Preaching Choirs: Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency (Book) Review
Posted on
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
by Gary A. Ballard
Written by Lou Dubose and Bernstein, Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency is a book that manages to both succeed and fail simultaneously. Seeking to pull back the curtain of secrecy on the "shadow government" being run by the vice president, it goes to great lengths to document the unethical and potentially illegal actions of the Office of the Vice President. From the outright illegality of the Plame scandal to the more esoteric procedural wranglings of Cheney's attempts to create an untouchable fourth branch of government that isn't judicial, legislative or executive, the book does a great job of providing what facts it can. And that's where the trouble begins.
You see, the book is exhaustively researched. Dozens of friends, former staffers, legislative enemies past and present are interviewed. Documents are quoted. But as the book itself makes clear, many of the things Cheney has accomplished as vice president cannot be traced back to him or his office. While Cheney's stench permeates most of the policy decisions the Bush administration clings to so fiercely, his fingerprints vanish under close scrutiny. Staffers draft memos and executive orders that mouth the words of Cheney, but without any evidence to show that Cheney actually guided the writer. As far as most of the official records go, Cheney might well have been a ghost in the White House, his invisible hand throttling the Constitution from beyond the grave. As a result, the book does a fantastic job of raising the ire of those already inclined to dislike Cheney and his policies, while not really providing much proof to those who might be neutral or supportive of Darth Veep.
This lack of concrete proof just serves to make the book fail on the most important level a polemic such as this might fail on. It does a great job of preaching to the choir, confirming the beliefs of those who are already against Dick Cheney. But its tone is one of extreme vitriol. The tone alone would be likely to turn off those who might be neutral on the subject prior to reading the book, as it is acerbic in its distaste for the man and his politics. Those readers who might be Republicans willing to listen to potential malfeasance on the part of their Vice will instead be able to paint the book as another "left-wing hit job," and they'd be not far from the truth in that respect. The book most certainly starts with a prejudiced premise, one which I happen to agree with. I am, however, one of the choir in this case. Were I a previous Bush voter, I'd be less likely to see the book in a favorable light. With the disdainful state of political discourse in our country, and the even lower state of media, a book tackling the subject of the Dick with a more even-handed tone might do a better job of stimulating debate as opposed to arguments.
Despite all that, it is a compelling read, one which offers a great deal of "WHUUUUU????" moments from Dick Cheney's past. One of the most memorable occurred in the 1980's, as he and a diplomat visited Russia for nuclear disarmament talks. After a day of talks in which the Russian team seemed genuinely interested in drawing down weapons, Cheney strolls through the city's beautiful scenery with his diplomatic partner. Rather than be awed by the beauty, so rarely seen by Americans in those days, he instead describes the open square as "Ground zero." A telling glimpse into the man's character, this chilling scene speaks of the hypocritical dichotomy of Dick Cheney. A man who took five deferments from the Vietnam War seems to relish the idea of using the men and women of the military in whatever fashion he sees fit.
If you have even the slightest inkling that Dick Cheney perhaps isn't playing with the same rules as other politicians, or that his actions might be harmful to this country, read Vice. If you often refer to Democratic politicians as "the Democrat party" or "left-wing liberals" then you will likely not make it through the first twenty pages. But despite its flaws, it is a book that should have been written years ago, and its shenanigans are the things the mainstream media should have feasted upon for years. I'd give the book 3.5 stars out of 5, 2 stars if you lean Republican.
You see, the book is exhaustively researched. Dozens of friends, former staffers, legislative enemies past and present are interviewed. Documents are quoted. But as the book itself makes clear, many of the things Cheney has accomplished as vice president cannot be traced back to him or his office. While Cheney's stench permeates most of the policy decisions the Bush administration clings to so fiercely, his fingerprints vanish under close scrutiny. Staffers draft memos and executive orders that mouth the words of Cheney, but without any evidence to show that Cheney actually guided the writer. As far as most of the official records go, Cheney might well have been a ghost in the White House, his invisible hand throttling the Constitution from beyond the grave. As a result, the book does a fantastic job of raising the ire of those already inclined to dislike Cheney and his policies, while not really providing much proof to those who might be neutral or supportive of Darth Veep.
This lack of concrete proof just serves to make the book fail on the most important level a polemic such as this might fail on. It does a great job of preaching to the choir, confirming the beliefs of those who are already against Dick Cheney. But its tone is one of extreme vitriol. The tone alone would be likely to turn off those who might be neutral on the subject prior to reading the book, as it is acerbic in its distaste for the man and his politics. Those readers who might be Republicans willing to listen to potential malfeasance on the part of their Vice will instead be able to paint the book as another "left-wing hit job," and they'd be not far from the truth in that respect. The book most certainly starts with a prejudiced premise, one which I happen to agree with. I am, however, one of the choir in this case. Were I a previous Bush voter, I'd be less likely to see the book in a favorable light. With the disdainful state of political discourse in our country, and the even lower state of media, a book tackling the subject of the Dick with a more even-handed tone might do a better job of stimulating debate as opposed to arguments.
Despite all that, it is a compelling read, one which offers a great deal of "WHUUUUU????" moments from Dick Cheney's past. One of the most memorable occurred in the 1980's, as he and a diplomat visited Russia for nuclear disarmament talks. After a day of talks in which the Russian team seemed genuinely interested in drawing down weapons, Cheney strolls through the city's beautiful scenery with his diplomatic partner. Rather than be awed by the beauty, so rarely seen by Americans in those days, he instead describes the open square as "Ground zero." A telling glimpse into the man's character, this chilling scene speaks of the hypocritical dichotomy of Dick Cheney. A man who took five deferments from the Vietnam War seems to relish the idea of using the men and women of the military in whatever fashion he sees fit.
If you have even the slightest inkling that Dick Cheney perhaps isn't playing with the same rules as other politicians, or that his actions might be harmful to this country, read Vice. If you often refer to Democratic politicians as "the Democrat party" or "left-wing liberals" then you will likely not make it through the first twenty pages. But despite its flaws, it is a book that should have been written years ago, and its shenanigans are the things the mainstream media should have feasted upon for years. I'd give the book 3.5 stars out of 5, 2 stars if you lean Republican.
Labels: Bush Administration, Dick Cheney, Fascism, Government Corruption
posted by Gary A. Ballard @ 2:28 PM
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