larry johnson speaks about darth cheney;

Dick Cheney’s death, at the age of 84, is further proof that the proverb, Only the Good Die Young, is true. Cheney is a symbol of everything that is wrong with Washington. He became wealthy, not because he was brilliant or creative, but because he had the right connections. I know something of Cheney’s start in Washington thanks to a dear friend, who is no longer alive, who told me the true story… His name was Bruce Bradley.

First I need to give you some background on Bruce. Bruce was the son of one of the founders of Lockheed Martin. At the ripe old age of 23, Bruce joined the 1964 Goldwater campaign as an aide to Goldwater’s Vice Presidential candidate, William Miller. Following that failed campaign, Bruce snared a job as chief of staff to Congressman Robert Ellsworth of Kansas, who also happened to be the mentor of Donald Rumsfeld. Bruce told me that he and Rumsfeld played squash almost every week… Rumsfeld was a freshman member of Congress.

In 1967, Bruce was approached by Nelson Rockefeller and asked to work on his campaign… Bruce was good at math and was put in charge of putting together a database on delegates needed to secure the nomination. He also was asked to supervise Henry Kissinger. Rockefeller failed to secure the nomination, Bruce went back to his job with Congressman Ellsworth, and Kissinger went to work for Nixon. When Nixon won the election in 1968, Kissinger was named as National Security advisor, and he offered Bruce a job as his deputy. Bruce said he told Henry the following: Henry, you are a terrific subordinate, you know how to kiss ass better than anyone I’ve ever met, but as a boss you would be impossible to work for.......more.......