Customer Reviews

In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(54)

 

 

I invite curious people who take American history seriously to read this 527 page memoir by the 46th. vice-president of the U.S. from start to finish, just as I did. Forget what you've heard about the controversial Dick Cheny. Allow him to explain his life story. At age 70, having spent 40 years in Washington, D.C. serving 10 years in Congress and then holding various key positions under 4 Republican presidents (including being Secretary of Defense altho he is not a veteran,) he has plenty to explain.

There are 16 interesting chapters, some riveting, some exasperating, some will make you mad, plus excellent pictures. An epilogue and notes for fact-checking are included. The tragic events of 9/11 changed our country and President Bush and his cabinet. Dick Cheney has earned the right to defend himself from years of media bashing so the average person (like me) can be the judge of him, to some degree. I certainly feel he loves this country.

Many questions remain unanswered. There is very little about Cheney's years with Halliburton. He discusses his family, travels, fishing and hunting hobbies, and his "best friends". He begins his memoir with 9/11 and the awfulness of it - the shock of it - and how he and everyone in the administration reacted in the emergency. It isn't until much later in the memoir as the "road to Iraq" is explained from his point of view, that you will perhaps have questions still needing answers. He explains also how both parties worked together on the "war on terror". Prepare for surprises. Both parties are first of all, Americans.

Having also lived 70 years and having read dozens of books about every administration since Washington, I compared this memoir to previously published books by Bush administration staff. Surprise! Cheney was highly esteemed by most everyone he worked with. I dare you to tackle this book and see why - and also why I'm unhappy that Cheney chose to change the tone of the book after 300 pages or so. As Scowcroft said "Cheney changed." After reading his memoir there is no doubt some of his friends will have second thoughts about their association with Dick Cheney, or maybe not. I wasn't there.

5 stars because this memoir held my interest to the end. Try and remember he was only one of many advisors to the presidents - his advice was not always heeded (fortunately in some cases). He is an ambitious man with a supportive wife and family and unafraid to speak his mind. History will judge him just as it has every other public servant. Hopefully, Joe Biden is keeping a journal.

I am an independent voter. For a more perfect review of this book, please check out Richard Stoyeck's review. I discovered his review reflects my own thinking.
Thank you for reading mine.

History can be a very strange subject. First of all, it is written by the victors, secondly time has a strange effect on history. Harry Truman was vilified during his years as President. When he left the White House on January 20, 1953 there was no one to say good bye to him. Arriving at Union Station for the long train trip back to Independence, Missouri there were no crowds, no bands. America was glad to be rid of him and welcome Ike into their arms. As it was then, perhaps is how it is now. A half century later Truman is lauded for making extraordinary decisions with neither the experience nor the advice of his predecessor. It is the subject of numerous revisionist biographies.


Dick Cheney and President Bush have taken tremendous heat from just about everybody who holds both of them accountable for what seems like some poor decision making although history will have something to say about that. The lens through which we see history has a strange way of changing the facts and the conclusions, once the distance brought by time goes into effect and it will be the same for Vice President Cheney. We don't know if history will be kind or angry with the Vice President, we do know it will be different.


In his book "In Our Time", the Vice President gives his side of the story. Like all biography it is both self-serving, and overly complementary. Let us make no mistake about it, you expect bias in an autobiography as opposed to the pen of an historian, and so let us begin. This is the story of an extraordinary American who has led an extraordinary life experiencing world changing events first hand where he had influence. Having been a player in many of these same events I can attest that Dick Cheney is one of the smartest men to occupy public life in the last half century. I have seen him in action. The mind is razor sharp, his decision making capacity is unparalleled, and he has an innate ability to work through a problem in lightening speed, cutting right to the chase. Few men can stand with him, let alone match him, and then there's the influence.


At the same time we must recognized that such comments have been said about others such as Robert McNamara, Clark Clifford, McGeorge Bundy, and all of them got their Presidents into trouble as well, namely Kennedy and Johnson. "In My Time" lays out 40 years of service to his country. The book gives us 519 pages of narrative outlined in sixteen chapters. Cheney has appropriately begun Chapter I with Beginnings, and finishes the book with Chapter 16 Endings. The entire book evokes emotion in the reader. You are in the arena, feeling the heat, and watching the story unfold in front of you.


He covers everything that he feels is pertinent to getting his story out there. For me the chapters dealing with him becoming the youngest Chief of Staff to a President (Ford) in history are absolutely instrumental to understanding all consequent events in his life. For it is here that he forms a strong friendship and working relationship with a young Donald Rumsfeld, and a now retired General Brent Scowcroft. It is Scowcroft who has never received credit for perhaps being the indispensible player among the three of them for 40 years.


These three men, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Scowcroft would together as a team render tremendous service to their country in several administrations and make history together. It is interesting to note that it is only when Scowcroft is missing from the three advisors during George W. Bush's administration that things seem to go awry. During the Bush I administration, it is Scowcroft who warns the first President Bush, beware of invading Baghdad, once in, you may not get out. During the Bush II administration, it is Scowcroft, now an outsider who urges Cheney to re-think this invasion of Iraq. It is Scowcroft who tells his friends, "Dick has changed." None of us understood it at the time.


It is Cheney on the inside who squelches all outside opinion and advice, and determines that once the course is set - STAY THE COURSE. It's all here and more. The book speaks for itself. You will read the story for yourself from his side of the table, and it is a fascinating read. Cheney did not write this book in his own hand. It is obvious that Liz Cheney who knows the Vice-President as well as anyone had a very big hand in the actual writing of this book, and that's okay. It is Cheney's thinking, and his personality that comes through the book. You feel what he feels as he is feeling it. You understand the process he is going through to make decisions, and see those feelings and decisions filtered through a politically conservative philosophy that has evolved for the Vice President over a lifetime of being in the arena.


Whether it is discussing being Secretary of Defense during the Bush I Administration in Chapter V, "Mr. Secretary", or "Liberating Iraq" in Chapter XII, the book is hard hitting, blunt, and takes no prisoners as demonstrated in the language the author employs. Some people will be upset by Cheney's bluntness on many topics including many of his assessments of the President he served for 8 years, and why not. This book is not about the Vice-President making a couple of million dollars. What he took out of Halliburton as CEO (Chapter VIII) "Out of the Arena" assured him that he would never have to work again.


Each of us as a reader will look to draw different things from a book like this. Some of us will find our needs wanting, and some will be more than fulfilled. In my case, I am a reader, and I required a book like this to help me get the other side of the story. Not what comes through a grossly distorting press on both sides, but a story from a guy who was actually there, making things happen. Since there are always other contemporaneous historical accounts of the same events, we are all free to interpret and weave the real story together, because we will never get it from any one book, nor should we as readers expect it.


We are getting Cheney's version of the unvarnished truth as he sees it, and that's a very good thing. He comes right at you the reader. It is his voice all right. It is his personality, his tone, his temperament. The Vice President retains all of his former brilliance that was displayed throughout his four decades of service. His discussion of 9/11 will more than convince you of that.


CONCLUSION


The most important concept I took out of a book like this is the actual operation of the wheels of government. How was Bush II different from Bush I (answer very)? How was Ford different from both of them? Why was Cheney not a principal player in the Reagan Administration? Why did Bush endear himself to Cheney during the Vice-Presidential Search period and why was Cheney chosen as Bush's Vice President. What was it like to sit at the epicenter of the action of so many history altering events, and finally what about regrets? Did Dick Cheney have regrets about the decisions, the advice, and the influence he wielded? Was there a dark side? I will not discuss his answers but it is in the book, and I urge you to read this wonderful narrative. Like Dick Cheney or dislike him, there is no one in the middle on this man, and thank you for reading this review.


Richard C. Stoyeck

I am not usually one who reads biographies of politicians. This is the first one I have read in a long time and I am glad that I did.

Love him or hate him, former Vice President Dick Cheney is a compelling figure who has had a front seat to history for several decades including being the youngest White House Chief of Staff ever (Ford), the Defense Secretary (Bush I), and Vice President (Bush II). Additionally he was a member of the House of Representatives for a decade and was in the minority leadership for several of those.

The history contained in this book is fascinating including inside views on the Nixon pardon, the Ford campaign against Carter, the Gulf War, the fall of the Soviet Union, the abrogation of the ABM treaty, the 'enhanced interrogation program, the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as some of the internal differences he had with Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and George W. Bush. Those parts will likely be of interest to most readers, even if they are not fans of Cheney. One thing is crystal clear about the former Veep: He is very firm in his positions.

Although I generally like Cheney, there are some issues about which I think he is very much in error. One is his view that the president can take us into a war without a Congressional declaration. Even though it has been done too many times to count by many presidents, it is clearly unconstitutional. The United States is not a dictatorship where one individual is allowed to make such a weighty decision involving countless lives. Unfortunately in this area, Cheney seems to be a good example of Lord Acton's maxim: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

In spite of my disagreement with the author in this area and a few others, this book is a very enjoyable read.

I have enjoyed reading the books being rolled out by the top Bush administration officials. Rove:Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight President Bush: Decision Points Rumsfeld:Known and Unknown: A Memoir (each of which I have reviewed)and now Cheney. They are each worth reading and informative in their own way from their personal perspectives and the role each played in history. But of the four that I have read so far, I like this book the best. I think it is well written, has a nice focus on the events Cheney participated in throughout his career while not trying to explain everything. He just focuses on what he did and why he did it. And he can also be very funny with a laugh out loud dry wit. I still chuckle as I think about him getting off on the wrong floor in the Pentagon parking garage and not being able to go back up for security reasons and having to walk around and find his driver and then getting in as if nothing was amiss.

And, frankly, of the four of them, while I admire each of them in different ways, my personal views coincide most with Cheney. He is conservative and is willing to fight for his beliefs, but realistic in what the political realities are and understands the value of being able to work with people who have different views, different goals, different constituencies, and must exercise power according to their own lights. Government isn't a football game where you can only win by making the other guy lose. And in politics that is usually not even possible.

I enjoyed reading about Cheney's entire career and his ability to get along and be part of the inner circle with both Democrats and Republicans while still fighting for his conservative views. He really only became "Darth Vader" when he became part of the Bush ticket for the 2000 election. The outright lies that were told about him and Haliburton continue to this day despite the exposure of the hypocrisy by the way the Obama administration continues to use the company's services as the government long before Cheney was ever involved with the company.

The first half of the book is his life up until his selection to run as vice-President on the Bush ticket in 2000. We learn about his youth, those that guided him, meeting Lynne in high school, some of his early troubles and flunking out of Yale twice. He had the talent, but had not found a direction for his life. How he found the direction and his intent to find a life in academia until politics came along and why he never looked back. He took to politics like a duck to water. His first interview with Rumsfeld did not go well, but their work together over the decades was a real benefit to our nation and I am glad for their service. You should strive to remember that both were widely admired by both Republicans and Democrats and the media until after the 2000 election. What you hear about them now is an invention by the Progressives to damage the Bush administration by discrediting those who serve in it. Machiavelli taught us that the best way to undermine a leader is to destroy who serve immediately underneath him. I am sure Alinsky has rules about this, too.

Cheney takes you through his involvement in the Bush administration. He does not try to give you the history of the events or explain them or justify them. He simply recounts what he did, with whom he worked, what his initiatives were, and where he agreed and disagreed with the President and other administration officials. His principle disagreement with Bush was non pardoning Scooter Libby whose entire prosecution was a political event. Yes, he technically committed a crime. Yes, Bush did commute the sentence. But he should have pardoned him, as well.

Powell and Rice also come in for criticism from Cheney. They will almost see things differently in their upcoming memoirs and I look forward to reading their accounts. But I have to say, Cheney's concerns about rewarding the North Koreans for bad behavior and repeating the same sad show of seeing getting them to make false promises for real present rewards is tiresome and predictable. Why Rice saw that as progress still eludes me. And Powell could easily have ended the whole Valerie Plame foolishness early if he had had Armitage speak out and take credit or blame at the beginning of the sad episode.
I think the Cheney haters and the Bush haters want them maudlin and wallowing in personal doubt and grief. But that isn't the way these men are made. Cheney acknowledges lots of decisions that did not work out and things he would do differently if he had them to do over again. But he doesn't wallow in the mistakes; he learns from them and goes on. Good for him. This is a solid example for a constructive and productive life. Too many today make a career out of their grief and inability to deal with past mistakes. Not Mr. Cheney.

He doesn't have time. Not only is he busy, but his heart disease taught him long ago that life can end at any moment. I also admire the way he loves his wife and children and his love and delight for his grandchildren. Family is a core value for Cheney and I relate to that very well. And he loves his outdoor activities, especially hunting and fishing. These are not things I do, but he makes me almost wish I did.
Did I say how much I enjoyed reading this book? Well, I want to say it again. Cheney and his daughters and staff did a great job in putting it together and the primary writer gave a nice voice to the book and tells the stories in a way that sounds just like Cheney talking. Great job.

I think you will enjoy the book. That is unless you hate Cheney and get exercised at the very thought of him. Those of us who like and admire him are grateful for the book. And I think it will be useful to historians and students of the Bush administration.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Saline, MI

The best passage in the book is on page 419.

"And throughout the 1980s and 1990s, terrorists had learned two dangerous lessons from America's weak response to previous attacks...First terrorists came to believe they could strike with impunity, that the U.S. response was likely to be inconsequential. Second, they learned that if they did attack U.S. assets or personnel, we might well change our policy or withdraw."

The least persuasive is the argument for urging the President to reject Secretary Rumsfeld's proffered resignation in 2004 over the Abu Graib scandal. Actually, there is no argument presented, simply that the Vice President admires Rumsfeld. I wonder, however, if some aspects of the scandal might have been abated had Bob Gates moved into the Pentagon earlier?

No one is likely to change his position regarding Cheney by reading this book, but it does have its interesting moments and provocative passages. I'll give him this: he does have the courage of his convictions, like it or not.

This is a well written, extremely interesting book. Mr. Cheney's journey in politics and his accomplishments are not only interesting, but inspiring to any one interested in serving our country. His beginnings are humble as is his opinion of himself. He is a loyal and sensitive man who lays out step-by-step the details and workings of the West wing of the White House. He served as chief of staff under Ford, setting the stage for his eventual post of Secretary of Defense under Bush, Sr. What a story. I highly recommend the book. Mr. Cheney is a decent, honorable person who always put country before politics. This is must reading for our young students before some become cynical about our political system. There are always rotten eggs here and there, and then there are those who are the rocks in our world. Cheney is such a person.

This was a great inside view of what was going on for 8 years. The only downside is Mr. Cheney did not read all of the book. wish it was all in his words. Great piece of history.

In the days leading up to the Iraq Phase of Our Glorious and Eternal Crusade to Resubjugate The Brown (GECRB), Leader Cheney sat down with Tim Russert and spoke about our need to embrace the "dark side." This book chronicles His leadership down that sacred path into darkness, His battle and ultimate triumph over the forces of light, and His emergence as America's Dark Lord.

It wasn't an easy journey. His enemies were quick to attack each new initiative, characterizing His insatiable appetite for torture and assassination as unconscionably evil and blaming His penchant for face shooting on an inability to resist the bottle.

What His critics fail to understand is that these dark acts gave Lord Cheney the tools He needed to execute His glorious global vision.

While torture seldom provided intelligence, it gave Lord Cheney something even more important: stories to tell when peddling His policy initiatives. It did not matter that the tortured invented what the torturers wanted in order to avoid further pain. Truth was not the objective. It was the "proof," true or not, that mattered to our Dark Lord.

Assassination worked the same way. Summary execution bypasses the inherent risks of judicial involvement. A dead man can be assigned any number of actions and motives. Courts of law are too concerned with facts to be useful.

As for face shooting. You can't blame a Dark Lord for wanting to have a little fun.

Unfortunately, I can't give Lord Cheney's book a full 5 stars. He fails to adequately provide the reader with the sense of joy He obviously derives from pain, turmoil, and murder. There are no tales of bathing in his enemies' blood or feasting on their hearts or livers.

Still, this book will shape the history of our time. Lord Cheney will be remembered as a strong leader like Somoza, Amin, Mussolini, and other men who weren't afraid to embrace the dark side in the pursuit of their vision.

I purchased this book for my father who is an avid reader. He read it in two days and stated he had gained quite a bit of respect for this man and his life. He enjoyed the read and would recommend the book. Glad you liked it Pop!

Forget everything you think you know about Dick Cheney...good, bad, or otherwise. This personage has experiences few have matched in Washington. With more than 40 years serving 4 different Presidents in various capacities, his story is unique and worth understanding. While I am not a fan of all his decisions/opinions, etc. during his vice-presidency, this book gave me a greater insight into his rationale for those views. Most interesting, I thought, was his description of the negative interplay between the President's senior officials during George W. Bush's administration...something that didn't quite come out as clearly in the chapters on previous Presidents he served.

While I am careful to take too much of what I read in biography as historical fact (such facts require much more in-depth research), I appreciate that Cheney included excellent sourcing in this book. These sources, while not offering a complete justification for all of Cheney's actions, go a long way to set some of the record straight. Few biographies bother to include sourcing to the depth presented here. I am thankful for that. No doubt, other books and research must be done to compliment what is offered in this book; but no definitive research of the period could be complete without consulting it. Highly recommended.