“Cheney: The Untold Story of America’s Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President,” tells the story of a remarkable man.

Stephen F. Hayes, the author, is a writer for the “Weekly Standard,” a conservative magazine in Chicago.

Hayes spent countless hours with the vice president, his family and friends, and many members of his staff.

The book begins by briefly telling the life of one of the most decorated politicans in Washington D.C.’s history.

Cheney began his political career as a political scientist. Through a college program he was able to be a aide for one year in the U.S. House.

When it came time for him to go to the Senate to further his education in the program, he declined upon learning his boss would be Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-Mass.)

He stayed as a staffer in the House where he met Rep. Donald Rumsfeld, who was an up and coming star in the Republican party tabbed to head the Nixon administrations Office of Economic Opportunity.

Rumsfeld brought along his new friend Cheney, who served as deputy of the agency. This opened quite a few doors for the young man who thought he’d be a political scientist his entire life.

Cheney focused on government and its operations rather than the politics of government.

However working in the Nixon administration shed a new light to government, the political side, one which Cheney seized.

After Nixon resigned from office, Rumsfeld became White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford. Cheney followed his mentor and became Deputy White House Chief of Staff.

The conditions were that both Cheney and Rumsfeld would act as “co-chiefs of staff.”

This plan worked. However Rumsfeld was made secretary of defense, and Cheney was promoted to Chief of Staff.

Unlike Rumsfeld, Cheney preferred to stay out of the spotlight and to stay strictly behind the scenes. Cheney became close to the president and many of the president’s cabinet members. Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller resented Cheney.

After losing the presidential election to then-Gov. Jimmy Carter (D-Ga.), Cheney returned to Wyoming, his home state, without a job or purpose in life.

After careful consideration Cheney consulted with Wyoming politicans and considered a run for the Senate.

He was told that he would face a primary challenger most likely, so he decided to run for the lone U.S. House seat in the state. After a victory in the primary he went on to the general election where he won!

This was Cheney’s first elected office, and he set out to make a impression. He was chosen to the House Ethics Committee where he would prosecute individuals in the House who broke rules and the law.

After a successful stint as a Congressman, Cheney was promoted to chairman of the House Republicans Policy Committee, the fourth highest leadership position in the Republican party.

By this time, Cheney was a national figure in the House and was highly regarded by both members of his party and many Democrats.

Cheney in 1989 resigned from the House and was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to the position of Secretary of Defense.

Secretary Cheney focused on civilian matters at the Pentagon. However as the Gulf War came about, Bush was highly unpopular and defeated in the general election by then-Gov. Bill Clinton.

Cheney retired to Wyoming again and went to work for Halliburton, an oil company in Texas where he was named chairman and chief executive officer.

Along the way he became good friends with then-Gov. George W. Bush and often visited the governors’ mansion and consulted the governor.

In 2000 when George W. Bush was in search for a vice president, he called on Cheney to fill the vacancy.

After suffering several heart attacks, the first step was to see if he were medically able to serve as vice president.

He was cleared and began the road to the White House.

After a highly competitive and controversial race, Bush-Cheney won the race and were sworn in as president and vice president.

Throughout his terms as vice president, Cheney has gone from the once respected politician to the highly unliked vice president by the Democrats.

This book, in my opinion, was very detailed and descriptive in telling me about the life of Vice President Dick Cheney and the many things he’s done and accomplished.

I throughly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Bush-Cheney administration.