Cheney: A VP With Unprecedented Power

When a president leaves office after eight years, journalists typically write retrospectives about his time in office. The vice president is barely mentioned, if at all. But President Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney, is like no other in American history.

Before Cheney, discussion about the vice presidency focused on how to make the office stronger, more effective. Not any more.

"Vice President Cheney has been the most powerful vice president that we've ever had," said Joel Goldstein, author of The Modern American Vice Presidency.