Cheney v. Carter on the Role of the Presidency

The History Channel will air “Inside the Presidency” where they interview both Dick Cheney and Jimmy Carter as well as Gerald Ford. As I read this story, Cheney seems to be admitting that Bush-Cheney has brought back the Imperial Presidency of Nixon-Agnew. Three things about what Cheney apparently said.

First, his notion that the President has the right to invade a nation that is not a threat to us without consultation with Congress or our allies is deeply disturbing.

Second, to claim Iran-Contra to be only “a policy difference” is disingenuous.

But not as disingenuous as this:

Bush’s assertiveness in the early days of his presidency, Cheney said, meant that he was able to respond decisively after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. “Faced with a whole new threat, set of challenges, you needed a strong, decisive president, and that’s exactly what we had,” Cheney said.

During the summer of terror (2001), George Bush as President and Dr. Rice as NSA showed a total lack of leadership.

Self-styled “conservative” Robert Novak says he distrusts an Imperial Presidency. Yet, he continually bad-mouths Jimmy Carter and praises Dick Cheney. Go figure.