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Memories are made of this? As If It Were Only YesterdayBy Rick Horowitz
WASHINGTON, ANY DAY NOW -- What it may have lacked in length, it more than made up for in historical significance. That, at least, was the official White House line today in disclosing that Vice President Dick Cheney is already hard at work on a book about his brief time running the country. Tentatively titled "Hours of Peril, Hours of Promise," Cheney's acting-presidential memoir is expected to offer a behind-the-scenes look at how a White House copes with a sudden -- if only temporary -- change of command. President George W. Bush, invoking the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, transferred power to Cheney at 7:09 a.m. last Saturday morning, just before being sedated for a colonoscopy. The president awoke from the procedure at 7:31 a.m., and resumed his duties at 9:24 a.m. "I think history will look back at those 135 minutes as a real watershed," said vice presidential counselor Mary Matalin this afternoon. "At a time of great international turmoil, Dick Cheney took the helm and kept the ship of state right on course. I think people will want to know how he did it, and how it felt." The vice president is said to be recording his own recollections of June 29th during spare moments in his schedule. In addition, Matalin said, Cheney intends to interview members of his staff as well as White House personnel who participated in that morning's events. Cheney made no public appearances and took no recorded actions during his time at the top, Matalin conceded. But she insisted that his minute-by-minute account would prove compelling reading nonetheless. "There are things that went on that day that very few people have ever heard about," Matalin explained, "and the vice president welcomes the chance to fill in the record. He feels he owes it to future generations." A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned several larger issues Cheney might also address in his book. "Where do you sit? You're in charge, and the Oval Office is empty -- do you sit in the Oval Office? Do you sit right behind the desk? And what do people call you during your briefings? 'Mr. President'? 'Mr. Acting President'? It's not like this stuff doesn't matter -- everything you do sets some kind of precedent." Including, the official said, the matter of the presidential wardrobe. "On the one hand, respect for the office. On the other hand, it's a Saturday morning in June. And what if the fax machine at Camp David hadn't worked when the president decided he wanted his job back? You could have had a real crisis." While a memoir from the No. 2 (or even 1-A) person is unusual in any administration, the president's team today expressed neither concern nor envy over Cheney's literary efforts. "President Bush is deeply grateful to the vice president for all he's done for this country," said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. "The president certainly looks forward to reading the vice president's account of that particular morning." Whether the general public will be similarly inclined remains to be seen. The market for political memoirs often seems to depend on the writer's willingness to bare his soul for public consumption; Cheney is known to be an exceedingly private man. Still, the extraordinary circumstances of his short-lived ascension gave at least one New York publishing executive cause for optimism. "You've got a guy with a bad heart taking over for another guy with a tube up his behind. I love the irony." This executive predicted a "mid-to-high-level" bidding war for the Cheney book, with an advance payment of as much as $5 million. "It's not the kind of money he made at Halliburton -- but it's not too shabby for a couple hours of work." Posted 7/2/02. Get
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Rick Horowitz
