Posted on 10/24/2011 9:12:40 AM PDT by Twotone
I remember when it was socially acceptable to like and even admire Dick Cheney, whose memoir In My Time was greeted last month with unanimous catcalls from members of the mainstream press. For more than two decades, Washington’s mainstreamers considered Cheney a rare clubbable Republican—genial, brainy (he studied for a Ph.D. in political science), and safe. You could invite him to a dinner party and know he wouldn’t start spouting Bible verses and frighten the caterers.
“Cheney is smart, he is tough, and he is totally trustworthy,” wrote the Washington Post’s David Broder, who served as unofficial spokesman for the mainstreamers back in the day. “Admired by dozens of his Democratic colleagues” and a close friend of the Democratic Speaker of the House, Cheney had a “brain as good as anyone’s in town.”
(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...
For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these, "It might have been."
We won’t see his like again...
Cheney is one of the greats. I have always admired him. He’s fearless, outspoken, has lots of the common sense that is so dreadfully lacking in DC. And he didn’t apologize — haha, all the more to love him for.
I’m in the middle of “In My Time” and it is a very good read. What’s amazing in Cheney’s career is how quickly and at such a young age that he rose to the top of the political leadership in the country.
I can see how liberal reviewers would conclude that “Cheney thinks he was always right”, but then, again, he was almost always right in his thinking and approach to problems. I wish we could have seen 4 or more years of a Cheney presidency.
He’s got a daughter,Liz, that’s pretty savvy too. Wouldn’t surprise me to see her run for public office sometime.
.
ping
Yes, Liz is terrific. I was hoping she’d run for Congress some time soon. But maybe our next Republican President (whoever that may be) will find a place for her in his/her administration.
Cue up, “I put a spell on you.”
*sigh*
I adore that man.
When Chuck Norris goes to bed at night, he looks under the bed for Dick Cheney.
Cue up, “I put a spell on you.”
Yeah...or try “mannish Boy” out...it works pretty good too. Especially the version from The Last Waltz....Butterfield’s harp is doing this real sinister high pitched vibrato in the background...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bodmiIfVxWg
I truly like Cheney and look forward to reading his biography in the future. I especially liked how he needled the left. Much like Rumsfeld did. However, this is one thing that has always stuck in my craw about Cheney. That is he took five deferrments to avoid service during the Vietnam era.
I’ll probably get flamed for saying something negative about Cheney, but it’s the truth and there’s no getting around it. Being a career Marine, I don’t expect that everyone in the country has to serve. But I do expect that during a time of war and your country is calling for men to pick up arms and defend her national interests, that you heed the call and don’t try to get out of it. One deferrment, perhaps two, but five? While not as bad as what Clinton did, it’s right below that in my book.
In 1964, he married Lynne Vincent, his high school sweetheart, whom he had met at age 14.
When Cheney became eligible for the draft, during the Vietnam War, he applied for and received five draft deferments.
Cheney testified during his confirmation hearings in 1989 that he received deferments to finish a college career that lasted six years rather than four, owing to sub par academic performance and the need to work to pay for his education. Initially, he was not called up because the Selective Service System was only taking older men. When he became eligible for the draft, he applied for four deferments in sequence. He applied for his fifth exemption on January 19, 1966, when his wife was about 10 weeks pregnant. He was granted 3-A status, the “hardship” exemption, which excluded men with children or dependent parents. In January 1967, Cheney turned 26 and was no longer eligible for the draft.
The draft board in our town gave an automatic exemption to married men, but you had to register. Recruiters in town said they weren’t interested in guys with dependents because of the draft and kept them out. They also pointed out the truth of the matter which was they were not scraping the bottom of the barrel of single guys and did not need married men as they did in previous wars. If you were talking about WWll I would agree with you, but circumstances were different, especially in the earlier sixties.
I respect your opinion on the subject, and certainly respect your service, but the draft sign up was mandatory and exemptions were nearly automatic-married guys were getting exemptions because of the added expense of dependents and possible additional dependents which didn’t exist with younger single recruits. And the term “applied for deferment” is pretty misleading, because you were mandated to keep the local board notified of your status and when you did so they directed you to the deferment if it was appropriate. Also, the famous quote of Cheney saying “I had other things to do...” that sounded so flip was not a quote...it was a retelling of what someone said he said in a magazine interview.
Married in ‘64 or ‘65 and with kids (or preggers) I don’t look down on. My opinion, respectfully. We just weren’t at full draft status, and the married exemption was there and in some towns chosen for you.
I think one of the saddest times for Cheny must have been during the GWBush admin when he had to sit quietly while GWBush let Scooter Libby take an unnecessary fall for the team.
In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir
by Dick Cheney,
with contributions by Liz Cheney
Kindle Edition
Abridged CD Audiobook
Audible Unabridged Audio Edition
Unknown Binding
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
