George W. Bush is irrelevant of his own volition, because whatever his intellectual deficiencies may be, he at least has sense enough to not defend the indefensible in public. Cheney, on the other hand, was always the alpha dog in that relationship, and both he and the media know that his poisonous musings make for good copy. And sad to say, there are still a not-insignificant chunk of the electorate who still subscribe to his warped point of view.

When either people finally decide to stop paying attention to what Cheney has to say, or he finally drops dead, then he'll be irrelevant. Until then, it's probably best that we at least not take him seriously -- as you obviously don't, Jeralyn -- and instead treat him like a piñata at a child's birthday party. so, grab a rhetorical stick, and have at him.

I do, happily agree, that he has become irrelevant - even though he continues to appear on public media with annoying frequency.

His exhortations have fallen flat.
They have had, thankfully, no perceptible impact on policy - or, from what I read, on public opinion either.

The more he bellows, the more transparent he becomes - and the more obvious the nature of his perfidy and crimes.

It reminds me a little of Joe McCarthy - continuing to holler after the room had emptied.

What I sincerely hope is that we will not let ourselves be led astray by his like again. Fear, poverty, joblessness - all contribute to the rise of these crazed despots.

Other old guard zombies of note, such as Wolfie, Rummy and Kristol may be irrelevant to all but cable news. However,  they have assumed the bodies of younger blood.   Paul Ryan, for example, apparently turned his ball cap around long enough to claim that President Obama was "weak and indecisive"--for, you see, it is Obama, not the neocon's delusional and deceitful Iraq military intervention that bears responsibility.  

I worry that Cheney is a part of a neo-neocon movement to change the national mood and provide another bite at the apple--it would have worked but for---(fill in the blank).   Republicans never seem embarrassed by the likes of Cheney, and why should they, most believe him to be right, or at least worth a cheer, as he bashes the President.  

There is also defense from hunger, defense from illness, defense from economic exploitation, defense from a quasi-police state, defense from the military-industrial complex corrupting the democratic process.  Me thinks you got no love for the defense the American people actually need, instead obsessing over defense from imaginary threats that just so happened to make you and friends very wealthy.

But he is also a coward.  He receive deferment after deferment to avoid Vietnam.