U.S. News has a long and worthwhile profile of David Addington, Dick Cheney’s righthand man, and the key force behind the United States’ abandonment of the Geneva Conventions on torture and prisoner abuse. Money quote:
Little known outside the West Wing and the inner sanctums of the CIA, the Pentagon, and the State Department, Addington is a genial colleague who also possesses an explosive temper that he does not hesitate to direct at those who oppose him. Addington, says an admiring former White House official, is "the most powerful person no one has never heard of."
His belief in an untrammeled, extra-legal executive power is as fervent as it has proven dangerous and maladroit.
The Dish 