'It's Not Just About Iraq'

"John, I am not going to comment on the case. It's -- I may be called as a witness. Scooter Libby, obviously, one of the finest men I've ever known -- he's entitled to the presumption of innocence. And I have not made any comments on the case up until now, and I won't."

Profile of a Stoic

William Douglas writes for Knight Ridder Newspapers: "Cheney remains Cheney, a quiet, stoic force at the heart of the Bush administration. Despite rumors earlier this year that President Bush might ask him to resign, he still has Bush's ear, and his fingerprints still turn up on all manner of policy decisions, from war and domestic spying to spending 'earmarks' for allies."

Cheney on Himself

From the CNN interview: "[Y]our critics say, Dick Cheney has become this dark, nefarious force in the administration that believes in secrecy at all price, that believes congressional oversight is a nuisance. True?

"THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't think I've changed any. I think I have been very consistent over time. I think, partly, it's important to remember how significant 9/11 was. And we are now engaged in a constant effort, obviously, to protect the nation against further attack.

"That means we need good intelligence. It means there have to be national security secrets. It means we need to be able to go after and capture or kill those people who are trying to kill Americans. That's not a pleasant business. It's a very serious business. And I suppose people sometimes look at my demeanor and say, well, he's the Darth Vader of the administration."

The Democratic Response

The Senate Democratic rapid-response team quickly issued a marked-up version of Cheney's CNN interview, giving Cheney an "F: Poorly Researched."

Cheney and Halliburton

William Greider writes in the Nation: "Amid all his other troubles, Vice President Richard Cheney is now stalked by a ghost from his past--the Richard Cheney who for five years was CEO of the Halliburton Company."

Greider writes about "a class-action investor lawsuit against Halliburton, recently revived after languishing for four years. It describes Cheney as not much different from other corporate titans ensnared by accusations of fraud. Brushing aside facts and subordinates' warnings, CEO Cheney made a series of daring but wrong decisions that were disastrous for the company. The managerial incompetence was compounded by fraudulent accounting gimmicks that concealed the company's true condition. Cheney, however, relentlessly issued bullish assurances, hiding the losses and pumping up the stock price. . . .

"The corporate scandal seems like old news now, since the basic facts were first revealed four years ago by the New York Times --generating a flurry of investor lawsuits. But the story has new life. The injured investors are now represented by William Lerach, the ferociously successful plaintiff lawyer who has won billions in securities litigation against major corporations and Wall Street banks, from Enron to Citigroup."

Anger in Cheney's Wake

Cheney was in Colorado last week, attending the AEI World Forum , and he apparently left some angry people in his wake.

The Vail Daily reports: "Eagle Town Manager William 'Willy' Powell was issued a summons for disorderly conduct and obstructing a peace officer in connection with an incident that occurred while the vice president's motorcade traveled through Eagle on June 15. . . .

"The sheriff's office reports that Powell got into a confrontation with a firefighter who was blocking the intersection of Highway 6 and Violet Lane -- the street to Powell's home, and his only access to Highway 6. . . .