In My Time - Dick Cheney [279]
The key, I think, is to choose serious and vigilant leaders, to listen to the men and women who want us to entrust them with high office and judge whether they are saying what they think we want to hear or whether they have the larger cause of the country in mind. It’s not always easy to move beyond pleasing promises, but in the case of America, the greater good is so grand. We’re not a perfect country, but our founding ideals, right and true, have allowed human potential to unfold and creativity to thrive in ways never before seen on earth. We are so fortunate to be Americans. And we have a duty as clear as any I know to pass on this great nation, its possibilities undimmed, to the rising generations.
With Lynne and our dog, Dave, on the porch of the vice president’s residence. (Official White House Photo/David Bohrer)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My daughter Liz was my collaborator and the CEO of our book team. Working with her has been a joy. I deeply appreciated her energy and enthusiasm for the project, her talent, her knowledge, and her sense of humor. It is a rare blessing to have reason to spend so many hours of quality time telling your daughter about your life and work. My wife, Lynne, and my daughter Mary helped with the book as well, making this truly a family project, as so much of my public life has been. Lynne and Mary know my story and are both accomplished writers, which made their editorial suggestions invaluable.
Liz assembled an outstanding team to assist her. Robert Karem, who served on my national security team during my time as vice president, did stellar work researching, editing, and fact-checking, as well as ably keeping me up to speed on today’s national security issues. Alexandra Jajonie, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech, kept us all organized, oversaw much of the fact-checking, and demonstrated an ability to juggle tough assignments in a cool and collected manner that belied her years. Jim Steen, who lived through many of the chapters of this book, was invaluable in answering questions—in particular, about my days in Congress and as secretary of defense. His recall and ability to produce obscure documents instantaneously was singularly impressive. John McConnell and Matthew Scully, two of the best speechwriters I have ever known, provided valuable assistance for this book, and I would like to thank them for all they have added to it. I am also grateful for their assistance over the years. In my speeches as vice president, they helped me capture crucial aspects of an historic time. Frank Gannon, whom I first met during the Nixon administration and who is a wonderful storyteller, was a wise and steady hand as I worked on this book. He brought the experience of having worked on previous memoirs as well as knowledge and memories of what Washington was like in the turbulent years of the early 1970s. I also want to thank Peter Long, who served as my assistant at the American Enterprise Institute and was an important part of the book team; Cara Jones, a former navy officer and graduate student at Johns Hopkins, who helped immensely in the research and fact-checking of the secretary of defense and vice presidency chapters; and Will Speicher, who also provided assistance checking facts in the early stages of the manuscript. Victoria Coates also provided key research assistance,