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

[proudcalib]

Cheney once referred to Guantanamo as "the tropics." Time for him to take a nice vacation there.

[exmate]

Cheney will no doubt be moving to Dubai which has no extradition law. GW Bush now owns property in Paraquay which also does not have an extradition agreement with the USA.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Cheney should know. I wonder if he was thinking of Bush.

[chaz]

chenney's funny for a sociopath.

[wtheman]

Yeah, these are the people to be taking advice from. Good luck with that.

[powerwave]

Better advice for Rahm:
Keep the previous VP (Cheney) under control by putting him in Jail
(preferably Guantanamo)

[gorgol]

The next "Jokes" coming from Cheney...should be from a PRISON CELL.

[adrianinflorida]

Some advice to Cheney, Get a good lawyer

[leonidasofsparta]

Why? Barak has no intention of hounding the previous administration and you can guarantee he will not be lifting the curtain on our anti terror campaign as it has been run for the last 8 yrs, I don't know who you think you elected but he's not suicidal or particularly radical.

[SethBLiNK]

Good advice. Cheney has certainly kept his VP under control these past 8 years.

[exmate]

According to Lawrence Wilkerson,Colin Powell's chief of Staff, the GW Bush White House was run by a Neoconservative cabal headed by Cheney and Rumsfeld.

[Bystander]

Can anyone really control Biden's penchant for gaffes? The late night commedians hope not. Good entertainment value!

[garymc8]

8 years of gop plunder and you are worried about Biden? They destroyed our country because we elected a Democrat. Biden is 2,000,000,000,000. times better than treasonous greedy embarassiment rethuglicans.

[Bystander]

Who said I'm worried about Biden? I enjoy his gaffes. You go, Joe!

[roshni]

Joe is a good man with a heart of gold. There is no comparison between the spawn of Satan and Joe Biden.

[AxelDC]

Bush-Cheney: the Chutzpah that knows no bounds.

[iamvalid]

When DC and his gang of thugs goe into that dark goodnight, light will shine throughout the world.

[vietveter]

Go FK yourself, Mr. Cheney

[icenzi13]

Touche'

[6925thCobras]

The disheartening thing, for liberals, is that the new adminstration gets along just fine with the Bush/Cheney. It's as though the past eight years were, "just another way of doing things. But now we will try a different approach to governing, always keeping in mind that our primary goal is to get rich and get reelected, after that we can work on some of the stuff that will benefit the American people (or not)."

The Democrats have never really fought against the Republicans, they have always tolerated, and to some degree, idolized, them. In another time or another day, Bush, Cheney, etal. would be brought to trial for crimes they committed while in office. But, in this era of moral decay, just about anything goes (except for carrying bottled water on an airplane). Banks, "too big to fail" can rob the taxpayer, drug companies can charge what they want while their CEO's and reps go on retreats to South Sea Isles and bribe doctors to prescribe drugs for everything from shaky leg syndrome to grouchiness, while the elderly who can't afford heat in their homes have decide whether they want to eat this week or buy their heart medication.

So don't be surprised when, at the inauguration, you again see the Clintons with their arms draped around Cheney, Nancy 'Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi drinking a toast with Bush and other couple of million dollars of taxpayer money being spent on parties for the rich and famous.

[marymansour]

A small bit of humor emerges from the sneering lips of Vice President Scrooge. hohohohoho. Merry Christmas to all. bah humbug!

[SpeakWithoutInterruption]

How much power should any Vice President command?

[ebanks84]

NEVER AS MUCH AS CHENEY that's for sure. He was actually the President behind the curtains.