I've just finished Bob Woodward's superb Plan Of Attack which -- like his last book "Bush At War" -- is a painstakingly researched account of the days leading up to last year's invasion of Iraq.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is insight it gives into the mind of Dick Cheney -- most notably his hardline right wing ideology, his refusal to explore a non-military solution to the problem of Saddam Hussein and his utter contempt for the UN.

I was interested, therefore, to read a profile of the vice president in this week's Economist.

The piece is suitably scathing:

"The biggest mistakes of (the Bush) administration, from the blithe acceptance of soaring deficits to the insistence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, have Mr Cheney's fingerprints all over them.

"He resisted attempts to get both congressional and UN approval for the invasion of Iraq. He has repeatedly favoured secrecy and “executive privilege” over consultation and compromise.

"The cumulative effect of all these mistakes not only suggests a worrying preference for ideology over common sense, but an arrogant indifference to the checks and balances that are the glory of the American constitution."

The Economist profile is all the more relevant after hearing Cheney's breathtaking smear against John Kerry.