Opinion (Ann McFeatters): What's up with Cheney?

A group of Republican lawmakers was waiting for an elevator on Capitol Hill when one of them said in frustration to his colleagues, "What's with Cheney? Anybody know?"

One colleague muttered, "The guy's getting a little strange, seems to me. Big chip on his shoulder."

Vice President Dick Cheney has re-emerged from the shadows, causing a new ripple of speculation about whether his pit-bull attitude serves the president well, whether he's the one dictating Iraq policy, whether he's even thinking clearly.

Cheney, who was in charge of vetting potential running mates for George W. Bush in 2000 and ended up taking the job himself, is an enigma to many. Whether swearing at a Democrat on the Senate floor or calling former defense chief Donald Rumsfeld the best secretary of defense in U.S. history, Cheney's conduct makes even some Republicans nervous.

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