Dick Cheney slams Obama in his bio, causing controversy

Former Vice President Dick Cheney can be a polarizing figure even six years out of office.

The Wyoming State Bar invited Cheney, a prominent Republican with deep Wyoming ties, to be keynote speaker at its annual convention next week.

Some lawyers are objecting, both to Cheney's selection and to how the bar announced his appearance.

The state bar is a quasi-governmental entity that administers the legal profession using some taxpayer money. In its announcement of Cheney's speech, it published an unedited biography submitted by Cheney in which he criticized President Obama, saying he weakened the United States' security posture.

The biography submitted by Cheney noted that he and former President George W. Bush left office in January 2009.

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"Shortly thereafter, President Obama began to dismantle the security policies that had kept the nation safe," the Cheney biography stated. "His policy decisions have led to a reversal of the gains America made in the war on terror in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, and a weakening of America across the globe."

Cheney's responsibility for the current problems in Iraq -- where the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has gained ground this year -- is a matter of dispute. Even some in his party, such as Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, have said that instead of blaming the president for the ferocious Islamist insurgency there, Cheney and others should take a look in the mirror.

Sharon Wilkinson, executive director of the Wyoming state bar, said Cheney's office provided the biographical information and that the bar ran it without editing it.

The latest edition of the state bar magazine, Wyoming Lawyer, featured an apology from the bar for running Cheney's material.

"Certain remarks that appeared in Vice President Cheney's biography in the annual meeting registration materials have prompted expressions of concern from several members who viewed those comments as inappropriate for a Wyoming State Bar publication," said the editor's note in the magazine. It said the bar would re-examine its longstanding practice of running speakers' biographical materials without editing them.

Wilkinson said the bar heard from a handful of lawyers who said they wouldn't attend the convention because of its choice of Cheney as keynote speaker. "And as you can imagine, many are thrilled with our choice and are looking forward to attending," she said.

Cheyenne lawyer and Democratic state legislator Mary Throne is among those who say they won't attend.

"Obviously, I have a lot of respect for the office of vice president and his service to Wyoming," Throne said of Cheney. "It does seem an odd choice for a bar banquet. Traditionally, it's somebody with a legal background, and not someone who's so active in politics, frankly. So, I do not plan on attending the banquet."

William McKellar, a Cheyenne lawyer, is past president of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. He said there was an active online discussion among association members about the choice of Cheney.

"I took exception to those comments," McKellar said. "I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool Dick Cheney supporter. On the other hand, I think he's a great American and has done a great service for the United States and the state of Wyoming, and I think it's totally appropriate and proper for Vice President Cheney to come and speak at an association such as the Wyoming State Bar Convention."

The former vice president has taken several opportunities this year to charge that President Obama is weak, and terrorists are going to take advantage of that. To raise money for a new hawkish foreign policy organization, Cheney sent out fundraising emails that echoed his Wall Street Journal op-ed on the "Collapsing Obama Doctrine."

However, his policy views are not popular. For instance, Cheney thinks the Iraq war he helped launch was a success, but according to a recent CBS poll, only 18 percent think that the Iraq war was worth it. That's the lowest that figure has ever been, though it is still higher than Cheney's approval rating when he left office, which was 13 percent.