U.S. Vice President Losing Influence?

It was the end of June in 2004 when U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney abruptly visited President George W. Bush resting. Cheney asserted that the U.S. delegates participating in the third round of the Six-Party Talks held in Beijing from June 23 to 26 were about to sign a statement that was problematic and asked for an official order to reverse it.

At that time, the U.S. delegates had a principle that the U.S. would provide North Korea with economic assistance and security assurance in exchange for giving up nukes. But Cheney argued that North Korea must completely dismantle its nuclear capabilities before being given any benefits. Cheney was not able to contact then Secretary of State Colin Powell because he was at a banquet and was not available. So Cheney sent a new guideline to the U.S. delegation in Beijing through the White House National Security Council.

This is a model example that shows how powerful Cheney’s influence was. However, recently there are signs that Cheney, once the most powerful vice president in history, is losing influence.

Last week the U.S. press reported that Cheney lost a two-year power struggle between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Cheney inside the White House when President Bush admitted the allegation that the CIA has secret prison camps and 14 detainees were turned over to the Defense Department.

New York Times reported that advocates of Dick Cheney share the view that his influence is waning gradually after the peak from 2003 to 2004. Incidents which dampened his influence include Iraq war, Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Leak-Gate and the subsequent resignation of his chief of staff, Lewis Libby, a worsened relationship with the Republican leadership over human rights and prisoners of war, and the Supreme Court’s ruling that advocated legal rights of terrorist suspects. On top of that, Cheney’s inner circle neo-cons are losing their hold on power.

However, observers say that his influence still remains intact in regard to issues involving North Korea. Some analysts say that the result of financial sanctions on North Korea will support Cheney’s influence on the issues involving the Korean peninsula. After North Korea’s missile launches in July, when even senior officials of the Clinton administration came up with preemptive attack toward the North, Cheney dismissed that opinion. Observers believe that he did so because he was confident that financial sanctions on the North were working so the U.S. did not need to use the military attack card, which was not viable.

sechepa@donga.com