Posted on 11/04/2004 5:15:23 PM PST by JustaCowgirl
US Vice-President Dick Cheney is set to become even more powerful in the second Bush administration than he was in the first.
And that is likely to be good news for Australia.
If the speculation is right, and some of the senior Bush cabinet members move on – in particular Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell – Australia could lose some of its best friends in the administration.
Powell has become a good friend of Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, but his deputy, Richard Armitage, is the most pro-Australian influence at a senior level in the Bush administration.
Armitage is affectionately referred to as the State Department's Australian desk officer.
He has a long association with Australia and a deep appreciation of the US-Australia alliance.
However, the two most important friends of Australia are Bush and Cheney.
Bush is deeply bonded to Prime Minister John Howard over Australia's troop commitment to the Iraq war, as well as their shared political outlook.
But in some ways Cheney is the under-reported pro-Australian.
If Powell and Rumsfeld do leave, then Cheney, a former Defence Secretary, will increase his already formidable sway.
He will be, along with Bush, the most senior continuing member from the first administration, although it is also possible that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice could become Secretary of State.
Cheney's power comes partly from his influence with Bush but also from his decades of government and congressional experience and his vast and labyrinthine network of contacts throughout the Washington power structure.
Cheney is the first vice-president to be a principal in the national security apparatus of an administration.
He was defence secretary under the first President Bush, and occupied that office during the first Gulf War in 1991, which expelled Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
The depth of his Australian connections, and his quiet affection for Australia, have been under-appreciated.
Cheney attended the first meeting of the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue in Washington in 1993.
By far the most important person in the room, he was perfectly happy to spend an entire day considering Australian strategic perspectives.
I have had half a dozen conversations with Cheney over the years and always find him the soul of quiet geniality and consideration. He never raises his voice, everything is always calm, yet there is an unmistakable hardness there.
Cheney is no neo-conservative and the New Republic once argued that his ideology was simply that America doesn't take any crap from anybody.
His views are infinitely more sophisticated than that but the publication did capture the essential hard-headed quality of Cheney.
You can imagine him shaking hands with an adversary, looking him straight in the eye, and whispering quietly: "I'm now gonna break both your legs."
It's a good thing he's on our side.
I'm so glad the U.S. voters showed the same mettle in the last few days that Australian voters showed last month.
Wow, what a great line. That's pretty much my ideology too!
Begin your trip in Sydney and plan to stay at least 7 days there. Book your airfaire through http://www.priceline.com and book a mid-priced hotel (like the Intercontinental which serves a great full breakfast) at http://www.hotels.com. I recommend staying near Chinatown in Sydney. It is less costly, it's near the main train station, it's in a restaurant/theatre district, and it is safe there. Your first day there pay for a 3-day bus pass with city tour and begin with the tour. For extended travel, use the city trains to get around. There were tons of fabulous oriental (thai food was especially good) and seafood restaurants in Sydney. Make sure you spend an afternoon and buy all of your souvenirs at Paddy's Market. This is a large open air flee market below one of the main shopping centers that is only open on Thursday and Friday. Visit the world-famous Sydney Aquarium. Take a 15-minute ferry ride across the bay to visit the Sydney Zoo. Expect to spend all day at the zoo. A personal guided tour of the Australian animals at the zoo costs a very small price and it is highly recommended. Enjoy riding the aerial tram from the warf up to the zoo entrance. Buy tickets in advance on the internet to a show of your preference at the Sydney Opera House or simply visit for lunch there. Spend a few hours on one evening at the Star Casino in Sydney. Spend a day at Bondi Beach if the season permits. The American winter season is the Australian summer season. Then spend 2-3 days in the mountains near Sydney and the same amount of time exploring the Interior. End your trip with a few days in Melbourne.
Have a GREAT time "down under"!
P.S. Australians love Americans.
Australia has been an even better friend to America than Great Britain for at least the past 100 years. To my knowledge, the Aussies have supported the Americans in every military endeavor since WWI.
IMHO, we, the American People, need to tell the Aussies that we appreciate their help and support much MORE OFTEN! They have unflinchingly come to our aid at some of our very worst moments.
I LOVE the Aussie spirit!
You'll be very welcome. We like to think we're the friendliest people on earth - particularly to our friends.
Perhaps we could have a FReepers Convention in Australia.
BTW, You'll need more than a few days in Melbourne.
I thought this thread might interest you since about Australia and the "sexy" VP
The cool thing about Cheney is that he never (or rarely) smiles. That's why he'd never make a good politician. He hates all the phony stuff. What you see is what you get.
I've always thought that if Cheney ever has to step into office to replace Bush, he'd be far better than Bush because he's not a politician and he's incredibly articulate, which Bush is not.
Condi Rice will be going against the Hildebeast in 2008. She's also exceptionally talented and brilliant. The Republicans would get not only the women vote, but the black vote (Blacks will vote for black candidates simply because they're black, no matter if the politics agree with their politics, which shows that many blacks are racist too). LOL!
thanks for the ping snugs. I did see the article and I was going to let you know but I saw you were already here - you are much too fast for me ;0) I thought that the article was pretty spot on - I love the bit about Cheney not having to raise his voice. I could never imagine him loosing his temper by shouting; I think one of his "looks" would stop you in your tracks!
Going back to Wednesday I just loved the introdcution the VP gave the President at the victory rally. These two guys make such a great team don't they? The kudos that the President sent to VP Cheney were fabulous and so very sincere.
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