The book opens with an account of Mr. Cheney’s experiences during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when he essentially commanded the government’s response from a bunker beneath the White House while Mr. Bush — who was away from Washington and hampered by communications breakdowns — played a peripheral role. But Mr. Cheney wrote that he did not want to make any formal statement to the nation that day.Well said.
“My past government experience,” he wrote, “had prepared me to manage the crisis during those first few hours on 9/11, but I knew that if I went out and spoke to the press, it would undermine the president, and that would be bad for him and for the country.
“We were at war. Our commander in chief needed to be seen as in charge, strong, and resolute — as George W. Bush was.”
***
Support the Althouse blog by buying your copy of "In My Time" at this link.
Posts
80 comments:
When I saw Cheney's book, I felt a great disturbance at the local coffee shop. As if millions of liberal voices screamed out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
So there was "truth" to what Michael Moore portrayed in his movie. Bush wasn't in control, Cheney was.
Michael Moore couldn't get at Cheney with his treasonous bile, so he smeared the weaker-appearing target. I will be interested to hear what Cheney says about Moore and his ilk. I suspect, however, that he will do so with disarming candor, if at all.
My favorite excerpt from the book is when Cheney said to Colin Powell:
"Now witness the firepower of this armed and fully operational battle station!"
“We were at war. Our commander in chief needed to be seen as in charge, strong, and resolute — as George W. Bush was.”
Very well said. And something that I don't believe can be, or ever will be, said about our current president.
Also, can you imagine if a similar situation happened today with brain-damaged Biden having to take the reins even for a short time. Scary.
Finally, how the hell was there any communication break-down? The president, we are told, has the best communication gear in the world, including I assume sat-phones which are not easily interrupted if at all. If we can't guarantee he or she can't be in constant commmunication why do we waste so much money or Air Force One and all that other support infrastructure?
America loves Dick Cheney!
(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Let me take this opportunity to shorten our agony, so for Garage, Alpha, and the Small Pathetic Voice:
Darth Cheney:
Bush’s Brain;
Bush Lied, People Died; and
Fascist.
(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
America loves Dick Cheney
Certainly the CURRENT occupant of the Veep’s mansion makes me wistful for Cheney….
Cheney was an adult on the scene when we sorely needed one.
Biden ....oh, the hell with it. Just saying his name is sufficiently damning.
Are Cheney's views on sex selective infanticide in the book?
It is , after all, "a big fu**ing deal"!
What an awful time in our history.
Thank God our President has fixed all those mistakes we made out of fear and rage, and put America back on its path toward truth and light.
Oh, wait...
Does kinda make you nostalgic for the Bush Cheney team--Obama Biden just doesnt get it done--both idiots
Nice that he credited wife Liz on the book jacket.
"m stone said...
Nice that he credited wife Liz on the book jacket."
His wife's name is Lynn. His daughter is Kiz.
I mean "his daughter is Liz"
Most of what Mr Cheney says is well said.
From the Drudge excerpt looks like Mr Cheney came down hard on Colin Powell (deservedly so) and James Comey--this book is going to rile up the DC assholes that are out political class--with any luck they will go hunting with Mr Cheney sometime.
America loves Dick Cheney!"
Screw loving him or any president or vice-president. I just want to respect and trust them. A bunch of naive patsies "loving" Barry is what got us in the mess we are in now.
Dubya, Darth, Rummy.
At the time, even the tingle-up-the-leg crowd had to admit they were glad the adults were in charge on those days.
Rather than the Willie-Albert crowd.
chickenlittle said...
So there was "truth" to what Michael Moore portrayed in his movie. Bush wasn't in control, Cheney was.
No big surprise. The Secret Service was most concerned about keeping POTUS safe, which meant getting him to a secure location.
VPOTUS was already at one.
Roger J. said...
From the Drudge excerpt looks like Mr Cheney came down hard on Colin Powell (deservedly so) and James Comey--this book is going to rile up the DC assholes that are out political class
Darth has said it will "make heads explode".
We can hope.
Cheney's view on infanticide: "What's the hurry?"
"America loves Dick Cheney!"
More than they love you, garbage.
All I've seen is a bunch of paraphrases of what Cheney wrote, not actual quotes, which is typical MSM SOP in order to distort and twist what was actually said.
Places like NYT especially I would not trust to accurately report on the book.
After heart surgery he was unconscious for several weeks. During that time he had a vivid dream that he was living in an Italian villa and going out for coffee and newspapers I can get into the Italian villa and maybe even the coffee, but newspapers will have no place in my dream of heaven. Still as comas go, it sounds fairly pleasant.
Cheney to me, was almost always one of the most vilified people because of his appearance and demeanor.
But when you actually put him head to head with people (i.e. John Edwards), the guy was a frigging rock star of stable governance and understanding leadership.
The point is not to agree with everything such a person believes, the point is to believe the person is capable of successfully governing in the event of crisis or incapacitation of the president.
Ironically, the choice of Cheney (not a camera friendly running mate) shows Bush's leadership.
The choice of Biden, to this day, was one that reflected true vanity and a disregard/lack of care for the potential power of the VP.
Urp.
Vicki from Pasadena
Can't believe he said that with a straight face.
Vicki from Pasadena
Let me second Treejoe's comment--
And he was hand selected by the jug eared CIC--what does this say for Obama's judgment versus W's judgment.
Obama is a child--a petulant ignorant self absorbed child who had a fucking idiot for a vice president--this country is fucked
"Can't believe he said that with a straight face."
Imagine - a politician choosing to stay in the background during a devastating domestic attack so that the President could be briefed, reassure the country and be seen to lead, rather than dash in front of the cameras to scream "this is a big fuckin' deal!"
I can imagine how you wouldn't believe that, seeing as how a day never passes without your idiot SCOAMF flapping his mouth on TV.
Chris Ma dude: what is scomaf?
So vicki from pasadena baby cakes--John Edwards would have a wonderful VP? Joe Biden is cool?
Really, girl--get a grip--you are major lacking
Roger - "SCOAMF" is the term used over at Ace's for ol' Jug-Ears. It stands for "Stuttering Clusterfuck Of A Miserable Failure."
Biden's a frat boy.
Glad Cheney was minding the store while Bush, alerted, elected to read a kid's book rather than "disturb the children". That always bothered me a bit.
I remember about 15 years ago my wife and I were at a post-school career day with our kids in a very good, no-nonsense, medical careers "symposium" for the junior high kids. A career meant hard education, erratic hours, good pay, satisfaction of helping, yadayada..
Then all the doctors and nurses and ER techs beepers went off. Doctor fished out a slab cell phone the size of brick. Looked to "The Children!" and said "Sorry, we all gotta go. Multicar crash on I-5. Lot of dead and injured people."
No concern whatsoever that The children! might be upset that an emergency called them away to focus on something other than The Children! in the careers class.
Hopefully Cheney's book will detail his read on how they bungled the Iraq post-war period so badly and what the White House was doing in the years before the fiscal meltdown and on learning the tax cuts created no jobs. Was there any clue that the banks rested on a house of cards, did they believe the Fed, SEC, Fannie and Freddie were on top of matters? Who signed off on the Bremer decisions?
Cedarford, typical that you are ignorant that Bush tried to reformed the GSEs but democrats bashed him fot it.
How cool would it have been if Bush had thrown down the children's book, grabbed the secret briefcase, and pushed the red button? Oftentimes, it's the best course to think about it for a while. Unless it involves Jews.
Cheney was in the best position to call the shots, not Bush, but there was no reason other than "disturbing the children" why Bush could not have left the class, been handed a phone and been in the loop for some major decisions Cheney was making within moments of the 2nd plane hitting the WTC.
1. Grounding the entire US air transport system on a crisis fast schedule.
2. Ordering the Armed Forces to DEFCON 3, B-2 bombers on nuke alert, aircraft carriers dispatched to NYC.
3. Shootdown authority for Air Defense Command of any passenger jet not responding to signals, from the US or Foreign nations.
4. Activating backup military command systems after the Pentagon was hit.
5. Mass evacuation of Fed gov't offices.
You just can't defend it. Bush on the phone for monitoring critical CiC matters....instead of reading "The sun was out. The fresh, wet green grass was very tasty, her goat was very, very happy!"
HoosierDaddy, your 852 comment made me laugh.
I try not to read biographies of living people. Story isn't finished.
On Today, the story about his book introduced Cheney as one of the most controversial political figures of our time.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney, or what made him so controversial.
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney, or what made him so controversial."
Authenticity. Straight talk. Convictions.
Cedarford: I see you have memorized the story that Bush was reading. How helpful. How revealing
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney. . ."
Oh, come now, Michael, of course you know.
He's. A. Republican.
That is his primal sin. And while our resident lefties will bleat about Cheney bing a warmonger, a draft dodger or a crook funnelling millions in ill-gotten monies to Halliburton, it doesn't matter. They hate him for being the enemy, not for anything he has done. As we've seen through their whole disgusting history, Democrats are perfectly happy to embrace and praise murderers, traitors, pedophiles, Klansmen, thieves and liars, so long as they have that all-important (D) after their name.
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney, or what made him so controversial?"
The fact that he is evil, cares not a whit for "the people"and only cares for his position in history.
He gives me the creeps whenever he is on TV. I get chills up my spine, not in a good way.
Glad we are rid of him in the government. The world is a better place now that he is retired. Next, let's retire his no-talent, vicious daughter and TV will be a better place.
Got us involved in 2 wars we should have never entered,and can't seem to get out of.
Vicki from Pasadena
Cedarford said...
Glad Cheney was minding the store while Bush, alerted, elected to read a kid's book rather than "disturb the children". That always bothered me a bit.
Part of that manilness the current headline post addresses. Dubya was man enough not to make a big show of what was going on and scare a bunch of little kids.
Funny how it eludes some.
Believe me, Roger, I would have never voted for Edwards, too Mr Smoothy smoothy for me. That is why I would not vote for Mitt Romney. Smoothy, smoothy. Insincere, gag. I also wouldn't vote for the haters, Bachmann, Perry and the like. Now, if
Chris Christie were to run, I would vote for him in a heartbeat. Fiscally conservative, socially liberal, my kind of Republican. Cannot stomach the socially conservative candidates. I believe to much in a woman's right to choose and in gay rights to ever vote for the "evangelicals". They are hate filled and fear mongers. No no no
Yes, I may be a "hippie" throwback from the '60's, so be it.
Vicki from Pasadena
First of all, Donald Rumsfeld's autobiography, KNOWN & UNKNOWN is an amazing good LISTEN. The audio is read by the author.
Rumsfeld comes to DC first. (I think in 1964. When the GOP got clobbered.) Yet, Rummy, new to politics, wins his Chicago district.
When he arrives in DC he is thunderstruck by the incompetence displayed by the GOP jerks in Congress. And, he sets about fixing this. (By convining Gerry Ford to run against the GOP "establishment.)
Rummy's always been a maverick.
Then, in 1972 ... with Rummy switching to the White House ... (or is it in 1974? I am just terrible with dates!) ... Rummy invites his friend, Cheney, to join him on the Executive side.
Given Cheney's health problems, it is just amazing to see how brave this man has been handling health problems that would have put most of us "under."
I've gone to Amazon. And, ordered the audio version ... which is abridged. Because, you bet. I am curious.
Dunno if anyone will point out how Dubya made some pretty bad choices ... when he pushed Cheney aside; after his 2004 win. And, went with the clobber-heads: Colin Powell & Condi Rice.
I sure hope Cheney tells it like it was, though.
Cedarford: please read:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2069582,00.html
A different perspective on the President's behavior in the classroom. You don"t have to agree, maybe it will just open your mind a bit.
For me personally, I always liked Dick Cheney. I felt like he always had a clear point of view and didn't cave under pressure from polls or lefties. His views on waterboarding even to this day are clear and concise (see Jamie Gangel preview of her interview with him).
There is something about a person that lets you what he believes and does it with no apologies that really appeals to me. And dear God, if Joe Biden had been our VP at the time, i don;t know where we would be today. Scary, scary thought!
I love that we "can't figure out" how to get out of Iraq when Bush negotiated are departure this year (but Obama is trying to renegotiate that to keep us there) and Bush wasn't dumb enough to put tons of troops in perennial hellhole Afghanistan.
Mort Sahl, whose comedic career was squashed by LBJ. And, the "Lords of the Media," points out that ALL OF US ... have been losing out ... TO what TRUMAN put into place: The Cold War.
There's no turning back, now.
But you just wait ... till the HEARTLAND speaks. (That's the name of Mort Sahl's book.)
And, please remember in Madison ... you see the HEARTLAND well and clear. With great voter turnouts. And, still? We're at the divide. When things will change?
The HEARTLAND will come together, again, like brothers.
Shrill at the "left" all you want. It's just a few elites ... who gave themselves all of our Federal Toys. And, then some.
Victoria, you've got a serious motes-and-beams problem on the subject of hate.
"Yes, I may be a "hippie" throwback from the '60's, so be it. "
That's really nothing to be proud of, and in many ways, something to be ashamed of. Considering the damage that part of that generation has done, and is still doing, to our nation.
And if anyone, right or left, is picking a candidate and ultimately voting in this election based on social issues they are fools.
From Amazon TOS:
10. Identifying Yourself as an Associate
You will not issue any press release or make any other public communication with respect to this Operating Agreement, your use of the Content, or your participation in the Program. You will not misrepresent or embellish the relationship between us and you (including by expressing or implying that we support, sponsor, endorse, or contribute to any charity or other cause), or express or imply any relationship or affiliation between us and you or any other person or entity except as expressly permitted by this Operating Agreement. You must, however, clearly state the following on your site: “[Insert your name] is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to [insert the applicable site name (amazon.com, endless.com, smallparts.com or myhabit.com)].”
"I believe too much in a woman's right to choose. . .to ever vote for the 'evangelicals.'"
Oooh, nice scare quotes there, Vicki. And right after you called Cheney an evil man who doesn't care for the people while bleating that he got us involved in unnecessary wars.
So your position is we shouldn't be killing babies in "2 wars we should never have entered," but by Gaia's nipples, you'll take to the barricades to preserve your sacred "right" to murder millions of them right here at home. Got it.
Hippie throwback, indeed.
edutcher - "Part of that manilness the current headline post addresses. Dubya was man enough not to make a big show of what was going on and scare a bunch of little kids."
Well, the problem with that is it was Rather A Big Deal and Big Show at the time. And the logic that Bush was "man enough" to nursemaid the kids rather than getting on the phone to the White House while Cheney was making urgent, major Commander in Chief decisions to at least get in the loop - is highly flawed logic. Smacks me of abandoning reason in favor of abandoning criticism because Hero Bush later "Kept Us All Safe" and made some good calls.
But your logic the Admirals and Generals at Pearl Harbor attending Sunday services when the Jap attack started should have waited for services to complete. Rather than "alarm the children", let the Duty Command Officer handle things in their absence.
Instead of bolting out of church as they all did to phones or HQ to find out what was going on and rejoin the event in their official capacity.
Cheney was making some very big calls while Bush elected to stay ininvolved and focus on "The children!". DEFCON3, nuke alert, carriers dispatched, issuing kill orders on any US or foreign passenger jet that did not respond to signals. Grounding all planes in CONUS.
It would have been nice if Bush had quietly exited the class saying something important had come up and he would try to get back to the school sometime down the road - but he needed to go to another room and get in touch with the White House.
Cedarford: It would be nice for us if you could recite the book about the pet goat and tape it and give us a link. I believe you would put your heart into it and I believe we would be impressed.
If only the Evil Bush had jumped up and stopped the bad plane drivers. What would Obama do? Our man of action?
Well, at least Bush closed Gitmo.
Sorry Christopher, to get into an argument about the right to choose is a no win situation for both you and me. I respect your right to your feelings and you should respect my right. I hope that the courts also respect it, Roe V Wade may not be good but heaven help us if it is repealed. Your buddy, Michelle Bachmann expressed a desire in the Iowa debates, to take away most states rights, especially the one that states that the state has the right to mandate its citizens get health insurance or car insurance. I am not a supporter at all of mandated healthcare nationwide, but it is the right of the states to mandate both healthcare and auto insurance and things like helmets for motorcycle drivers.
Not proud to be a '60 hippie? It was our generation (the boomers) who forced an end to the Vietnam war.
Our generation doing damage? Carole, what kind of drugs are you on?
Vicki from Pasadena
"Not proud to be a '60 hippie? It was our generation (the boomers) who forced an end to the Vietnam war."
So you're proud of the two million killed in Southeast Asia after the Dems cut off funding for the war and pulled us out? At least you're willing to admit that you're proud of genocide.
Michael said...
Cedarford: It would be nice for us if you could recite the book about the pet goat
================
I think Dubya recovered after a day or so and made some good early calls in the fight with radical Islam (pre neocon nation building phase of Bush's time in office).
But staying in the class reading "My Pet Goat" rather than get on the phone with the White House as major Commander in Chief decisions were made - was a real flub.
What will not be in the Cheney book:
"We will get those mother%$(&^rs! Has the President been located? In the interim we have to take needed actions until he assumes CiC lead.."
"DEFCON 3, all embassies on Alert. Fighter jets over major cities, now".
3 minutes later
"Is Bush in contact?"
He is is a classroom and is aware the 2nd plane hit and to contact the WhiteHouse
"OK, while we are waiting, what else....Yes, on my authority, shoot down any passenger jet of any country over the US the military deems an enemy hijack that does not respond to signal. One warning. Then kill the *%%&#!"
4 minutes later
"Where the &^$%%!!! is President Bush. Has he called? Are we in contact?"
Mr Vice President, the aide we are in continuous contact with said he said he would prefer to stay with the kids and read a child's book to them while he waits for Secret Service transportation
"You are &ucking kidding!"
No, I am afraid not
"Too &%#@ busy to come to the phone?? What the hell is wrong with that idiot Mother&%#@!! OK, order all planes, every damn one over the US to ground. What is our military comms path with the Pentagon attack? Still the Pentagon? Any attacks overseas? OK, we are informed all military stands at DEFCON 3."
He's done with the child's book, Mr Vice President, but now he is posing for photos with the kids and teachers and speaking with them.
"^%#@*!!!"
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney...."
Well, there's the lying to justify an illegal war to start, followed by the mass murdering, the torturing, the secret imprisonment of countless unknowns in black prisons around the world, the illegal spying on American citizens, the contempt for democracy and public opinion....
That's enough, don't you think?
It didn't help that in every way he looked and acted like a stereotypical eeeevil villain from the movies; if he'd been named Snidely Whiplash it would have been entirely appropriate to his persona, (which was itself an accurate reflection of his character).
Vicki,
If you really are proud, then please be proud enough (not to mention honest enough) to make your statements without elision. Go ahead and say what choice it is you're in favor of.
And as far as being proud of having stopped the war, I know enough boat people and Cambodians and/or their descendants to say: what loathsome immorality.
Cookie,
Given the made-up "lying", and made-up "illegal war" right in your opening... have you ever considered a career as a novelist? You seem to have quite a gift for fiction...
Well, there's the lying to justify an illegal war to start, followed by the mass murdering, the torturing, the secret imprisonment of countless unknowns in black prisons around the world, the illegal spying on American citizens, the contempt for democracy and public opinion
But every Republican does these! What was it about Cheney in particular that blows your gaskets?
I also wouldn't vote for the haters, Bachmann, Perry and the like.
Did it ever occur to you who the haters are ?
Typical lack of self awareness.
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why the left so hated Cheney...."
Well, there's the lying to justify an illegal war to start, followed by the mass murdering, the torturing, the secret imprisonment of countless unknowns in black prisons around the world, the illegal spying on American citizens, the contempt for democracy and public opinion....
Well, you have certainly explained your status as a hater. Now, if you could only verify your "reasons."
The choice of Biden, to this day, was one that reflected true vanity and a disregard/lack of care for the potential power of the VP.
Certainly the Biden decision hasn't worked out well for BO.
Maybe the future memoirs of the various players will enlighten us to something redeeming to this Veep.
I can say that the big knock against Joe during his runs for the presidency was
He didn't know when to shut up
TWM, I'd say Murphy's Law; can you think of a better illustration of the President having comm problems at a time like that?
As to the thought of it having been Biden... Someone better at it than I needs to make some audio:
"M-I-C, K-E-Y,
B-I-D-E-N!"
@TWM 8:53: "Finally, how the hell was there any communication break-down? The president, we are told, has the best communication gear in the world,,,"
That may have been what folks claimed at the time, but it clearly was untrue....which is why both presidential B747's underwent very quiet but very extensive communications upgrades in the aftermath of 9/11. I recall reading an article about the upgrades, although not too much notice was taken of it in the media. In fact, IIRC, one of the reasons Bush was ferried about the country after the attack was to find an Air Force base that had the secure communications systems that the planes so badly lacked.
I also wouldn't vote for the haters, Bachmann, Perry and the like.
I'll bite.
Give us the specifics.
I get chills up my spine, not in a good way.
What is it with chills and tingles in this crowd?
Mature adults scare people who operate on emotions and caricatures.
Robert Cook said...
Well, there's the lying to justify an illegal war to start, followed by the mass murdering, the torturing, the secret imprisonment of countless unknowns in black prisons around the world, the illegal spying on American citizens, the contempt for democracy and public opinion....
Damn, there really is no difference between Dick Cheney and Barack Obama. Amazing.
Roger J. @ 9:38 AM said:
... with any luck they will go hunting with Mr Cheney sometime.
I think that should be Hunting With Mr Cheney. Without capitalization, it's just not ominous enough.
So..... the most vile / heinous war criminal on earth gets to have his book published, while Reinhard Heydrich, Rudolf Hess, Martin Bormann and Heinrich Himmler did not? Does not seem fair to FREEPER's I'm sure! lol.
So..... the most vile / heinous war criminal on earth gets to have his book published, while Reinhard Heydrich, Rudolf Hess, Martin Bormann and Heinrich Himmler did not? Does not seem fair to FREEPER's I'm sure! lol.
We will bury you.
What the federal government does SHOULD be of little consequence to anyone. The fact that villains like Cheney had the power they had, is a damning indictment on the decline and fall of the former United States.
I guess the rule of law means nothing, when a man who has confessed to war crimes can appear in public.
Post a Comment