WOODBURY, N.Y. — Former Vice President Dick Cheney told a New York business group Thursday he is concerned that United States Middle East policy appears to be one of withdrawal from engagement.
Cheney made his remarks during an interview in front of about 1,000 attendees at a Long Island Association luncheon.
In a wide-ranging interview conducted by association President Kevin Law, Cheney spoke on a variety of issues that he has addressed publicly in the past, including the events of Sept. 11 and the decision to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Not surprisingly, the 71-year-old Republican said he expected Gov. Mitt Romney to defeat President Obama next month and draw laughter from the audience when he declined an opportunity to compliment the incumbent.
"Not two weeks before the election," he said.
Cheney was most strident on his views of U.S. Mideast policy, particularly toward Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"At this stage the Iranians don't believe we'll do anything," he said. "And they're full speed ahead with their program. They're suffering under sanctions but not enough so that the Mullahs are going to give up their aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons."
He said many in the Gulf region "are as fearful as Israel is of a nuclear armed Iran and the likelihood that that will be postponed, delayed, shut down is almost nil without the United States."
On other issues, Cheney said he supported U.S. policy on the use of drones in combat in Afghanistan, but he criticized the administration's decision to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.
"Why in the world that would be our policy, I don't know," he said.
The Long Island Association is the region's largest business organization. In the past it has welcomed other national leaders, including both former Presidents Bush (on the same program) and Clinton, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The organization does not disclose how much it pays in speaker-appearance fees.