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Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday continued to place blame for the unrest in Iraq squarely on the shoulders of President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying the war-torn country was at “a good point” when he left the White House in 2009.

“I think Maliki obviously bears a significant part of the burden because of his failure to maintain a coalition government...But the other problem has been, frankly, the Obama administration, President Obama, who did not follow through with the stay behind agreement,” Cheney said in a panel discussion hosted by Politico

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Cheney and daughter Liz Cheney have blasted Obama for the rise of ISIS, an al Qaeda affiliated group that has taken hold of parts of northern Iraq. The Cheneys have been criticized for being outspoken on the issue after the high-profile blunders of the Bush administration in the lead up to the Iraq war.

Asked why he has chosen to speak out while his former boss has remained silent, Cheney said he is not bound by Bush’s decision not to criticize his successor.

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-- Andrew Rafferty