As I was driving to the Reagan Library yesterday afternoon, listening to Hugh Hewitt while caught in traffic on the 170, I heard Hugh (or was it one of his guests?) refer to former Vice President Cheney as the left’s “favorite punching bag.” Before leaving home, I had read snippets of that good man’s speech at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and thought it one of his best, one which every American should read, particularly those critical of the previous Administration..
I began to reconsider my own past criticism of his post-Bush Administration outspokenness. It seems he was only defending himself (and that Administration) against unwarranted criticism for his successors and the MSM. While it may be unprecedented for an immediate past Vice President to criticize the incoming Administration, it is also unprecedented for a new President and his team to lay so much blame on his predecessor and his team.
So, when I heard expression, “punching bag,”on the radio, it reminded me yet again how members of the current Administration and their media and weblog cronies blamed their predecessors, particularly Cheney, for the current “mess.” And I wondered (and not for the first time) how the former Vice President bore with such equanimity the vitriol hurled regularly against him for the better part of the past eight years.
So impervious Cheney seem to political pain that Jim Geraghty contends Cheney isn’t impeded by the fear of bad press; he once “responded to a comment about his policy positions being unpopular with ‘So?’” Harsh attacks just roll right off him. They’re like bullets to Wolverine. They may hit, but they never hurt.
And then a memory came to mind of the one time I was in the same room as Cheney–only for the better part of the evening, I didn’t know it. Back in 1990, when I worked in Washington, D.C., a friend who worked for then-Vice President called me at my office one day, asking if I could join him later that week for a dinner at the Shoreham where the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (I believe it was ISI) was honoring the then-Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Lynne Cheney.
A fan of Mrs. Cheney, I agreed. Sitting way in the back, we didn’t have a clear view of the head table. As that good woman was speaking, someone nudged me and pointed out the Secretary of Defense, Mrs. Cheney’s husband, the future Vice President, sitting at that table, looking lovingly at his wife. (We had to stand up and crane our necks to see.) It struck me how he, then a member of the President’s cabinet, remained silent for that entire evening. It seemed he knew the evening was about her and didn’t want to call any attention to himself as that might deflect attention from his wife.
And perhaps, because I was driving to the Reagan Library as this memory came to mind, I wondered if Lynne Cheney served the same function for the immediate past Vice President as the former Nancy Davis served for the Gipper. Knowing he could count on her love and support, he was more confident in his convictions and better able to withstand the mean-spirited attacks directed against him.
Um… “unprecedented”? Remember Al Gore’s shrieky rage. And “incoming”? Obama is past his 100 days now.
As you’ve pointed out elsewhere, what’s unprecedented is for an administration to have no answers for the American people except relentless, tortured (pun intended) blaming of its predecessor. Oh yeah, that and 15%-of-GDP deficits.
Lynne’s contribution to the Cheney family deserves much credit.
Mr. Cheney’s speech yesterday was how John McCain should have handled Obama. Thank you Mr. Cheney for your clarity and wisdom.
Richard Cheney/Liz Cheney should have been the GOP ticket in 2008!
too bad he’s got that bad heart. Mrs. Cheney would come in a close second though, wouldn’t she? Their kids are nothing to sneeze at, either.
Hmmm. Palin/Cheney 2012!
So, when I heard expression, “punching bag,”on the radio, it reminded me yet again how members of the current Administration and their media and weblog cronies blamed their predecessors, particularly Cheney, for the current “mess.”
But it is a mess, at least as big a mess as anyone’s inherited since the 70’s. I mean, hello? Is anyone home? 2 wars with no end in sight? Global economic crisis? That isn’t a mess? Republicans routinely blame Clinton for handing Bush a recession and for 9-11, but with the country in far worse condition, Obama is complaining too much for what Bush handed him? Could you be any whinier?
Levi, if you want to blame Bush for the global economic crisis, I direct your attention to Frank, Dodd, ACORN and other cronies.
Newt in WaPo is worth reading today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052103724.html
Obama volunteered for this position, he did not inherit anything. He can resign tomorrow and be done with it, I and multi-millions of Americans would not complain about that development; however, we would want a special election to replace him, the boob (aka biden) is not worthy of the position.
Sure it’s a mess and the democrats have a record responsibility in it’s making as well. The Pelosi, Reid, Clinton, Frank, Obey, Rangel, and the whole lot are as much to blame for the financial and war crisis as the Executive Branch.
There isn’t much difference between a Democrat and a Republican when it comes to the lust for power and the control of the purse.
However there is a great difference between a patriot American politician on the right and an anti-American politician from the left.
The patriot American politician is Dick Cheney & anti-American politician is Barack Hussein Obama.
You’ll see when he trashes America in Cairo next month.
Dick Cheney is a coward. It’s obvious now he wanted to run for President. But Cheney wouldn’t stand up for his principals last fall when it mattered because he didn’t want the humiliation of a landslide defeat. So instead, he’s running his campaign now when voters can’t pass judgment on it.
It’s a really cowardly thing to do. And yet, good for the Democrats.
I’m glad you changed your mind. The cause of the patheticness of my social life is that I have an overwhelming desire to point out that I told you so!
Dick and Liz Cheney–American national treasures!
Dick Cheney is a coward. It’s obvious now he wanted to run for President. But Cheney wouldn’t stand up for his principals last fall when it mattered because he didn’t want the humiliation of a landslide defeat. So instead, he’s running his campaign now when voters can’t pass judgment on it.
No, what’s obvious is that libbies like you, Erik, can’t stand criticism of your Obamamessiah, so instead of dealing with what Cheney is bringing up, you trash the man personally.
It fits the Obama Party’s mode of operation to a tee. Instead of dealing with Sarah Palin’s record, have supportive faggots like Erik hang her in effigy and claim she faked her pregnancy. This really shows what a pathetic coward the Obamamessiah is, just like when he sicced his campaign puppet government officials on Joe the Plumber.
Um, Levi, how am I being whiny in this post where I praise a great man for his resilience?
When I watched Dick Cheney´s superb speech, I was spellbound. I wondered why it took him so long to take off the gloves. Moreover, I thought that maybe if he were the candidate, it´s possible that Obama might not have been elected. The same could be said for Senator McCain. His campaign was lame until he brought Sarah Palin on board. He kept emphasizing ¨his wounds.¨ He kept his campaign nice. Somebody forgot to tell him that nice guys finish last. It was kind of reminiscent of Bob Dole´s primary campaign, ¨For my years of service I deserve to be the nominee.¨
#8: Dick Cheney is a coward. It’s obvious now he wanted to run for President. But Cheney wouldn’t stand up for his principals last fall when it mattered because he didn’t want the humiliation of a landslide defeat. So instead, he’s running his campaign now when voters can’t pass judgment on it.
That is one of the silliest assertions I’ve ever heard. If he wanted to run he would have announced the notion when the economy was booming, DJ over 14000, unemployment low. Describing it as cowardly is idiotic, there is nothing dangerous or painful about losing an election.
Here the proper use of the word cowardly. Obama not releasing those interrogation photos before his trip to Cairo. Had he, there would be plenty of time for the radicals in Egypt to plan an attack on the “ex-Muslim Christian” half Kenyan/half Kansan. I’ll bet they come out when the cowardly Commander returns from Cairo. She hasn’t signed an executive order yet has she?
If she does sign an order, I apologize for my comment in advance. I won’t hold my breath and watch for those photos after the Queen returns from Cairo.
Is your life really that miserable? Because the hostility you show in comment after comment befits someone who is very troubled.
No. I’m saying Cheney should have run for President. His current campaign would’ve been more suitable last year. That said, I think all Republicans should encourage him to run in 2012. Obama vs. Cheney? I think it’d be a great campaign. 😉
#17
Do you think we’ll even have elections anymore by 2012, or will Il Douche Chumpy Obamalini declare himself messiah for life?
Cheney only now feels the need to speak out about Obama tearing down the USA’s terrorism defenses. Obamateleprompter didn’t promise last year to gut the military. Obama is taking most of the Bush Cheney suggestions about Abugrab photos, reconsidering closing GITMO, not canceling terror surveilience, etc, I’m grateful for that. So the country needs more than ever to have an adult like Cheney to guide Obama out of his rhetorical maze he put himself in. With boobs like Peloso and Biden around Obama…..Cheney seems like a tremendous asset. I pray Obama will eventually have regular weekly meetings with Cheney.
Have you heard Cheneys other daughter LIZ Cheney on talk shows the past week defending her father? She is fantastic. She regularly demolished critics of the former administration. The critics end up looking like simpletons. I’ll look for some video. In contrast I saw Pelosis “news conference” today where she even refused to utter any words close to “CIA scandal”. She was escorted in and out of her presser by a phalanx of Dems like she was a prize fighter being escorted into the ring. So she calls the CIA agents liars and weeks will pass without proof or an apology? Ah Democrats. Boobs, creeps, tax cheats, liars and morons. What day is it anyway? 121?hehe
http://www.ihatethemedia.com/dick-cheney-daughter-liz-spanks-norah-o-donnell
A supportive spouse makes all the difference in the world. Laura is the strong support Geroge W. needed to withstand the hate and rancor that was thrown at him for going on 9 years.
Dick Cheney is an adult. Obama and the Democrats are just a bunch of children who can’t handle the responsibility that they been given.
The manner that he has given support to his lesbian daughter has been outstanding. He has stood up to the whacky leftists and he ignored the anti-gay element of his party.
Um, Levi, how am I being whiny in this post where I praise a great man for his resilience?
You’re whining about Obama talking about how sh*tty a President Cheney was. You don’t want Obama talking about Cheney or Bush at all, do you?
The liberal MSM is declaring this argument between Cheney and Obama a no win for Obamateleprompter. Even CBS Bob Scheiffer said so. He can dress up the pig but Cheney demolishes Obamas logic.
Obama has talked more about the previous administration than any President in history. It is not a sign of confidence or strength. He’s a man skating on thin ice, he knows it and his supporters know it.
7 in 10 Americans now polled say Obama should start taking responsibility for things as they are. You know the record 6.7 million unemployed. The staggering deficiets. The plunge in the dollar and the unprecidented lowering of the USA debt rating. How embarrassing.
“The sheer magnitude of the numbers being bandied about is causing some investor fear.
“All of this translates into hell of a big financial mess that will indeed affect US credit,” Tanous said. “I’ve been in the business for 40 years and I’ve never used the world trillion before until recently. Unfortunately, it’s trillions of dollars we don’t have.”
Boatloads of US debt in the hands of foreign governments and the myriad problems that can cause, primarily in the form of higher interest rates down the road, are causing the most concerns. ”
http://www.cnbc.com/id/30886432
You’re whining about Obama talking about how sh*tty a President Cheney was.
Boy, Obama is even more stupid than we thought if he thinks Dick Cheney was President.
Better yet, why is Obama complaining about how “shitty” Cheney was when Obama is adopting the Bush administration’s policies on Gitmo, on extraordinary rendition, on enhanced interrogation, and on military tribunals?