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June 27, 2007
"The Angler"
If you haven't yet done so, check out the Washington Post's remarkable four-part series -- The Angler -- which takes an in-depth (and very disturbing) look at Vice President Dick Cheney. The picture that emerges isn't pretty, and is likely to only further inflame those with a less than favorable view of the Veep.
WaPo's Cheney uses his mastery of the bureaucratic process to circumvent it and get what he wants. He has reinvented the role of Vice President as Chief of Staff without the title, but with free reign to shape the structure and operations of the Bush administration to suit his (and presumably President's Bush's) policy aims.
The Angler makes sure he receives all necessary information, while providing little to others. He marginalizes or runs off those on the inside who stand in his way, and adeptly adjust his tactics when confronted with obstacles. He has become the foil of his former self, who as Chief of Staff to President Ford admonished everyone to stick to the set process in the White House to get things done.
The series is a fascinating read, and well worth one's time.
Posted by houtopia at June 27, 2007 06:04 PM