Filed by KOSU News in US News.
August 24, 2011

You’ll be hearing a lot about former Vice President Dick Cheney in the next couple of weeks. His memoir, In My Life, hits stores Aug. 29. And on that same day, NBC News will air an exclusive interview with Cheney during “Dateline,” and another one during “Today” on Aug. 30.

Today, NBC news released snippets of Jamie Gangel’s interview with Cheney. Among the highlights are that Cheney had a signed resignation letter in a safe at all times.

“I did it because I was concerned that – for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One was my own health situation. The possibility that I might have a heart attack or a stroke that would be incapacitating. And, there is no mechanism for getting rid of a Vice President who can’t function.”

Also in the interview, the vice president takes on the issue of enhanced interrogation, including waterboarding, head on. Here’s their exchange:

JAMIE GANGEL:In your view, we should still be using enhanced interrogation?

MR. DICK CHENEY:Yes.

JAMIE GANGEL:No regrets?

MR. DICK CHENEY:No regrets.

JAMIE GANGEL:Should we still be waterboarding terror suspects?

MR. DICK CHENEY:I would strongly support using it again if we had a high value detainee and that was the only way we could get him to talk.

JAMIE GANGEL:Even though so many people have condemned it, people call it torture; you think it should still be a tool?

MR. DICK CHENEY:Yes.

[Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]