Dick Cheney on 'Hannity': Who is he attacking now?
Ex-veep Dick Cheney has been all over the media this week promoting his new memoir 鈥淚n My Time.鈥� He鈥檚 hit the morning talk shows 鈥� 鈥淭oday,鈥� 鈥�Good Morning America,鈥� and so forth 鈥� and he鈥檚 had good print exposure too, including a big spread in 鈥�USA Today.鈥�
Most authors can only dream of such a publicity tour. Of course, most authors don鈥檛 get involved in public spats with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, either. Nor are they the subject of televised speculation as to whether they could be tried for war crimes.
Well, given the exposure and the controversy, the book must be selling well, right?
Yes. 鈥淚n My Time鈥� has gone big time. Amazon鈥檚 best-seller list puts the hardcover at No. 3 overall, just ahead of that soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture teen novel 鈥�The Hunger Games.鈥�
Mr. Cheney鈥檚 memoir ranks No. 1 in historical biography, and No. 1 in history about the United States, according to Amazon.
(Note: No, the book won鈥檛 be in Sunday鈥檚 New York Times bestseller list. That鈥檚 because it measures book store sales and lags behind. We鈥檙e pretty sure it will show up there soon, too.)
In contrast to Cheney鈥檚 book, the new memoir from ex-Delaware Senate candidate and non-witch Christine O鈥橠onnell ranks as number 45,666 in Amazon鈥檚 hardcover list. Do you think that if she was selling as well as Cheney, she鈥檇 be appearing on-stage in Iowa at that tea party gathering with Sarah Palin? She got uninvited from that, if you haven鈥檛 heard. Something to ponder.
Meanwhile, Cheney鈥檚 been wrapping up the week with appearances on the friendly confines of Fox News and other conservative media outlets. With Mr. Powell and Ms. Rice out of the way, who鈥檚 he going after next?
Sarah Palin, for one. Asked by talk show host Laura Ingraham on Friday if Ms. Palin had been the right choice for the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, Cheney demurred.
鈥淲ell, I鈥檝e never gotten around the question of her having left the governorship of Alaska midterm ... I鈥檇 like to know more about that,鈥� said Cheney.
He鈥檚 been going after President Obama as well. On Sean Hannity鈥檚 Fox show.
On Sean Hannity鈥檚 Fox show Thursday night Cheney opined on how he thinks the incumbent is going to have a tough time next November.
鈥淚 think the economy is clearly going to be a major problem for him,鈥� said Cheney.
Then Cheney took a shot at Mr. Obama鈥檚 experience, saying that, as vice president, he had traveled to Illinois to campaign for Obama鈥檚 opponent in Obama鈥檚 first Senate race. Obama won, and Cheney swore him in 鈥� that鈥檚 one of the duties of the vice president.
The next thing he knew, Obama was running for president, said Cheney on 鈥淗annity.鈥�
鈥淗e had not served very long in the US Senate ... he didn鈥檛 bring into office the kind of experience I would have hoped to have seen in a new president,鈥� said Cheney.
Cheney also sounded as if he is still kind of mad at his old boss over his refusal to pardon top Cheney aide Lewis 鈥淪cooter鈥� Libby.
You may remember that Mr. Libby, Cheney鈥檚 former chief of staff, was convicted of obstruction of justice in regard to the investigation into who made public the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
Libby did not leak Plame鈥檚 name to the media. State Department official Richard Armitage did. (Armitage from the beginning told prosecutors what had happened, and was not charged.)
Bush commuted Libby鈥檚 jail sentence on the obstruction of justice conviction but was reluctant to grant a full pardon.
Cheney told Mr. Hannity that he thought Libby a good man who was treated badly by the system.
鈥淭here was tension in the room鈥� when Bush told him he would not grant the pardon, Cheney said.
