nothing.

in he says he will not accept a bad deal now he says it is better than no deal. it is important to remember will not accomplish what he says about the nuclear weapon for a number of reasons listing the regime and with any sort of understanding it is amazing to see john kerry say we will know with certainty the bhopal -- will prevent them from having nuclear weapons but will give them legitimacy because they're no longer a pariah state.

and with iran to destroy israel and on a daily basis in the pathway to the nuclear bomb. and it is difficult to understand that our president will provide the money and weapons that iranian needs to attack the united states that is exactly what this deal does even before the issue of the pathway. is a very dangerous deal. so instill confidence that it isn't the measure runs through the book extent that

you have president roosevelt driven eisenhower kennedy nixon ford, carter, reagan understanding that weakness is part -- provocative in this president doesn't understand that. if you look at russia and china and the impact of his unwillingness to defend the redlined and where you see those relationships going. >> but the last few days but also talk about the strategic situation one of

the great strengths that we have had a significant advantage that they have seen in the military. that is absolutely the best. if you look at russia and china and that gap that has been a great advantage in then you begin to worry with gatt russia just yesterday that the russians are building the robot submarine

to do those things under water. in that has all kinds of ramifications if you go to china with that the defense budget when it has double digits. the chinese have developed a ballistic missile. that is a major core of the string they know with the aircraft carriers are capable of doing.

you can look at the south china sea to build a man-made islands with a shallow reefs looking at what they're doing. with their facilities cleaning the south china sea looking at what putin has done and ukraine i think he has aspirations of a similar activity going back to world war ii they're all 100 percent dependent on russia and all members of nato. so the question is can we do that?

that putin is bound and determined it to pursue a strategy of an operation to put pressure on the united states there isn't a nato without united states. all of that has to be tested by mr. putin he watches with the newspapers obviously he has a set of beliefs from gorbachev's predecessors.

and you don't have to answer to anybody. with the aspirations to undo by the end of the cold war so both the chinese san the russians are working very hard where we have military capabilities like ballistic missiles in the aircraft carrier and that threat that poses to us of the antimissile capability there

is a long list of threats out there but it is a multiplier one budget cut then they moved into the eastern part of the ukraine with china moving into the south china sea. and then they'll look at the approach to the syrian redline in an after the solid wood gases own people. but then every day that goes by it is like the iranian nuclear deal but that

proposition. >> talk about iraq. the video the you mentioned was the response to criticize the decision in my own personal view is anybody who refers to isis as the j.v. team is not in the position to lecture anybody of the topic of iraq. but your sense of what you did and why you did it and people may not be fully aware. >> there were questions of we should go to baghdad but what happened there is an item called the 11.

if they saw the world trade towers in flight 93 was taken in we have reporting in the aftermath remember 19 guys are rarely armed with airliners. and if you look at the history of the world we were concerned about the proliferation of nuclear

weapons. killed back to 1981. the baghdad in saddam hussein had their reactor and the israelis took it out. and we took it out in desert storm. fast-forward 2003 related judgment that said saddam hussein was back in the nuclear business. but the threat that ended immediately in iraq was to examples already because what happened he had uranium

feedstock when we took down it was five days after he came out of his whole. a year and he did. they and that did a couple of things think of what happened if he had known he was finally overthrown in they would have inherited that program but second that uncover the 8q, and the

engineer who had a major hand to build the inventory and then he had gone into business for himself and he was the biggest customer for also was involved with north korea it turns that if you go back to 1987 it was is people that got $3 million to design that centrifuge and they get their start and we shut him down. liberation down the black market operations those were all examples use military threats but in 2007 we had

photographs taken inside the reactor with that was 2007 the israelis took that out. and now to be smack dab in the middle of the caliphate. so we three lucky they didn't get their hands on nuclear materials if think we are safer today than we would have spent to explain the fact but it was very important i think now to believe we did the right

thing in 2003 is less of a threat the barack obama is about to turn it on its head. >> the rise of isis do you think the caliphate can be contained? >> i am not sure how if you destroy those forces. you can pray, cross your fingers were find somebody to do it for you but on the caliphate is a significant thing with they have established a regime under sharia law that is extraordinarily radical for example, even here in the united states people and courage to go to syria to sign up with isis it is a

very deadly force the ball the infidels and have a foothold in libya as well. now they worry about the refugees but then they transfer the revolution. >> the only option they have to do it sooner or later the longer we wait is if by the time we decide we will do something if one of those governments has fallen then

we will have a grave difficulty with great instability with them their weapons and they have never had before. >> secretary clinton added interesting approach to her e-mail. [laughter] as secretary of state and i would like to get your thoughts on her decision and she could conduct all business including top-secret emails on a private server and what you think that says? >> that is not a trick

question. [laughter] >> i don't think she is qualified. i think this question of the private server anybody who has been there to go through the process to deal with highly classified information you don't make mistakes like that i assume we'll find out as they are aggressively pursuing what was on the server that there were top-secret papers that is the highest classification there is. i am not a hillary fame and. [laughter] >> breaking news. [laughter]

>> as you look at 2016 human issued you wanted to use that opportunity for your endorsement. [laughter] >> that was a fast one. [laughter] i have not endorsed anyone i have consciously stayed away from endorsing anybody because what i am concerned about with our efforts we have made i got to help them

raise money for the republican party but what concerns me the most is these issues and we are talking about a national-security front and center of this campaign the most important thing a president has to do it and it ought to be at the top of the agenda at an expect to dictate policy at all bled that is what ic based in my years in the business i think the record is there for itself in the next president manner woman will have to take that on to make

sure that they're up to the task. >> no endorsement tonight? >> not tonight sari. [laughter] >> it was the case as we worked on the book there were days when we we're doing the research that it could be dispiriting and we have all whole section to the extent the president traveled the world his first year in office literally apologizing for us talking and every opportunity to take that opportunity to make sure he conveyed foreign governments and audience he believed america had been arrogant and not listen to you listen to a diatribe about the lives

that he said and then set at glad he didn't play me. he ended his the apology to our from cables that were leaked and news reports when he went to japan in before he got there the american ambassador said to cable to washington saying the japanese government had rejected the idea that he traveled and apologize so no recognition that all of the importance of indian the war and why that was the right thing to do. at&e dispiriting and we want to end with something that is more hopeful. first went to read something and charles krauthammer has written that i will ask my

dad to read this section from the end of the prologue we right there is good news one president has left a path of destruction one can rescue as. the right person in the oval office can restore america's strength and reach new power and leadership to defeat any reason and keep us safe but it will not be easy their difficult decisions to be made and a little time. we face grave challenges before the right leaders have brought us through as charles observed is one of the yen during eras of history to give the most hardened atheist talked said it should have produced great many to match the moment a revolutionary colony giving birth to the

greatest:or of political thinkers ever jefferson and adams hamilton washington franklin the crisis of the 19th century brings lincoln and fdr. livy on another hitch point we need a president for this moment in the must choose wisely. now i will ask my dad to read about another duty that we have. >> as citizens we also have a duty to protect our ideals and freedoms by safeguarding our history. we must ensure our children know the truth, what we have done and why it is america's duty. our children should know in the battles of midway and

the courage of a pin americans who fought the nazi at the battle of the bulge am learned why america was right to win the war to drop the bombs in the fundamental decency that established the truman doctrine they need to know about the holocaust and what it means to save never again they should know was there was an empire so evil that it had to build the wall to keep the citizens in the end of real-world led by a bear ted defeated it a to know about those terrorist acts in the first responders said the herewith some of the passengers of flight 93 and understand what kind of world militant islam will

create learn about great been like eisenhower and truman and ronald reagan and teach them what it took to prevail over evil and what it will take the 21st to make sure they understand it is the minute women of the united states armed forces to defend our freedom is security as well our children need to know their citizens of the most honorable nation in the history of mankind. the exceptional nation ordinary americans guarantee her survival the future of freedom now depend on us speaking at omaha beach on the 48 anniversary president reagan said we will always remember we will always be proud we will always be

prepared so we will always be free. [applause] >> day biggest mistake that trips people up should be

the easiest to get happy. >> martin understood that for any human being to regional level of integrity and honesty and decency you have to kill something in yourself. your obsession with position and status and wealth. >> religion points us beyond ourselves. and for a faithful people what is in it for me it is not central. >> i don't think we do

anybody favors that has made major mistakes. >> one of the first questions why did you choose these through -- three men? the answer is they embodied said is the super characteristic of courage and character. >>.

>> there is a reason i chose the chamber of commerce as the subject of my book. of how we got here to this place.