Cheney's clout bruised after aide's indictment

WHITE HOUSE


Cheney's clout bruised after aide's indictment

Vice President Dick Cheney charged ahead after the indictment of his top aide, but events have taken a toll on his clout, and some observers are asking whether he still has President Bush's ear.

BY RON HUTCHESON

rhutcheson@krwashington.com


WASHINGTON - The most powerful vice president in American history no longer seems quite so powerful.

After five years at the center of President Bush's inner circle, Dick Cheney has been hit with a host of problems that have tarnished his image and raised questions about his effectiveness. His top aide resigned after being indicted, his poll numbers have plummeted and even some of his fellow Republicans are questioning his judgment on issues related to Iraq and terrorism.

While Cheney is conducting business as usual, he is meeting resistance as never before on Capitol Hill and within the Bush administration.

''There seems to be a kind of collective consciousness that he's become weakened,'' said Steven Clemons, a foreign policy specialist at the New America Foundation, a public-policy group that seeks to bridge partisan differences. ``He's going to continue to matter, but is he going to matter as much as he did before? Probably not.''

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might be caught, and his co-conspirator Walker Bush doesn't want to be tarred by the same brush.

The whole Plame affair is so Bush/Atwater, it's impossible for me to believe the little Turd in Chief wasn't in on it from its conception.