Cheney: Remember that Mubarak has been ‘a good man, a good friend and ally’

Former Vice President Dick Cheney called embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a “good friend and ally,” and said the Obama administration needs to tread carefully in its demands of the longtime ruler moving forward.

“I think President Mubarak needs to be treated as he deserved over the years, because he has been a good friend,” Cheney said at an event Saturday in Santa Barbara, Calif., to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth.

“The bottom line is, in the end, whatever comes next in Egypt is going to be determined by the people of Egypt,” Cheney added, according to the Associated Press.

He acknowledged that “there comes a time for everybody when it’s time to hang it up and move on,” but he said that was up to the Egyptians. He stressed Mubarak’s help over the years on issues such as the Gulf War.

“He’s been a good man, a good friend and ally to the United States,” Cheney said. “We need to remember that.”