‘Exceptional’ is a book written by former vice-president Dick Cheney along with his daughter Liz. It is not pleasant reading. It consists of rants by the author of the Iraqi War and is in reality treasonous. He reveals his vision of how our nation should be changed. He doesn’t believe in a free or Constitutional society, rather a country ruled by fascist ideology. His use of the word ‘freedom’ is only applicable to himself and others in his circle.

Cheney states that he believes that our nation’s ‘freedom’ should be protected at any cost and by any means. The book is a pictorial of Cheney’s America. One example of how he sees our nation is revealed in a single sentence pertaining to WWII.

“We liberated millions and achieved the greatest victory in the history of mankind, for the good of all mankind. America — the exceptional nation — had become freedom’s defender.”

He believes that the United States, and it alone, is required to defend freedom wherever and whenever the need arises.

He denies post war events and analysis. He believes that Truman was justified when he ordered the atomic bombs to be dropped on the innocent citizens Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He spins history claiming that President Eisenhower’s farewell speech warning the nation of the dangers of an ever-growing military industrial complex, was exactly the opposite; he wanted it to become even larger. (Cheney is heavily invested in the military industrial complex.)

Obviously imperialistic actions taken in the past by president’s who erred and created dictatorships and damaged relations between our nation and others were left out of his rants. He failed to mention 1953 and our nation placing the Shah in power until he was forced to leave in 1978. He failed to mention Reagan and the Iran-Contra affair and others in Africa and around the world.

Naturally he defended the unwarranted attack against Iraq and Saddam Hussein in 2003, and continues to falsely claim that the result was worth the actions taken by himself and Bush.

Also not mentioned is the infamous memo from the CIA in August of 2001 when it was obviously a warning of imminent danger to our nation revealed by its title: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US.” Also omitted are red flags such as suspicious pilot training. He also failed to reveal the fact that in the late summer of 2001 the CIA was placed on ‘red alert’ while President George W. Bush was on vacation in Crawford, Texas. At the same time Cheney was in Wyoming on a fishing trip.

Much of the focus of his fictional book is President Obama. He accuses him of being responsible for everything negative in our nation and the world, and even hints at labeling him as anti-American who is more supportive of other nations than his own.

Cheney’s lack of awareness and concern for the people of our nation, and in particularly our men and women who are forced to actually fight his wars is blatantly obvious.

I will not list every accusation, every falsehood contained in this piece of trash, but I will remind the readers of one fact he did include. He is proud of the fact that he ordered the practice of torture, or ‘enhanced interrogation as he calls it; and he says that he would do it again.

A little ‘light reading’ before you sleep? Don’t waste your time.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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Photo Courtesy of Mario Piperni