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Dick Cheney was brutal and effective
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Dick Cheney was one of the most reviled officials in the history of the United States. With approval ratings during his term as Vice-President hovering in the teens, and a public character that personified a raised middle finger, Cheney never was .jpg)
concerned that he was frequently compared to Darth Vader.
This comparison is not entirely unfounded. Cheney operated under the assumption that what was good for him was good for the country, the classic worldview of a Sith Lord. And he did use a man-size safe to store his everyday documents. And he shot his friend in the face.
Cheney believes that whatever has been put here on Earth is here for us to use. Man, being at the top of the food chain, would then naturally be the winner of the most spoils. This is an extremely effective short term strategy for self-preservation and the accumulation of power. He simply does not want to hear any liberal pin-head theories that may espouse more self-denying practices.
Dick Cheney does not care what you think about Haliburton benefiting from no-bid government contracts. If you were in his position, he would expect you to make the same moves. He would probably be disappointed in you if you didn't.
They say there is a softer side to Dick Cheney. He was noted for being exceedingly kind to his subordinates. This motherly instinct came to full fruition in the War on Terror. Cheney saw no reason for using any restraint when it came to protecting the lives of the people he served. There was no perverse glee gained from using "enhanced interrogation," it was simply the age-old philosophy of ends justifying means. Cheney has continued to insist that these techniques did indeed save American lives, and has called on President Obama to enlighten the masses to these facts.
Although he flunked out of Yale, Cheney is very much the studious bookworm. His daily pre-dawn poring over of intelligence documents were probably the source of his ubiqutious, intimidating sideways smile. The one that says "I know something you don't. I pity you."
Due to experience and personality, Cheney was a master at networking. His proverberial Rolodex was bursting from days as Ford's Chief of Staff, and George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense. He knew how to assemble the clones into an irrerepressible machine capable of doing his bidding. Many liberals lamented the absence of a Dick Cheney on their side, simply for the brute efficiency used in getting things done.
This does not mean that Cheney rolled along unscathed, aside from the court of public opinion. His creative interpretations of environmental and tax policies have been judged erroneous. His undying love for Big Business has received much of the blame for the current economic anxiety. There are also the fiascos of the secret energy policy, the war(s), Haliburton and Valerie Plame/Scooter Libby. These adventures and more will be examined in future articles.
Dick Cheney had a free hand to advance his interest in every aspect of government. Almost all of the the time, those interests coincided with the President. The few times when missions did not mesh were the only clear signal that Cheney was not in fact the "Shadow" President.
No longer is the Office of the Vice-Presidency an ornament on the government tree. The VP can be the one underground who advances the agenda. Instead of being a warm-up act, the VP can wield its' own power. That shift has a lot to do with the actions of Dick Cheney.
Coming up next: Secretary of State Colin Powell
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