by Johanna Neuman, of L.A.'s Top of the Ticket
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is writing his memoirs. That in itself is something of a surprise, because Cheney has long -- and openly -- disparaged people who do. The presidency is owed loyalty, or anyway that was Cheney's view when folks like former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and former White House press secretary Scott McClellan told tales out of school.
But now, writing his own account of his eight years as George W. Bush's vice president, Cheney is telling friends that "the statute of limitations has expired" on tensions between them. As Time magazine reported last month, Cheney was furious at Bush for not pardoning Scooter Libby, the vice presidential aide who, in Cheney's words, "was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder" by not disclosing all he knew about who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to the press.
Writing his memoirs out in longhand on yellow legal pads, Cheneyapparently is sharing his recollections with groups of friends and associates, sort of prepping them for the disclosures to come in his 2011 book.
And, some of those friends have been talking to the Washington Post. After one group session, one Cheney associate told the Post's Barton Gellman that the former vice president is mad at 43 for being "shackled" by public opinion:
"In the second term, he felt Bush was moving away from him. He said Bush was shackled by the public reaction and the criticism he took. Bush was more malleable to that. The implication was that Bush had gone soft on him, or rather Bush had hardened against Cheney's advice. He'd showed an independence that Cheney didn't see coming. It was clear that Cheney's doctrine was cast-iron strength at all times -- never apologize, never explain -- and Bush moved toward the conciliatory.''
Some conservatives rebut the argument, noting that Bush was nothing if not stubborn in the face of political and public opposition. Commenting on the story, Joe Scarborough pointed out on MSNBC's Morning Joe that Bush was defiant about the surge in Iraq despite the polls.
But apparently Cheney, sometimes called the Darth Vader of American politics, even disagrees with his old boss about what constitutes a good book.
Told in one session that Bush, in his own memoirs, hoped to explore his personal feelings, Cheney responded that he had no intention of doing that.
"He sort of spat the word 'personal,' " said one person in the room.
Comments
He should be in shackles !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | August 13, 2009 11:35 AM
Cheney is despicable. His conduct in office was an affront to the constitution and to humanity. He should be tortured in the same way he authorized torture—to the edge of his pathetic life. On the other hand, he’ll fit in well at Fox “News”—when he goes to promote his book. He can sit along side the other right wing reactionary wack jobs that populate that cesspool.
Posted by: gibster | August 13, 2009 12:01 PM
so who's going to believe anything printed in that book? c'mon, folks. he lied to us for eight years. ya think the resemblance between him and "Potter" in the epic movie was a coincidence? How about - NOT. What goes around, comes around. The souls of human beings will get their comeuppance - in this life or the next, since the soul is eternal. ... Weapons of mass destruction. Torture. errr, enhanced interrogation? Oops, no WMD - but bomb that country because they might someday get WMD. Remember the stories about Iraq's direct connection to the 9-11 masterminds massacre? Oh, that was fiction, too. No connection has been uncovered - not ever. Oh, wait. X years ago, they used WMD - so bomb them today - here and now - because they used WMD so many years ago. OBTW a the doctrine of war doesn't call for us to bomb countries for events - even barbaric ones - that occurred decades hence. Why is it okay for one politician to have condoned and ordered torture (answer it's not okay to torture) - and our brave military folks are tortured - and you wonder why???? Torture doesn't work - unless you want to extract fiction and lies from prisoners. We are allegedly a civil society that doesn't tolerate the torture of American military or civilians abroad. Why should we tolerate the torture of others - torture ordered by politicians, justified (justified as directed, that is - written justification - by the Justice Department?) We should not. Now, I might go to the bookstore and thumb through that book when it comes out - that is, if I haven't read or heard enough tall tales that day. I might thumb through and read excerpts to remind myself to be wary of corrupt power mongers in our land. Power corrupts. (Ego corrupts.) Absolute power and ego corrupt absolutely. It's A Wonderful LIfe.
Posted by: Lego | August 13, 2009 12:13 PM
Holder's (or The Hague) interpretation may be more literal.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | August 13, 2009 12:13 PM
How dare the President defy the Vice-President's orders!
Posted by: All Hail the Vice Emperor! | August 13, 2009 12:37 PM
Geez. . .I almost feel sorry for Dubya. I think most people knew who was really the president. Dubya should have grown a spine years ago. The legacy that will be his will be because he was weak and listened to Cheney. How different would this country (and perhaps the world) be if Dubya was his own man?
Posted by: Janstress | August 13, 2009 12:39 PM
Cheney, even more so than idiot GW, was probably the worst thing that ever happened to America. We all knew little Georgie was just a puppet. Now you Repubs think Palin is going to save your butts? Are you serious?
Posted by: Mrs. Jesus | August 13, 2009 2:54 PM
Kinda makes you wonder what Cheney had in mind for the seconde term if that was the kinder, softer version.
Posted by: Lou | August 13, 2009 3:54 PM
Wow! A Republican who feels fine moralizing about what other people do, but has NO problem doing the same thing himself. What IS the world coming to?
Posted by: Op109 | August 13, 2009 4:13 PM
Dr. Szell explained how he developed his torture techniques based on his training as a dentist.
He had a legal opinion from Dr. Freisler of the Ministry of Justice that he could experiment to his heart's content so long as he didn't cause "pain equivalent to organ failure or death".
Dr. Szell knew full well that this was a meaningless standard: who could report upon or describe such pain?
And what objective observer could measure such pain?
What apparatus, what electrodes, could detect and gauge it?
So, Dr. Szell could apply his probe and oil of cloves to a cavity alternatively until he was satisfied.
If not satisfied, he would then drill into a healthy tooth until he reached the pulp.....
a live , freshly cut nerve being infinitely more sensitive.....
but Heydrich had told him privately not to worry about a thing.
that whole "pain equivalent to organ failure or death" mumbo jumbo was , obviously, just a cover.....
Szell was able to extract gold and in time diamonds from the inmates.....
Dr. Szell escaped. An illegitimate son was spirited away to Wyoming, and his brother was able to get most of his diamonds smuggled into the US where they reside at a bank owned by Prescott Bush, at 54th & Madison in NYC.....
Posted by: ornery | August 13, 2009 6:52 PM