Dick Cheney's Underestimated Influence

A Wall Street Journal's editorialist, William McGurn, wrote a nice little piece yesterday giving rare credit to former VP Dick Cheney for his ability to force the current president to take him on as an equal.


In McGurn's column, he actually cited liberal MSNBC talk show host Chris Matthews as the only media person to correctly notice Wonderboy "listening for footsteps, that he could hear Cheney coming at him and he was defensive."


No kidding. Here we have an unaccomplished young political hack pretending to be president, dressing up in grown-up clothes and grappling with issues which are beyond his grasp, and the consequences of his actions he typically doesn't understand.


"Coming at him" is a very accomplished, seasoned, very smart former US Representative, administrative operative, Secretary of Defense, VP, and corporate chief.


Among US Vice-Presidents, Dick Cheney is perhaps the most qualified to have actually become President, should the occasion have arisen. Possessing a rare combination of extensive prior goverment experience in both administrations and elective Congressional office, he was, and is, qualified to perform as Chief Executive of the United States.


George W. Bush never considered Al Gore remotely threatening as a former VP, or even former presidential candidate.


It speaks volumes that, regardless of the largely-uncognizant larger populace of the US on whom popularity polls are conducted, the sitting president rightly fears tangling with Cheney.


Cheney doesn't engage in baseless or unreasoned emotional diatribes, as does Wonderboy. Rather, Cheney constructs careful, coherent, logical frameworks of reason which are unusually difficult to refute.


There's no question that in last week's face-off, Cheney emerged as having bettered the current Oval Office occupant.


Wonderboy took pains to lambast his predecessor, although again promising he wouldn't, suggesting that whatever actions were taken involving enhanced interrogation methods and Guantanamo were without a justification. Nowhere in his speech from the National Archives was the 9/11 attack on American citizens on American soil ever mentioned.


Cheney, however, made that attack the rightful centerpiece of the debate. Without it, the rest of the arguments on either side are pointless and lacking in context.



If this mess continues to be pressed to the point of Congressional hearings and, possibly, criminal charges, Wonderboy and his chief accomplice in this matter, Frisco Nan Pelosi, will be very sorry they persisted in banging on this drum.


Cheney's speech provided a preview of the arguments which will be used in such venues, and their solidity and credibility.

Dick Cheney On Colin Powell

Last week, I wrote my own opinion regarding Colin Powell's recent remarks regarding the GOP's current state.

Along with his comments on releasing CIA interrogation pictures, former VP Dick Cheney also weighed in on Powell's comments. His sentiments echoed my own.

Cheney said he didn't know Powell was even still a Republican, since he'd so explicitly backed Wonderboy in the last election.

I've always liked Cheney for his candor, and this time is no exception. 1991 was a long time ago, and Cheney doesn't let his work with Powell back then, during the fight for Kuwait, cloud his current response to Powell's actions and comments.

Is Dick Cheney Still VP?

Wow, that was quick!

Dick Cheney gives a couple of interviews, publicizing his views on the inappropriateness of releasing photographs from CIA files, and, presto, Wonderboy relents.

Is Joe Biden even in this administration?

Despite many people feeling he was out of line, as a former VP, Cheney's comments about the threat to national security evidently shoved the First Rookie back into line. Perhaps Cheney's drip feed of remarks finally percolated that thick liberal skull of the new president.

So, once again, Wonderboy changed direction and followed his predecessor's policies on anti-terrorism strategies.

If only he could somehow leave Guantanamo open. I'll be he wishes he'd kept his mouth shut about that now, don't you?