Darth Cheney prepares to attack

Assuming that President Obama is reelected, the Obama fatigue that has already begun to manifest itself for many, likely will be of epic proportion. Such fatigue plagues all incumbents after about six years and produces, it has been said, favorable conditions for a candidate perceived to be the antithesis of the incumbent. For example, George W. Bush’s perceived personal rectitude and quiet folksiness was the remedy for Clinton’s personal, ahem, recklessness and, albeit in some manner mischievously charming, lack of class. President Obama’s perceived (telepromptered) soaring oratory and aloof “cool” was the remedy for W’s legendary mangling of syntax and the quiet folksiness that had worn thin. Obviously, in both cases, there were policy differences. Indeed, those differences are becoming starker by the moment. But many voters vote on the basis of general perceptions of character and on personal traits.

That means that, by 2016, the country will look for someone who is the antithesis of Obama’s emerging style-with-little-substance persona. Someone who will be perceived to be serious and “real.” Someone who doesn’t care about style and feelings and pink unicorns. Someone like Dick Cheney.

Unfortunately, Cheney will be too old by then. But I’m a big fan of his, so I can wish. In the meantime, Cheney is writing a book. Unlike the more personal and probably gentle and forgiving memoir that George W. Bush will write, Cheney’s effort promises to be a no-holds-barred broadside. Apparently, even Bush will not be spared.

As I also like W, who, I believe, was a good (not great) President and leader who will be judged more kindly by objective historians than will the rhetorically smooth narcissists who have occupied the White House recently, I am troubled by this prospect. But I agree with Cheney that Bush changed in the second term and adopted much more the squishy conservatism with which his family is associated. A lot of the stubborn leadership quality remained (remember his dogged insistence on pushing for the “surge” in Iraq), and he still defiantly flashed that famous smirk that enraged liberals like a red cape does a bull. But his foreign policy was Europeanized, a saner version of Obama’s foreign policy. He lost interest in domestic policy once the Democrats took over the legislative branch. Only his national security policy continued with little change, though even there he seemed hogtied after 2006 by the Democrats in Congress, the human rights/transnational legal elite, and the Justice Department careerists. Dick Cheney remained the stalwart, but found himself more marginalized. If Cheney’s recent beat-down of the Obama-Pelosi prevarications about the CIA and anti-terrorism policy is an indication, the book should cause some fireworks and be a crackin’ good read.