A very interesting article on vice-president Cheney appeared in the Wall Street Journal yesterday.  The most startling revelation is what George Tenet had to say about the interrogation program that Cheney championed:

The policies he has advocated have been controversial. But they have also been effective. Consider the procedures put in place to extract information from hardcore terrorists. Mr. Cheney did not dream up these interrogation methods, but when intelligence officials insisted that they would work, the vice president championed them in internal White House debates and on Capitol Hill. Former CIA Director George Tenet–a Clinton-era appointee and certainly no Cheney fan–was asked about the value of those interrogation programs in a recent television appearance. His response, ignored by virtually everyone in the media, was extraordinary.

“Here’s what I would say to you, to the Congress, to the American people, to the president of the United States: I know that this program has saved lives. I know we’ve disrupted plots. . . . I know this program alone is worth more than the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency put together, have been able to tell us.”

Wow, that’s pretty high praise.  The article also points out that the reason Cheney’s opinion poll numbers are so low is probably because Cheney doesn’t get enough time in front of the people.  He is viewed as a shadowy figure always lurking just offstage, the man behind the curtain.  The author of this article believes that people would be less afraid of the vice-president if he were more visible.  Could be.  I know my feelings on Cheney have gone up because of reading this.