Ignore the source of the website and just watch the video. It's short. But for those who can't be bothered with it, it's a clip from an interview with Dick Cheney from 1994. In this interview, Cheney talked about various foreign policy issues, including a defense of why the US didn't go into Iraq. Cheney, in this interview done 13 years ago, is well-informed, thoughtful, articulate, straightforward, and seems to have his priorities in order. I'd vote for the Cheney in that video.
Which begs the question: what happened? And I don't think it's possible to figure out the answer looking at just Cheney. I'm going to throw out a position that I derived by thinking about things a little more broadly:
I believe Cheney's transformation into the archetypal "Bush Republican" goes to show just how insistent parties are becoming on complete polarization and loyalty to communally decided platforms. It's stamping out individuality in politicians (see the new McCain for a premier example), and making conformity a necessity to play the game at its highest levels. I think this, above all things, is the biggest danger to America present in its current political system. More so than any legislation, movement, set of ideals, war or person, it's this artificial consolidation into a completely binary system that will weaken our nation's ability to intelligently deal with complicated sets of increasingly inter-linked challenges.
Thoughts?
1 comment:
Either that or he had some personality changes to accompany his multiple heart attacks...or perhaps he simply sold his soul for some sort of tax break...
~Chase
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