Vice

Steve Clemons reviews the Cheney Vice-Presidency:

"An old adage about America’s first helmsmen is that “Washington reigned, Hamilton ruled, and Jefferson complained.” The contemporary version might say that “Bush reigned, Cheney ruled, and Congress, the nation, and the world complained.”

Richard Cheney has sculpted the vice presidency in a way never seen before. He revolutionized an office that has turned many of its occupants into obscure eccentrics—one that Benjamin Franklin referred to as “Your Superfluous Excellency.” Cheney refused to do state funerals. Instead, he rerouted the in- and outboxes of power in the White House and turned himself into the nation’s most consequential political force. Whether George W. Bush approved or not, his VP animated most of the controversial policies that will define for decades the Bush II presidency.

An interesting thought experiment is to imagine what Bush’s tenure might have been like had 9/11 not occurred. Admirers have suggested that the president’s legacy would have been defined by his pet interests: “compassionate conservatism,” faith-based initiatives, and literacy and education programs for young and old. Now think about a Bush presidency with Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating or Sens. Chuck Hagel, Lamar Alexander, or Bill Frist as vice president—all of whom were vetted by Cheney as he went through the shortlist of Bush’s possible running mates. What would the world look like had one of these men been chosen? My hunch is that America’s national security and economic portfolios would not be in the meltdown that they are in today.

History has taken its course, however. Cheney was put in charge of finding Bush’s VP, and he positioned himself for selection. He uncovered, through an exhaustive questionnaire process, the most private and intimate details of the lives of the other candidates. No one vetted Cheney, though, so nobody had anything on him. He had the goods on everyone else, and he got the nod from Bush."

Well worth reading in full.