Dick Cheney in Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush

On Crime: Aggressively sought Scooter Libby pardon in 2007 & 2009

I faced an agonizing decision. I could let Scooter go to jail. Or I could commute his sentence. Some in the White House, led by the vice president, pushed aggressively for a pardon. In 2007, I announced, "The prison sentence given to Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the sentence."

In the closing days of the administration in 2009, Dick pressed his case that Scooter should be pardoned [to clear Libby's criminal record]. I reached the same conclusion as in 2007, and I informed Dick that I would not issue a pardon. He stared at me with an intense look. "I can't believe you're going to leave a soldier on the battlefield," he said. In 8 years, I had never seen Dick like this.

On Principles & Values: 2004: Offered that Bush run for re-election with another VP

I did consider his offer, about the possibility of asking Bill Frist. While Dick helped with important parts of our base he had become a lightning rod for criticism. One myth was that Dick was actually running the White House . Everyone inside the building knew that was not true. But the impression was out there. Accepting Dick's offer would be one way to demonstrate that I was in charge.

The more I thought about it, the more strongly I felt Dick should stay. I hadn't picked him to be a political asset; I had chosen him to help me do the job. That was exactly what he had done. Most important, I trusted Dick.

On War & Peace: 2001: Counseled attacking Iraq after Afghanistan

Colin cautioned against it. "We would lose the UN, the Islamic countries, and NATO. If we want to do Iraq, we should do it at a time of our choosing. But we should not do it now, because we don't have linkage to this event."

Dick Cheney understood the threat of Saddam Hussein and believed we had to address it. "But now is not a good time to do it," he said. "We would lose our momentum. Right now people have to choose between the US and the bad guys."

I welcomed the vigorous debate. Unless I received definitive evidence tying Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 plot, I would work to resolve the Iraq problem diplomatically. I hoped unified pressure by the world might compel Saddam to meet his international obligations. The best way to show him we were serious was to succeed in Afghanistan.