George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 84

< 83 >

‘Ah, now that I think about it, today was the day I was supposed to return to work.’

Dick Cheney scrutinized Bush, cleared his throat, and began speaking in his characteristically soft, slightly stammering voice, careful not to offend.

“Mr. President, you look much improved since I last saw you.”

“I’ve been getting some exercise. The secret to longevity is health, wouldn’t you agree? Though it might be a bit late to ask, weren’t I supposed to be in recovery for years?”

“Having a heart that cares deeply for the nation has allowed your body to heal at an incredible rate.”

This was partly true. No matter how excellent the treatment and care, a patient’s waning spirit can hinder recovery. But perhaps divine intervention, moved by Dick Cheney’s patriotism, contributed to Bush’s unexpectedly rapid recovery.

However, he wasn’t truly fully recovered; it was more a display of fighting spirit fueled by his injuries. His working hours were reduced to less than half of what they were in his prime, and Bush, using this as justification, had reclaimed much of the authority he had delegated to him as Vice President.

The Vice President’s influence is directly proportional to the authority granted by the President. With his right-hand man, Donald Rumsfeld, ousted and most of his power rescinded, Dick Cheney was now a mere figurehead.

“There’s something I want to entrust to you.”

Everything, no matter how seemingly useless, has a purpose. People are the same; there’s always a way they can be useful. Bush believed he had found the perfect role for a quintessential Neocon like Dick Cheney.

“If you would only give me the order.”

Dick Cheney’s expression as he spoke wasn’t particularly cheerful. Given his health and undoubtedly complex thoughts, Bush didn’t hold it against him.

“It’s nothing monumental.”

Bush tapped the chair he was sitting on a few times, as if to emphasize the insignificance of the matter, then leisurely rose and spread a large poster on the desk.

“I’ve been considering this, and you have a knack for consolidating power within the federal government. Or do you disagree?”

“Hearing that makes me feel like I’m the right man for the job.”

Originally, the more assertive and radical ideas of the Bush administration had originated from Dick Cheney. Consequently, despite Bush holding the ultimate decision-making power, Cheney often made Bush appear to be a puppet. This was because a stream of assertive and potentially illegal ideas emanated from the administration of a man generally perceived as affable.

‘Now the Chief of Staff has taken over that role.’

Bush was genuinely curious about how the Chief of Staff would be depicted in future films about his presidency. Even a cursory glance at the internet revealed a plethora of strange conspiracy theories. If that were all, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But bizarre composites were proliferating online, the most popular being a peculiar American cartoon.

In this cartoon, Bush received a divine revelation on 9/11 and transformed into Mr. America, the most powerful man in the world. The content itself highlighted the outrageous sensibilities prevalent in the 2000s.

What bothered Bush most was the depiction of him receiving a revelation during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He had indeed undergone a significant transformation at that time, so the cartoon’s premise wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

In any case, the Republican Party viewed this phenomenon positively. And while President Bush was officially the head of the Republican Party, the Neocons within the party felt a stronger affinity for the Vice President.

It was time for a control mechanism to manage these individuals and further channel their burgeoning patriotism.

‘That man, despite his appearance, is the original architect and embodiment of American hegemony.’

Vice President Dick Cheney was, in some respects, a liability, but that didn’t render him entirely incompetent. The issue was his attempt to usurp Bush’s authority, but now he had become too powerful for the Vice President’s position to contain. This was the conclusion Bush had reached after a somewhat critical self-assessment.

It was too well-substantiated to be dismissed as mere arrogance born from self-intoxication, and his measures and defenses to protect his power were thorough in every way.

“It’ll be difficult to restore everything you once had, but I still believe in your capabilities.”

Bush, having observed Dick Cheney’s work in his father’s administration and deemed him trustworthy, had granted him considerable authority. He had entrusted him with managing and overseeing key aspects of the vast United States, including bureaucratic oversight, military affairs, energy policy, and foreign relations.

Bush’s judgment of character wasn’t always accurate, but he wasn’t entirely clueless either, which is why he wrote in his autobiography that Dick Cheney had become a changed man. He was no longer the person Bush once knew.

That’s not to say Bush was entirely to blame. Even Father Bush, a good judge of character, had trusted Dick Cheney until the early years of his own administration, indicating that Dick Cheney possessed a unique and compelling talent.

In essence, Bush was offering to return some of the authority related to ‘bureaucratic oversight’.

‘Neocons aren’t inherently bad. But their influence becomes problematic when it grows too large.’

Although Bush had managed to quell dissent by wielding his authority decisively this time, there was no guarantee that it would always work. It felt like a long time, but in reality, it had only been five months. Just half a year.

Those who criticized Bush were too preoccupied with pointing out his seemingly irrational actions to devise effective countermeasures. Because, in many ways, Bush was doing the right things.

“I heard from the hospital room that you gave the Democratic Party a real boost this time.”

So these side effects, or rather, unintended consequences, emerged. Of course, from a conventional political standpoint, it was unusual for the president to disregard the ruling party and side with the opposition, but from Bush’s perspective of striving to create a strong and powerful nation, it wasn’t necessarily a negative outcome.

Well, isn’t there a saying that all you have to do is revive the economy?

‘Then I’ll save the country.’

At least during George W. Bush’s time in office, I’ll make everyone proclaim it as a golden age, surpassing all others.

On the day his eight-year term concludes, he will inspire the entire nation to clamor for a third term.

‘But I have no intention of serving three terms.’

“It was a necessary step for a more prosperous America.”

“I won’t deny it.”

Bush was somewhat taken aback by the lack of denial or further comment. He was even more surprised because he had anticipated a rebuttal and had meticulously prepared his counterarguments.

“It’s true that we had a serious disagreement that day, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to exclude you. You’re the running mate I chose.”

“Are you trying to test my abilities?”

Bush was attempting to phrase it diplomatically, but Cheney turned it around and delivered a sharp retort, leaving Bush, a master of shamelessness, momentarily speechless.

“It’s not about testing your abilities, it’s about accommodating your physical condition. It’s true that God took pity on you and you recovered quickly, but there are still limitations, right?”

Dick Cheney remained silent on this point. He was acutely aware that his current physical state was not optimal. While it wasn’t as dire as before, his overall strength had diminished considerably due to his extended hospital stay and the rehabilitation he had missed in order to be discharged early.

Dick Cheney’s daily routine was divided between work and rehabilitation. No matter how alluring power might be, he wasn’t foolish enough to consume it knowing it was poisoned. Of course, some individuals might knowingly consume poisoned food, but Dick Cheney wasn’t one of them.

“If it’s too strenuous, I’ll reassign you to a less demanding role. As you know, this particular position requires handling all sorts of unpleasant tasks.”

“Actually, while in the hospital, I anticipated that the President would entrust me with such ‘unpleasant tasks’.”

Dick Cheney shrugged and spoke with a tone of certainty.

“That’s precisely what happened.”

“Interesting. Why did you think so? Can you elaborate, Vice President Dick Cheney?”

Cheney dispensed with the formalities of President and Vice President and said this.

“Because I sensed a rift between us that day.”

That’s why Bush also decided to treat him as a political senior.

“But at the same time, I had this thought.”

“What?”

Bush could influence global events, but as a human being, he couldn’t read the minds of others.

“It’s nothing, I really don’t want to admit it, but am I wrong? Have I made a mistake somewhere? I mean, that kind of thought. After thinking that….”

“Tell me more, Dick.”

“It just felt like the floor was collapsing. Everything was bleak.”

In fact, the administration led by Bush was thriving after he left.

Internally, the simultaneous departure of two key figures in the Republican Party caused significant disruption for a while, but it wasn’t enough to dismantle the entire system. If the Republican Party were so fragile that the absence of two individuals could cripple it, it wouldn’t have become a major force in American politics.

“Actually, the Republican Party’s support base has grown. Isn’t that right?”

Some, like the state police, had turned away, but closer ties had been forged with large corporations due to the facilitation of overseas business. The Republican Party’s message had been planted in the minds of young people who would soon have the right to vote, and military enlistment rates among young people had increased considerably.

“You have achieved everything I aimed for. Or do you disagree?”

He was more stubborn than I had imagined, so it must have been difficult for him to admit these things. The series of events must have been quite shocking to him.

“I’ve contemplated many things while occupying this Vice President’s seat, but I lacked the confidence to achieve so much in such a short time. So I’m going to observe from the sidelines for a while.”

“Are you going to be a salary thief?”

“That’s fine. Salary thief.”

‘When someone experiences a major shock in old age, they become set in their ways, is that what this means?’

As people age, their worldview becomes less susceptible to change. They’ve lived a certain way for decades. So when that worldview is challenged, they become disoriented. The younger generation labels this resistance as ‘kkondae’ [a Korean term for an older person who is condescending and resistant to change].

‘He doesn’t want to be a kkondae?’

That was a positive sign. I was trying to utilize him cautiously because I couldn’t simply discard him. Even a car is dangerous if you only consider its potential for harm – a metal object capable of traveling at 180 km/h. But when driven responsibly, it’s an incredibly useful mode of transportation.

Dick Cheney was such an asset to Bush.

“Take this.”

“Hmm?”

Dick Cheney tossed something, which Bush caught effortlessly. It was the paper airplane from earlier.

“1 million dollars.”

It was the moment when Dick Cheney’s name was removed from the ‘list of people to be most wary of’ that Kim Kap-hwan [a character from the fighting game series Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters] had created after entering George W. Bush’s body and was newly registered on the ‘list of people to watch’.