The Cheney Factor
How the scars of public life shaped the vice president's unyielding view of executive power
Through everything, Cheney has remained a sought-after fundraiser for the party and a popular figure among many conservatives. A recent GOP poll found 78 percent of self-described conservative Republicans approve of Cheney's job performance. White House insiders tell U.S. News that while Cheney suffered some blows to his prestige, especially over the indictment and forced resignation of Libby, the vice president remains an unrivaled power center in the West Wing. And his relationship with the president remains strong, they say. Cheney was so confident of his position that he invited Libby to a holiday party at the vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory--a thumb in the eye of his critics.
In times of trouble, Cheney turns to the example of George Washington, whose life he has studied in great detail. Washington was criticized for being aloof and imperial, as is Cheney. But the VP believes America's first president had a knack for seeing beyond the crisis of the moment and for not getting thrown off course by "background noise." It's the same path that Richard Bruce Cheney is trying to walk at the dawn of the 21st century.
With With Silla Brush, Jeff Kass, Thomas Omestad and Carol Flake Chapman
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