Vice President Cheney

Last week, in hosting a book party for my former boss, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, at my home, many people found it remarkable that Vice President and Mrs. Cheney stopped by for the occasion.

What my staff found most amazing about the feedback regarding the book party was how impressed people were that the Cheneys were there making no remarks, standing and mingling like everyone else with admiration for Justice Thomas. They had come to see their mutual friend Justice Clarence Thomas. What everyday Americans reminded us of is that despite all the harsh criticism about the vice president, the Iraq war and other things, they found him through the eye of the C-SPAN camera to be caring, warm and quite likable.

For those who really didn’t get to hear the VP during his stay, he was very engaged in conversations with elected officials, an international chess grandmaster, colleagues who worked with him during the days of Ford and complete strangers. What was consistent about the feedback was how he was absolutely engaged, never worrying about whether he was being watched. There was no aura of self-importance; in fact, you had to remind yourself that this was the vice president of the United States, and the most powerful one in the history of this country.

In this age of sound bites and slogans, a very negative, monstrous caricature of Vice President Dick Cheney has been painted, but in getting to meet him many saw his humanity. Yes, the book party celebrated Justice Thomas, but it also gave Americans, and anyone who watched C-SPAN carry it over the weekend, a renewed respect and appreciation for our vice president and his wife, Lynne.