On the February 27 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough asserted that nations “are testing [President] Barack Obama in a way ... that they wouldn't have tested Dick Cheney,” citing as examples Iran “g[etting] the uranium they need,” “North Korea going ahead with this long-range missile launch,” and Pakistan “strik[ing] a deal with the Taliban.” Scarborough later said, “You've got the situation where you've got hard-liners like George Bush and Dick Cheney out of the office, that's one reason they test him. Another reason, though, is, we are so distracted by this economic chaos, that were I a tyrant on the other side of the world, I would say ... [t]hey are so occupied with that, let -- now is the time to make hay.” However, during Cheney's two terms as vice president in the Bush administration, Iran enriched uranium, North Korea tested missiles and reportedly detonated a nuclear bomb, and Pakistan negotiated a cease-fire with tribal leaders that the Bush administration reportedly pointed to in explaining the resurgence of Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

On Morning Joe, Scarborough said: "[O]ver the past month, since President Obama has become president, you've had Iran rising up and being defiant, continuing to be defiant. Now, we hear they've got the uranium they need. We've got North Korea going ahead with this long-range missile launch. You've got the Pakistanis saying, 'Hey, you know what we're going to do? We're going to strike a deal with the Taliban.' " Scarborough continued: “So [Vice President] Joe Biden was right that there are going to be challenges, and all of these leaders are testing Barack Obama in a way -- don't want to get anybody mad, but it's just the truth -- that they wouldn't have tested Dick Cheney. Like for instance, Pakistan would not have struck a deal with the Taliban, with Dick Cheney, 'cause they know that he would be on a plane and go, 'I'll tell you what. This is how it's going to work. Either you're going to police the Taliban or we're going to police the Taliban.' ”

In fact, during the Bush administration, Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan each took actions similar to the ones Scarborough discussed:

• Iran: In April 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that the country had successfully enriched low-grade uranium. In a November 19, 2008, report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provided its findings on uranium enrichment activities in Iran in 2007 and 2008:

2. Since the Director General's previous report, Iran has continued to feed UF₆ into the 3000-machine IR-1 unit (Unit A24), and five cascades of Unit A26, at the Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).¹ Installation and testing of the 13 remaining cascades of Unit A26 is continuing. Preparatory installation work at Units A25, A27 and A28 continues. As of 7 November 2008, the total amount of UF₆ fed into the cascades since the beginning of operations in February 2007 was 9750 kg, and based on the operator's daily accounting records, Iran had produced approximately 630 kg of low enriched UF₆. All nuclear material at FEP, as well as all installed cascades, remain under Agency containment and surveillance.

3. On 29 September 2008, the Agency conducted a physical inventory verification (PIV) at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), the results of which are still pending. Between 25 August and 28 October 2008, Iran fed a total of approximately 31 kg of UF₆ into the 10-machine IR-2 cascade and the single IR-1, IR-2 and IR-3 centrifuges. All nuclear material at PFEP, as well as the cascade area, remains under Agency containment and surveillance.

• North Korea: In July 2006, the country test-fired its long-range Taepodong-2 missile over the Sea of Japan. In October that same year, the country reportedly tested a nuclear bomb.

• Pakistan: As Media Matters for America has noted, the July 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) found that Al Qaeda has “regenerated” several elements of its infrastructure, including a “safehaven” in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The New York Times reported in July 2007 that "[i]n identifying the main reasons for Al Qaeda's resurgence [in Pakistan], intelligence officials and White House aides pointed the finger squarely at a hands-off approach toward the tribal areas by Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf," following a cease-fire deal between tribal leaders and the government that the Bush administration “reluctantly endorsed.”

From the February 27 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

BRZEZINSKI: And North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il, is said to be touring the country's northeastern province in anticipation of an expected satellite launch. Experts see it as a pretext for the nation to actually test-fire a new long-range missile, which could theoretically reach the western U.S. -- and a happy good morning to you.

SCARBOROUGH: Have you noticed --

BRZEZINSKI: Wow.

SCARBOROUGH: -- and I'm not drawing any conclusions here, but I'm just putting it out there 'cause I haven't heard anybody else say it yet, but over the past month, since President Obama has become president, you've had Iran rising up and being defiant --

BRZEZINSKI: Well --

SCARBOROUGH: -- continuing to be defiant. Now, we hear they've got the uranium they need. We've got North Korea going ahead with this long-range missile launch. You've got the Pakistanis saying, “Hey, you know what we're going to do? We're going to strike a deal with the Taliban.” Now, we've talked about this on the radio.

BRZEZINSKI: So, Joe Biden was right, wasn't he?

SCARBOROUGH: So Joe Biden was right that there are going to be challenges, and all of these leaders are testing Barack Obama in a way -- don't want to get anybody mad, but it's just the truth -- that they wouldn't have tested Dick Cheney. Like for instance, Pakistan would not have struck a deal with the Taliban, with Dick Cheney, 'cause they know that he would be on a plane and go, “I'll tell you what. This is how it's going to work” --

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah. Well --

SCARBOROUGH: “Either you're going to police the Taliban or we're going to police the Taliban.” And I'm not saying that's right.

BRZEZINSKI: There's problems with that, too.

SCARBOROUGH: I'm not saying that's wrong.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: I'm just saying, Pat, it's just like when Jimmy Carter left office. Iran at that point immediately said, “We better let the hostages go home.”

BUCHANAN: Yeah, because we don't know what Reagan will do if -- when -- if he takes office.

SCARBOROUGH: I think -- I think they --

BUCHANAN: I think maybe we do know what he's going to --

SCARBOROUGH: -- knew exactly what Reagan was going to do.

BUCHANAN: But I agree with you.

BRZEZINSKI: OK.

BUCHANAN: I think there's a sense in the world that America is in decline and in retreat, and everybody's advancing their own interests at the expense of the United States. I don't doubt that for a second.

BRZEZINSKI: Absolutely.

SCARBOROUGH: And this is not just about --

BRZEZINSKI: What we have to see is how they handle what was a predictable situation that Joe Biden predicted and was mocked for.

SCARBOROUGH: And the thing --

BRZEZINSKI: Mocked.

SCARBOROUGH: No. No. Well, Joe Biden was right.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: You just don't want your vice presidential candidate --

BRZEZINSKI: Kept saying that on the campaign trail --

SCARBOROUGH: -- saying the election's going to cause international crises. That being said --

BRZEZINSKI: It's a problem.

SCARBOROUGH: -- there's another thing let's be fair about.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: You've got the situation where you've got hard-liners like George Bush and Dick Cheney out of the office, that's one reason they test him. Another reason, though, is, we are so distracted by this economic chaos --

BRZEZINSKI: Exactly. Very good point.

SCARBOROUGH: -- that were I a tyrant on the other side of the world, I would say --

BRZEZINSKI: That's more --

SCARBOROUGH: -- they are so -- yeah, probably so. They are so occupied with that --

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: -- let -- now is the time to --

BUCHANAN: North Korea, Joe.

SCARBOROUGH: -- make hay.

BUCHANAN: We don't know if Kim Jong Il is non compos mentis, whatever it is now. I mean, we don't know what's happened to him. And it could be the hard-liners in there arguing with each other, firing off rockets to show we're still tough -- we don't know.

BRZEZINSKI: Oh, good lord.

BUCHANAN: But the Iranians are also -- they're not running all their centrifuges.

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.

BUCHANAN: They've cut -- about a thousand of them have stopped. I think they're looking for some kind of deal.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

BUCHANAN: I think there's a lot going on here.

SCARBOROUGH: Let's hope so.

BUCHANAN: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: Let's hope so.