Overall, I was impressed with Cheney in his interview by Russert yesterday on MTP, but I was dismayed by one exchange:

MR. RUSSERT: Vanity Fair magazine reports that about 140 Saudis were allowed to leave the United States the day after the 11th, allowed to leave our airspace and were never investigated by the FBI and that departure was approved by high-level administration figures. Do you know anything about that?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: I don?t, but a lot of folks from that part of the world left in the aftermath of 9/11 because they were worried about public reaction here in the United States or that somehow they might be discriminated against.

Sadly, I have a great deal of trouble believing him on that point. It strains credulity to believe that he knows nothing about it.

If the Sauds left as individuals and family groups on commercial flights, there is no reason he would know any more about it than what he stated. Even if they left on private flights, he wouldn't necessarily know about it.

This goes back to the rumour that the USG flew them out. The only way Cheney SHOULD know more is if that rumour is true, and I don't beleive it is.

This has been debunked by other places, no Saud's/bin ladens left the day after sept 11. They left after the airspace opened back up several days later on private chartered flights, not on government planes, and only after commercial flights had resumed. They were allowed to travel within the US before the ban, and all that did so were questioned by the FBI before they left the country.

Check snopes