Cheney To Rahm: "Keep Your VP Under Control"

CNN reports on a private meeting organized by White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, where 13 of his predecessors offered future Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel some bipartisan advice.

Vice President Dick Cheney had some blunt -- and humorous -- advice for incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at a private breakfast earlier this month, CNN has learned.

"The best thing you can do is keep your VP under control," Cheney told Emanuel, according to three sources familiar with the White House meeting that had previously not been disclosed publicly.

One of the sources, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the private meeting, said the room broke up in laughter because of Cheney's reputation for being a hard-charging vice president.

Politico gives the full list of attendees: Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld (Ford), Jack Watson (Carter), Howard Baker and Kenneth Duberstein (Reagan) John Sununu and Samuel Skinner (Bush 41), Mack McLarty, Leon Panetta, Erskine Bowles and John Podesta (Clinton) and Andy Card and Bolten (Bush).

Emanuel got tips on how to preserve his family life; was urged to keep in mind that the most important word in his title is "staff"; pushed to hire only the best and then give them Sundays off when possible; and reminded to be candid with the president (something, one former top aide said, would not be a problem with the outspoken and sometimes-profane Emanuel)

He might have been a former top aide himself in the Clinton administration, but Emanuel took "copious notes" the whole time, one participant recalled.

"There was a lot of camaraderie," recalled Emanuel. "This is a shared experience of just about a dozen people, and it was touching that Josh pulled it together and that so many could attend and wish me luck."

Comments

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

It's always funny when a bully gives you a bloody nose.
For the bully.

[enlighteninglad]

Rahm's response: "Are you kidding? Joe Biden is going to have my full cooperation to put your a$$ in jail!"

[roshni]

Sounds like a Rahm respeonse. And they aren't thrilled about Holder either because he is going to kick their b.utts too.

[dhertzfe]

Why would anyone listen to advice from an international criminal.

[Babysnake]

Because there is bound to be a pony under all that horse@#%! ?

[Bobzmcishl]

Although the remark was made in jest, it sums up part of the reason the Bush Administration went off the tracks. Bush was too weak to control Cheney, thus Cheney ended up becoming our defacto president in many respects, based on all the the written materials about this presidency. Obama hit the nail on the head this morning about restoring "adult supervision" to our political and economic leadership. Thank God! It can't come a moment too soon.

[roshni]

Cheney is flipping everyone off - it's what he does.

[Opt1musPr1me]

Says the man who no one could control.

[Ramirez]

Great story! Thirteen former Chiefs of Staff have a get -together and welcoming party for Rahm. Talk about a shared experience!

These people are patriots and this story was a refreshing read.

[Viper]

Some are patriots. Some cant go to to Europe because they have been charged with war crimes...

Regards

[roshni]

Cheney is a patriot? - BWAHAHAHA!

[Oblique]

If another country wants to pick up Cheney for Extraordinary Rendition be my guest.

[roshni]

And they would be welcome to use waterboarding since Cheney thinks there is nothing wrong with it.

[mellene]

Good advice after his horse got out of the barn...

[ThinkLiberal]

Yeah, but he (Cheney) IS the horse.

[Petey131]

Cheney what you say is irrelavent. You need to be in prison for crimes against humanity. Period!

[harriscrl3]

Its bad enough that these folks are not in prison must we be forced to hear what they have to say too

How much torture should we be made to take

Carol

[Saganslegacy]

Rahm to Cheney:

Shut up.

[dhertzfe]

I think you meat, "Shut the F**k Up!"

[RobBob]

Dick Cheney: master of satire / genius of irony

[scottowego]

I'd have an easier time believing Cheney telling Biden to keep your president under control. Practice what you preach Dick.

[exmate]

Cheney apparently had more to say in the Oval office than GW Bush according to Lawrence Wilkerson who was Colin Powell's chief of staff. who has accused accused a "cabal" led by Cheney and Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld of hijacking US foreign policy by circumventing or ignoring formal decision-making channels.
"In some cases, there was real dysfunctionality," said Wilkerson, who spoke at the New America Foundation (NAF), a prominent Washington think tank.
"The case that I saw for four-plus years was a case that I have never seen in my studies of aberrations, bastardizations and perturbations in the national-security process," he said.

"What I saw was a cabal between the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made."

It would appear that the VP had the President under control.

[pqn]

LMOA, man this is getting to much.

First Rove tells Obama to be more transparent, now Cheney wants a check on the office of the VP.

What's next? I can hear the headlines now, "Bush Advice Obama to Not Invade Other Countries.­"

[Yarrr]

LOL, so utterly true.

[OtayPanky]

In related news, the fox advised the rooster not to eat the hens.