WASHINGTON - Dick Cheney's withering criticism of the Obama White House's terrorism-fighting policies came under an equally harsh response Sunday, with the former vice president accused of being ignorant or intentionally misleading.



John Brennan, who is President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser, said he has worked for five administrations and that Obama is as determined as anyone to keep the nation safe.


Cheney said last week that Obama is "trying to pretend" that the U.S. is not at war with terrorists. The result, the Republican Cheney said, is that Americans are less safe.


"I'm very disappointed in the (former) vice president's comments," Brennan said. "Either the (he) is willfully mischaracterizing this president's position both in terms of the language he uses and the actions he's taken, he's ignorant of the facts."