Cheney: "I've got a lot of rivers to fish"

The outgoing vice president defends his actions and says he's retiring from public life.

Published January 8, 2009 4:33PM (EST)

If you're reading this and you happen to be a fish living in the general area of Wyoming, you might want to get to migrating. Like right now. Because Dick Cheney is coming.

Wednesday, the outgoing vice president told CBS radio that he's done with public life. "I think it's time for somebody like me to step aside and make room for others. And I've got things I want to do and ways I can spend my time," Cheney said. "I've got a lot of rivers to fish. So I don't think anybody will feel sorry for me. They shouldn't."

Cheney, who talked about the possibility of writing a book, also defended his time in the Bush administration and said his role has been exaggerated. "The notion that somehow I was pulling strings or making presidential-level decisions. I was not," he said. "There was never any question about who was in charge. It was George Bush... This whole notion that somehow I exceeded my authority here, was usurping his authority, is simply not true. It's an urban legend, never happened."


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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