Wall Street Journal Praises Stephen Hayes' ('93) Biography of Dick Cheney

August 5, 2007

August 5, 2007, Greencastle, Ind. - "Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President is the most serious effort yet to understand the Cheney enigma," opines Jonathan Karl of the new book by 1993 DePauw University graduate Stephen F. Hayes (pictured at left). Reviewing the book in the Wall Street Journal, Karl, senior national security correspondent for ABC News, states, "Mr. Hayes has an advantage over others who have struggled with this subject: Mr. Cheney actually talked to him, and so did many of his usually tight-lipped advisers. The result is a detailed and sympathetic portrait, but one that will leave Mr. Cheney's erstwhile friends still confused."

While authorized by its subject, "Mr. Hayes's biography is not entirely uncritical," adds Karl. "He portrays Mr. Cheney as 'a fanatic for secrecy' and writes that, in the wake of the Valerie Plame case, the vice president's office became 'a seedbed of paranoia.' Mr. Cheney has never been more isolated. Mr. Hayes quotes former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, a longtime Cheney admirer [and 1952 DePauw graduate], lamenting that Mr. Cheney, who was once widely respected by both parties, rarely talks to Democrats anymore."

The review concludes, "Some people dislike Mr. Cheney because he has been effective in pushing policies they disagree with. But even Mr. Hayes's positive portrayal makes it clear that Mr. Cheney's image problem is about more than politics. Secrecy and isolation have come with a price. Conspiracy theorists have filled the void. And that goes a long way toward explaining how a soft-spoken pragmatist, a man once so well-liked, has come to be seen as the Darth Vader of the White House."

Access the complete text at the Journal (a paid subscription to the newspaper may be required).

Read more about Stephen Hayes, senior writer at the Weekly Standard, in this previous story.

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