... The former vice president is looking to make a splash on the national stage with a new book to be published in September and a group he and his daughter Liz launched to advance their views.He is? Really? I mean, he might, I suppose -- the article quotes him attacking Rand Paul, and if Paul gains traction, Cheney might have some influence as a critic. And the right always enjoys hearing from Cheney when he's bashing President Obama, Hillary Clinton, or other Democrats.
The effort is sure to play directly into the 2016 presidential debate, in which national-security policy is already a point of difference between the Republican candidates, many of whom are looking to turn the page on George W. Bush’s administration.
... By weighing in, Mr. Cheney is bound to make himself a flash point in the 2016 debate....
But why is o"connor certain that Cheney will be "a flash point in the 2016 debate"? As Salon's Simon Maloy notes, the party is already so Cheneyesque, Rand Paul perhaps excepted, that Cheney himself is all but irrelevant:
What, exactly, is Cheney bringing to the table that isn’t already there? Given that the cause of neoconservatism is still broadly accepted among the 2016 Republicans, Cheney’s main contribution is his name and glowering visage, neither of which are especially popular outside the realm of conservative activism. One could argue that the smarter play for Cheney, in terms of promoting his ideology, is to just sit back and let the candidates keep doing it for him and not let his reputation become a factor. But that’s just not how he operates. He’s determined to fight for the hearts and minds of people who still love him and already think like him.Either Cheney thinks Paul will hijack the party or he's feeling irrelevant in his old age and can't bear the thought. He's plugging his forthcoming book three months before it hits the stands for one reason or the other.
O'Connor assures us thatCheney's still important!
Mr. Cheney already exerts quiet influence over his party, making semiregular trips to the Capitol to address House Republicans and advising some GOP White House hopefuls. He wouldn’t discuss those conversations. Two of his top foreign-policy aides have signed on with Jeb Bush. And he is headlining donor events all over the country for the Republican National Committee.And stalwart in the face of criticism!
Never one to obsess about his public standing, Mr. Cheney remains an unapologetic advocate for American military strength.And prescient!
... with the Middle East engulfed in violence and Mr. Putin threatening Eastern Europe, Americans are increasingly anxious about national security. And while much of the country remains leery about future military engagements, surveys show a growing appetite for the U.S. to be more active on the world stage.And fearless!
In Casper, Mr. Cheney wandered into the arena without security.And grandfatherly!
He also has become something of a regular on the Wyoming high-school rodeo circuit, ferrying his 13-year-old granddaughter, Gracie Perry, to competitions, in what has become a weekend ritual for both. She competes in barrel racing, in which riders race horses around three barrels, and pole-bending, a slight variation.There's a Sunset Boulevard quality to this Journal profile -- but there's a Sunset Boulevard quality to most of Cheney's incessant rabble-rousing. It seems as if he can't bear the thought that we no longer yearn for his gentle yet manly reassurance that we'll be safe from the night terrors. It's sad, really.
Mr. Cheney drives his black Ford 350 Super Duty truck, with a horse trailer hitched to the back, often logging hundreds of miles between events. Because the events typically last all weekend, the pair often sleeps in the trailer -- Mr. Cheney on a mattress over the cab, and Gracie on an adjoining couch.
