It Was a Dark and Stormy Eight Years

(Joshua Roberts -- Reuters)

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

News item: Former vice president Dick Cheney has signed a contract to write a memoir about his long career in government and industry, from his years as Gerald Ford's chief of staff to his prominent role in shaping the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policy after Sept. 11, 2001.

Your challenge: Propose the first paragraph of Cheney's book!

Sample: "Undisclosed Location, Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009: Well, the baton is passed. Our work is finally done. Eight years, one devastating terrorist attack, two wars and one recession later, it's finally time to relax. It's been an amazing ride. George and I can certainly say, 'We did it our way!' Or really, if you want to get technical about it, my way. Well, best of luck to this new crew. They're going to need all the help they can get. Or as I was saying to Lynne the other night, it's going to take an 'extraordinary rendition' to get us out of this mess. And with this bunch coming into office, you can bet it's going to be torture. Ha-ha!"

The particulars: E-mail your paragraph to pagethree@washpost.com by July 2. Please include your name and city of residence. We'll publish the best.