As for the portrayals of Condi and Cheney, I said on another thread that pretty much anything would be a step up from the monster the media portrays Cheney as. I'm not worried about Condi because anyone with half a brain knows that she's anything but clueless.
That was not my take on Clarke's role but that he was actually tasked to be Crisis Manager so was performing his function.
You are correct typically Cheney is portrayed as stomping puppies and kittens for fun.