Tag Archives: Dick Cheney

Cheney in Exile

Despite his numerous heart problems, despite the continued attacks on his tenure, and despite his politically divisive nature, it appears that Dick Cheney is going to have a significant role to play in shaping the Republican Party of the future.

The George W. Bush Standard Is About To Be Revised

Anytime Dick Cheney speaks out against the Obama Administration, invariably, someone comes along to tut-tut, and to contrast the former Vice President’s outspoken behavior unfavorably with the silence maintained by George W. Bush. Just as invariably, we are told that the former President’s silence must mean that he disapproves of the comments made by the former Vice President.

Head Games

My latest for the New Ledger has to do with Dick Cheney and his effect on the Obama Administration.

Dick Cheney’s Head Games

We all know that President Obama and his Administration are experts and playing things cool when lesser humans would be wracked with panic. After all, everyone in the press, along with his/her pet canary, tells us as much. But there is one person who is consistently able to take the Administration out of its comfort zone whenever he speaks up.

That person, of course, is former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Every time Cheney decides to speak out about current events–especially when it comes to the issue of foreign and national security policy–he is able to discombobulate the Obama Administration, which sends out an all-hands-on-deck message to its personnel to combat the former Vice President’s commentary. And yet, for whatever reason, it’s Cheney who usually comes out with the upper hand in any debate. Last year, when the Obama Administration was postponing the implementation of a troop surge policy on Afghanistan, Cheney very publicly accused the Administration of “dithering.” Team Obama was infuriated, but the message stuck. I suppose it should come as no surprise that the White House is obsessed with trying to push back against Cheney’s comments every time he makes a public statement. The former Vice…

Kudos To Dick Cheney

Backing a repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell is absolutely the right thing to do, and it is very helpful to the cause that the former Vice President and Secretary of Defense has gotten behind the effort to repeal.

Biden Less Popular Than Cheney Was At A Similar Point In Time

Behold the evidence:

Listening To The Generals

Recall that the Bush Administration was accused of not doing too much listening to the uniformed military. Now, read this:

Torture and Truth

The American people are entitled to facts, and truth, and to gauge how we balance acts and results against the alternatives. If that embarrasses the Republican or Democratic Parties, so be it. The alternative is a politicized war over every last foreign policy action, and the last time we tried that gambit, it ended with smoking craters in the Northeastern United States.

The Verdict On Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

We have some evidence, as reported by Ed Morrissey, that EITs were useful in getting information from detainees, a point reinforced by a statement from former Vice President Cheney.

I Have Always Been A Fan Of Ted Olson . . .

He is, after all, a hero to right-of-center folk, a terrific lawyer, a very smart guy, and has lived a tremendously consequential life. It’s a pity he never made it onto the Supreme Court; he would have been a superb Justice, but he has certainly found other ways to make a difference.

Summarizing Joe Biden

There is good news for the Vice President:

Health Care Reform: A Link Round-Up

Bobby Jindal–being a policy wonk in general, and a health care policy wonk in particular–highlights the three major shortcomings in the health care bills floating around Capitol Hill, and the Obama Administration’s own stated preferences for reform, and offers suggestions on how to improve the reform process.

- March 18, 2010 -

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