By now, it should be clear to all but the most loyal Republicans that the government of the United States is controlled by madmen. In the beginning, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney seemed comparatively normal; their first few months in office were a relief after the farcical second term of Bill Clinton. It was only after the horrific attacks of September 11 that the true nature of the Bush administration began to emerge.
Stephen F. Hayes, a senior writer for the Weekly Standard and the author of Cheney, has a different view of the Vice President and his boss. According to its dust jacket, Cheney reveals a “very different Dick Cheney from the one America thinks it knows.” To the extent that it debunks left-wing fantasies that the Vice President is actually Satan, it does as promised. Beyond that, Hayes details the high points of the veep’s life while offering no real insight into the man’s character.
Cheney’s life has been marked by his ability to bounce back from adversity and his knack for being at the right place at the right time. His first big setback came from Yale University. Cheney was admitted to the prestigious Ivy League institution with a full ride but failed out and lost his scholarship. He returned only to flunk a second time and went back to Wyoming, where he eventually received a degree from the state university...