Cheney backers miffed at Bush silence

WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- Some U.S. conservatives say they are disappointed that former U.S. President George Bush hasn't publicly attacked his successor on security issues.

Unlike former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has voiced frequent and vociferous denunciations of the security policies of Bush's Democratic successor President Barack Obama, Bush himself has stuck by a pledge to refrain from criticism, much to the chagrin of some of Cheney's Republican Party supporters, the Washington publication Politico reported Saturday.

"A lot of conservatives would have like to have heard from President Bush on this issue," a Cheney supporter told Politico. "On such a fundamental issue, when such clear untruths are being told, conservatives have wondered why President Bush has been silent."

Another source described as a former White House official, however, said some Bush loyalists are wishing Cheney would tone down his harsh criticism of Obama's administration.

"We all sort of feel the same way: It's his right to do it," the former official said. "We don't necessarily think it's a good idea," the source added, saying the difference in approach between Bush and Cheney reflects "a division that stretches back pretty far."