Cheney’s Cheney - The New Yorker Magazine Profiles David Addington

[kpete]

Cheney’s Cheney
Issue of 2006-07-03
Posted 2006-06-26

This week in the magazine, Jane Mayer profiles David Addington, the Vice-President’s chief of staff and longtime legal adviser. Here, with Blake Eskin, Mayer discusses Addington’s unorthodox reading of the Constitution and how it has shaped the Administration’s approach to the war on terror.

Following the September 11th attacks, the Bush Administration released memos asserting the President’s right to decide, among other things, how to wage war and treat prisoners. How much of this came from Addington?

Some lawyers in the Administration believe that, as one told me, “It’s all Addington.” While Addington, of course, could not have written every memo, his “fingerprints,” as Lawrence Wilkerson, the former assistant to Colin Powell, put it, were all over these policies.

Addington was merely the legal counsel to the Vice-President until last fall, so it is curious that he exercised so much influence. But, according to other lawyers who deal with national-security issues in the Administration, Addington exercised enormous influence in part because he was seen as Cheney’s representative, and Cheney was the epicenter of power on these matters.

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You argue that the September 11th attacks did not change Cheney and Addington’s expansive views of the power of the executive branch so much as allow them to implement their long-held views. What led you to this conclusion?

At least fifty sources were interviewed for this story. And those who knew Cheney and Addington during the Vietnam War and Watergate told me that, ever since then, both men have wanted to correct what they saw as a weakening of the Presidency. Cheney has participated in the writing of two reports reflecting this view, and he talked about it in a recent press conference. In many ways, 9/11 gave Addington and Cheney the chance to implement their views on the need for a stronger Presidency, since in times of war the President’s powers are greatly augmented.

more at:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/060703on_onlineonly01