In a newly released book on V.P. Cheney, author Barton Gellman from the Washington Post details how Cheney, the ultimate Washington Insider, used his influence to implement his own policy goals, even if it meant “misleading” members of Congress.

The book entitled, Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency, purports to be an exposé of Cheney’s maneuverings for control on issues concerning Iraq and Iran, interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects, and domestic espionage. Cheney is portrayed, according to the synopsis by Cambridge Forecast, as the central player in the campaign to win unchecked power for the commander-in-chief, and behind-the-scenes manipulator of U.S. foreign policy.

In one section of the book, Texan and former House majority leader Richard Armey describes a highly classified one-on-one briefing with Cheney wherein Cheney relayed his private assertions that Iraq's "ability to miniaturize weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear," had been "substantially refined since the first Gulf War," and would soon result in "packages that could be moved even by ground personnel," here alluding to suitcase nuclear weapons.

Cheney, it seems, maximized the threat, when indeed, no intelligence to support his assertions was available. Armey had spoken out against the coming war but reversed his position after Cheney “briefed” him. Cheney also linked Hussein to al-Qaeda and its terrorist activities, again an extreme exaggeration. Gellman includes this bit from his interview with Dick Armey:

Did Dick Cheney . . . purposely tell me things he knew to be untrue? I seriously feel that may be the case. . . . Had I known or believed then what I believe now, I would have publicly opposed [the war] resolution right to the bitter end, and I believe I might have stopped it from happening.

There’s much more in the book, including a rather sordid story about how the new surveillance laws came about and the roles played by various Bush administration heavy weights. Is it true? Could be; there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence.

But all of this is too little, too late for Gellman to do something about, who apparently started gathering evidence and documentation years ago, publishing bits and pieces of it in the Washington Post. The laws are already in place; the power is concentrated and in hand.

Revealing how it all happened will do absolutely nothing to reverse this unconstitutional power grab orchestrated by Cheney. At best, it could put Americans on notice of the behavior they can expect from top power-brokers in Washington.

Meanwhile, it's up to Americans who cherish liberty and the Constitution to repeal those laws through their congressional representation.

It's time to start now.

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