Jason Rhyne
Raw Story
Friday October 12, 2007

Cheney tells Fox he disagreed with decision to let Rumsfeld go; still thought he was 'right guy'

Fox News conducted a poll on Sept. 11 to gauge American sentiment toward Dick Cheney, a survey it commissioned in support of a new documentary the channel is producing about the vice president.

The poll, which found 44 percent of registered voters would feel comfortable should the vice president have to take over for President Bush, among other data, was commissioned as part of "Dick Cheney: No Retreat," a profile which features an exclusive interview with Cheney and his wife, Lynne.

The new numbers are based on calls made over a two-day span from Sept. 11-12, although it is not clear to what degree timing the poll on the sixth anniversary of the tragedy might have influenced the results.

According to an advance report about the new documentary on the Fox News website, Cheney says that when President Bush gave Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld his walking papers last year -- the day after surging Democrats retook Congress in mid-term elections -- he had disagreed with the decision.

"Cheney said despite Rumsfeld's controversial handling of the war in Iraq, the secretary of defense was managing the war successfully," according to Fox.

"Speaking openly with Bret Baier in the new documentary," the story continues, "the vice president said he 'thought that in terms of the way forward, Don was the right guy to continue to lead the Department of Defense.'"

"I wouldn't be where I am today if it hadn't been for what Don Rumsfeld was willing to do," Cheney told interviewer Baier, adding that he was thankful for "the opportunity he was willing to give me nearly 40 years ago."

"Cheney met Rumsfeld in 1968, when Cheney, then a congressional fellow from Wyoming, and Rumsfeld, a junior congressman from Illinois, were in Washington," according to Fox. Rumsfeld subsequently offered Cheney a job in the Nixon administration.

With loyalty in mind, the vice president advised Bush not to let Rumsfeld go last November, but the president remained firm.

"Well, the way I put is, is that he wished Secretary Rumsfeld hadn't left, and wished to see him remain as the secretary of defense," Bush told Fox News about Cheney's opinion. "He's telling you the truth. And that's, that's the truth.”

The newly released Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll connected to the documentary charted Cheney's current approval rating at 34 percent, one point lower than in March, although the latest number falls within the previous survey's margin of error.

The poll also found Americans evenly divided about the scope of Cheney's power. 36 percent of those polled said the vice president had "too much influence" on the Bush administration, compared to 35 percent who said his influence was "about right."