Today I had the pleasure of a small-group lunch with the Vice
President.
Here is my report. Read it not only for the usual, firm
defense of enhanced interrogation and the like but also for a
great story about Gerald Ford's decisionmaking regarding a
running mate.
Now, for Spectator readers especially, some of what didn't make
the report above.
Most interesting, I think, was the methodical and dispassionate
way Cheney laid out his explanation for how he has gone from
being a very popular figure who was widely respected for
reasonableness and sober judgment to the unpopular Darth Vader of
today. "There is no question it [his reputation] has been
diminished in the last eight years," he said, without sounding
terribly concerned about it.
The four reasons he listed: 1) The "residue" of people being
"angry" about the outcome of the close Florida recount in the
2000 race. 2) "The nature of the job." His job is "strictly
advisory," and he would lose his effectiveness and
trustworthiness as an advisor to Bush if he goes out and talks
about his advice. "To be effective, I had to be out of the
limelight, not explaining myself," he said. 3) "The basic
challenges of 9/11." He said he and Bush were determined that
"there wasn't going to be another 9/11 on our watch." That led to
programs like the intelligence surveillance efforts and the
enhanced interrogation techniques, where "secrecy was a very
important part of a successful policy" about things that by
nature had to be "highly classified." All of which "played into
the image that 'Cheney is secretive," which then led to fears
about what he was being secretive about. 4) "Torture. That word
gets thrown around with great abandon. And it makes it hard to
portray oneself as warm and fuzzy." (For the record, he flatly
said: "We don't torture.")
More later, if I find any more good nuggets when reviewing my
notes......
