The Cheney Supremacy

Suskind: "The evidence is that Cheney is the global thinker. Bush is an action-based man, but he operates within a framework that Cheney largely designed."

The excerpt from Time, while concentrating on the gas attack, includes a scene in which Bush appears fairly easily influenced by Cheney.

Suskind describes one particular meeting Bush had in the Oval Office with Cheney and other officials in the days after the CIA had delivered the news that the gas attack had been planned and then apparently called off by Zawahiri.

"The President and the Vice President sat in the two wing chairs, each with his back to the fireplace. 'We need to figure this out,' Bush said, 'as long as it takes. We need to get our arms around this thing.' . . .

"The Vice President was intense. 'The question is why would Zawahiri have called them off? What does it indicate about al-Qaeda's strategy?'

"Bush cut him off. He was more interested in Ali [the informant behind the information].

" 'Why is this guy cooperating with us? That I don't understand.' . . .

"Bush became focused on the players. . . . [Then] Bush, in tactical mode, pressed them. 'Who came to New York?' and 'Are they still here, somewhere?'

"The answer from the CIA briefers: 'We don't know.'

"As Bush dug deeper, Cheney moved to reframe the discussion. Did al-Zawahiri call off the attack because the United States was putting too much pressure on the al-Qaeda organization? 'Or is it because he didn't feel this was sufficient for a "second wave"?' Cheney asked. 'Is that why he called it off? Because it wasn't enough?' "

And apparently, Bush finally came on board.

" 'I mean, this is bad enough. What does calling this off say about what else they're planning?' Bush blurted out. His eyes were wide, fist clenched. 'What could be the bigger operation Zawahiri didn't want to mess up?' "