CHEYENNE — “Backseat” was the nickname the Secret Service gave to Vice President Dick Cheney, according to online sources.
The moniker reflects how the federal government workers saw the Veep — as a dour, tight-lipped politician from Wyoming.
But that was not the Cheney Wyoming folks knew or that I remember.
That Cheney had a wicked sense of humor, could talk freely and at length on policy issues, yet was far from being a social chatterbox.
During the spring of 1978 he was the cute guy who entered the press room of the Capitol Building in Cheyenne.
He was there for an interview with the Casper Star-Tribune as a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House.
The seat was open with the decision by incumbent Democrat Teno Roncalio not to seek re-election.
Roncalio's soon-to be successor was Cheney, who while only 37 years old, was recovering from a heart attack.
The sudden illness, he said, had one good side — it convinced him to quit his heavy smoking habit.
His background in D.C. politics at a high level in the Ford administration was impressive for a candidate for Wyoming’s only seat in the U.S House of Representatives.
Yet his interview was otherwise routine for candidates; it included an explanation of goals, if elected. He was clearly well-informed.
It was the first and last time Cheney visited the press room in the Capitol Building for an interview by the Casper Star-Tribune.
As the interviewer, I had no inkling of the political heights this smart young man would ultimately reach.
In his first campaign for elected office, Cheney faced two reputable opponents for the Republican nomination for Congress. They were Ed Witzenburger, the state treasurer, and Jack Gage, son of a Democratic former governor.
Cheney polled 28,548 to Witzenburger’s 20,863 votes, with Gage trailing.
Cheney went on to defeat Democrat William Bagley, a Cheyenne attorney, in the general election for the first of his five terms.
In his later campaigns he faced Democratic candidates who were not well prepared for the task.
At one point, Cheney said he was disappointed in his campaign debates.
Not a surprising statement, given that he was stoked and ready to answer any and all questions tossed at him, while his opponent in most cases was not.
The results were lame and lop-sided debates.
He won and won again.
In those years, the Casper Star-Tribune had no reporter in D.C. to inform state residents how and what their delegates were doing.
My job was to report on the delegation from Cheyenne by monitoring various sources to track bills that could affect Wyoming.
During this time Cheney was a prominent “Cold Warrior” who favored U.S. military backing and aid for the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, who were fighting the Communist Sandinista government.
In 1989 he left Congress to take the job of Secretary of Defense in the administration of George H.W. Bush.
And then came the job of Vice President under the second Bush — George W.
With it came a lot of controversy over his stance on the invasion of Iraq and associated issues. As a result, he and other hawks gradually lost favor with the public and Congress.
My last conversation with him was years ago when one of his closest friends and best man at his wedding died of a heart attack.
Ambassador Dave Nicholas, a former state senator and Laramie lawyer, was in Kiev, Ukraine, at the time of his death, according to one internet source.
I used to have talks with Nicholas when he was in the Wyoming State Senate about his original ideas and unusual way of looking at things.
My job was to get Cheney on the phone for a comment on his friend’s death.
I had little hope and was surprised when I received a phone call from a grumpy woman who worked with communications in the Vice President’s office
Cheney came on the line shortly, sounding like Dick Cheney.
He made a short statement concerning regrets and the like.
I mentioned my talks with Nicholas and how he had a different outlook.
Cheney laughed. “He certainly did,” he said.
Like Cheney, Dave Nicholas also had a quick wit, and was a fun guy.
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Contact Joan Barron at 30-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net
