Cheney attacks Obama, fellow Republicans

WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- Some Republican strategists say former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration and of fellow Republicans is not helping the GOP.

In an appearance Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Cheney was asked about radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's recent jab that Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell no longer belongs in the GOP.

"My take on it was Colin had already left the party," Cheney said. "I didn't know he was still a Republican."

Cheney said Powell's endorsement of Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race is "some indication of his loyalty and his interests."

Cheney told a North Dakota radio program last week it would be a mistake for the Republican Party to "moderate" its message.

Republican strategist Ed Rollins said on CNN Monday Cheney's attacks are not helping the party.

"While he certainly has a right to defend what they did over the last eight years, since he was the architect of much of it ... at the end of the day, we need to be looking forward, not backwards," Rollins said. "(Powell) is a man of great stature and a man obviously either party would like to have supporting them."