Jeffrey Sachs writes for Scientific American. When SA discusses any topic I know something about one is always impressed by the superficiality of the treatment. SA is to science what Newsweek is to news.
I just finished Cheney’s book. His early years were spent in the Washington D.C. establishment. He was proud of his ability to work across party lines and also to “accomplish good things” for the people of Wyoming. He was essentially a hawk on military issues and foreign policy, but liberal on domestic issues. His work as SECDEF for George H. W. Bush was demanding and exhibited his excellent organizing and delgating abilities in directing both the Panama invasion and Desert Storm in a successful manner.
After he left his post at Defense, he moved easily into being the CEO of Halliburton; a somewhat less demanding job than SECDEF. He had no intention of ever returning to government service. However, G.W. Bush drafted him to vet someone to be his V.P. When, after a long search, Bush insisted that he was the best man for the job, Cheney accepted. He was immediately greeted as some sort of dark force by the MSM and democrats. He was now a vile corporate CEO and no longer a respected moderate member of the Washington establishment. As time wore on, his reputation as a Darth Vader-like menace was embellished by the MSM and dems. A false narrative if there ever was one.
As I read the book and recognized Cheney’s moderate Scoop Jackson-like political leanings it was amazing to me that the MSM could have painted such an erroneous picture of the man, which is now the widely accepted narrative. The hostile reviews of his book by the usual liberal suspects makes that clear. He was an unusually influential V.P. in that W did ask for his opinions and ideas – some of which were not accepted. His account of the Bush years does explain his policy disagreements with Colin Powell and Condi Rice, but he never described the disagreements in a personal or vindictive fashion.
I particularly admire Cheney for his quiet courage in dealing with his heart condition. He had his first attack at age 37 but continued to live his life as if he was a man with a long life expectancy. He is living on borrowed time now and must have some major work (possible heart transplant) done in the next couple of years. He’s presently kept alive by an artificial device implanted in his heart that has a life of about four or five years. That would be a sobering outlook for anyone, yet Cheney soldiers on with wisdom and humor.
Anyone who condemns Cheney for his views after all the years he served in government as White House staffer, Congressman, SECDEF, or V.P. is an ideologue too blind to see that this man has done yeoman service for our country. He’s not a right wing conservative by any means, but he is a man to admire.
That last part, about Maureen Dowd seething like an enraged, barely articulate high-schooler at Cheney’s memoir, in a “review” devoid of facts, is a great snapshot of the Leftmedia today.
Unfortunately, a democracy needs its Fourth Estate to have Both eyes open, or we stumble around half-blind.
To think Professor Sachs teaches economics at Columbia U. — and students pay to hear his nonsense. He turns economics upside down, substituting Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”, for government regulation’s invisible head. This quotation from the book, “The Price of Civilization”, appearing in Paul Ryan’s review of the book, says it all:
“Yes, the federal government is incompetent and corrupt–but we need more, not less, of it.”
Yesterday, I saw a car with a computer printed sign in the back window, which read:
STOP STEALING, THE GOVERNMENT
HATES THE COMPETITION
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Jeffrey Sachs writes for Scientific American. When SA discusses any topic I know something about one is always impressed by the superficiality of the treatment. SA is to science what Newsweek is to news.
I just finished Cheney’s book. His early years were spent in the Washington D.C. establishment. He was proud of his ability to work across party lines and also to “accomplish good things” for the people of Wyoming. He was essentially a hawk on military issues and foreign policy, but liberal on domestic issues. His work as SECDEF for George H. W. Bush was demanding and exhibited his excellent organizing and delgating abilities in directing both the Panama invasion and Desert Storm in a successful manner.
After he left his post at Defense, he moved easily into being the CEO of Halliburton; a somewhat less demanding job than SECDEF. He had no intention of ever returning to government service. However, G.W. Bush drafted him to vet someone to be his V.P. When, after a long search, Bush insisted that he was the best man for the job, Cheney accepted. He was immediately greeted as some sort of dark force by the MSM and democrats. He was now a vile corporate CEO and no longer a respected moderate member of the Washington establishment. As time wore on, his reputation as a Darth Vader-like menace was embellished by the MSM and dems. A false narrative if there ever was one.
As I read the book and recognized Cheney’s moderate Scoop Jackson-like political leanings it was amazing to me that the MSM could have painted such an erroneous picture of the man, which is now the widely accepted narrative. The hostile reviews of his book by the usual liberal suspects makes that clear. He was an unusually influential V.P. in that W did ask for his opinions and ideas – some of which were not accepted. His account of the Bush years does explain his policy disagreements with Colin Powell and Condi Rice, but he never described the disagreements in a personal or vindictive fashion.
I particularly admire Cheney for his quiet courage in dealing with his heart condition. He had his first attack at age 37 but continued to live his life as if he was a man with a long life expectancy. He is living on borrowed time now and must have some major work (possible heart transplant) done in the next couple of years. He’s presently kept alive by an artificial device implanted in his heart that has a life of about four or five years. That would be a sobering outlook for anyone, yet Cheney soldiers on with wisdom and humor.
Anyone who condemns Cheney for his views after all the years he served in government as White House staffer, Congressman, SECDEF, or V.P. is an ideologue too blind to see that this man has done yeoman service for our country. He’s not a right wing conservative by any means, but he is a man to admire.
That last part, about Maureen Dowd seething like an enraged, barely articulate high-schooler at Cheney’s memoir, in a “review” devoid of facts, is a great snapshot of the Leftmedia today.
Unfortunately, a democracy needs its Fourth Estate to have Both eyes open, or we stumble around half-blind.
To think Professor Sachs teaches economics at Columbia U. — and students pay to hear his nonsense. He turns economics upside down, substituting Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”, for government regulation’s invisible head. This quotation from the book, “The Price of Civilization”, appearing in Paul Ryan’s review of the book, says it all:
“Yes, the federal government is incompetent and corrupt–but we need more, not less, of it.”
Yesterday, I saw a car with a computer printed sign in the back window, which read:
STOP STEALING, THE GOVERNMENT
HATES THE COMPETITION