Cheney’s girl: President sides with terrorists

Barack Obama was accused of "siding with terrorists" as he came under attack from former vice president Dick Cheney's daughter.

Liz Cheney said the president was hurting US soldiers with his decision to release photographs showing abuse of prisoners held in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The former high-ranking state department official said the president seemed interested only in releasing information that painted America in a negative fashion. "I have heard from families of service members, from families of 9/11 victims, this question about, you know: When did it become so fashionable for us to side, really, with the terrorists?'" Cheney said.

"You know, for us to put information out that hurts American soldiers?"

The 42-year-old launched her attack in response to the decision by Obama, as ordered by a judge, to release photos showing detainee abuse by US soldiers. More than 40 photos are said to exist that are similar to those of the Abu Ghraib scandal from 2004.

When the Aby Ghraib photos emerged of prisoners being abused by their guards at the prison near Baghdad it led to a worldwide outcry that tarnished America's reputation.

Seven soldiers faced court martial and two, including private Lyddie England, were given jail sentences of three years.

Cheney, who held the position of principal deputy assistant secretary of state for near-eastern affairs in the State Department, made her attack on a Fox TV news show.

Her father Dick has been one of the most vocal critics of the new Obama policies of terrorism, including closing Guantanamo Bay detention camp and outlawing harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding. Cheney accused Obama of weakening the US defences with his policies.

While former president George Bush has remained silent since leaving office, Cheney has gone on the offensive and refused to be silent.

He has hit out at the Obama administration for calling the harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA torture and said the methods used help keep America safe from another 9/11-style attack.

Obama has not responded to Cheney's verbal attacks, but the press correspondent's ball held in Washington at the weekend he joked about the ex-VP ""He is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People."