Vice President Cheney Becomes Commander-in-Chief at Night.

                                                           Big Dick Dreams


Vice President Dick Cheney dreams. Sometimes Big Dreams. Sometimes little
dreams. The Big Dreams must be submitted to the National Security Council
(NSC), as per instructions of John Ashcroft. These dreams are then analyzed
by Dr. Abigail Sly, MD and Jungian analyst at Harvard University, who
interviews the subject and provides a written report to the subject and NSC
under an “Eyes Only” stamp.

Since the Vice President has spent so long in undisclosed locations and
since he is very inactive due to a heart condition, he dreams a lot. In
fact, there is evidence that his foreign policy recommendations are
dream-based. A history buff, Cheney often mentions at fund raisers the
example of Constantine who saw a large crucifix in the sky before he went
into battle--and converted. President Bush has apparently told Cheney to
sleep as much as he likes, even during meetings, because “this dream stuff
seems to be working out.”

The New York Times obtained a copy of a Dr. Sly analysis of Cheney dreams
from early September 2002. The dreams are summarized as follows in Cheney’s
language which has been edited by Sly.

1. I have my back to a brick wall. I am at a height, as if on a ledge. I am
trying to hold on, salute and handle a weapon at the same time.

2. Below me men march in formation holding angular water bottles instead of
rifles. One is holding a large, slim Evian bottle. Off to the side
instructors are demonstrating how to dislodge chunky water containers from
the hands of terrorists. The recommendation is for subtle movements, prying
their fingers back.

3. I look up at the outside of a tenement building one might see in a city.
From the windows hand large displays of American flags, images of firemen
and Santa Claus. The scene appears celebratory.

4. I am feeding dolphins an endless supply of fish because the sea they are
in is polluted and all fish have died.


Dr. Sly responds. From a Jungian point of view we must make an effort to
stay with the image. Dreams are not literal manifestations of events. Also,
we must consider dreams like this as a series representing connected
psychological states,

The subject is obviously overwhelmed with martial imagery from various
sources. War is currently in our consciousness and that in itself brings up
primitive and strange imagery from the collective. War talk is daylight
language. Dreams are a way of compensating for a possibly one-sides
daylight view. Dreams might offer alternatives, cautions, warnings and the
like. They often invite us to look at our shadow side, which we repress.
But please keep in mind dream analysis is not policy. And also keep in mind
the caution of the ancients who said, “he who doesn’t dream has lost his
soul.”

In dream #1 the subject seems to be isolated, high and dry so to speak,
with his back to the wall, juggling his military and ceremonial roles. That
the subject is at a height suggests that there is inflation involved. He is
high above his men looking down on them. He has an exaggerated sense of his
position, but he is not completely secure. He could be doing too much.
Perhaps he really thinks of himself as Commander-in-Chief. Given the fact
that the media has so anointed him as the shadow president, this dream
language is not surprising. The danger is that he might believe it  Dreams
remind us not to believe our own press releases. The subject’s
psychological map seems not to fit the territory. 

In dream #2 men on parade is a normal military event. However, the men are
holding water bottles in the shapes of rifles. Perhaps the subject has a
thirst for power that is not being fully satisfied. Perhaps he sees the
military as a life-giving force in that the men will deliver sustenance
rather than violence. If so, the dream could be suggesting this is a naive
view, more the stuff of public relations that reality. Possibly the subject
considers the upcoming battle a kind of Crusade in which the savior
Americans bring water to a parched, heathen lands. The subject must be
careful here. The psyche might be reminding him of the dangers associated
with Manifest Destiny. The Evian bottle might be a reminder of the often
exaggerated French military prowess. And note that the training regimen to
disarm terrorists suggests subtle movement. Might the dream suggest that
there are other ways than a headlong battle. Maybe the subject should be
thinking about the effect water and subtlety could have on this barren
land.

Dream #3 seems celebratory on its face. The subject sees icons of American
culture suggesting that, in his mind, those being liberated might welcome
the invaders. He must be careful of wish-fulfillment and inflation. There
is little evidence that Iraqi citizens are waiting for American troops with
open arms. The subject must guard against sentimentalism and a simplistic
world view.

Dream #4 shows the subject feeding fish to peace-loving dolphins in a
polluted sea. The similarities with the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000
cannot be lost on us, given the context of these dreams. There is an
endless supply of fish. America is the messianic force that will feed the
hungry, peaceful people of the world trapped in a polluted sea.  The
subject seem comfortable with this analysis.

In summary I consider these dreams to be quite helpful as they provide a
compensatory balance to the martial language the subject is exposed to on
an hourly basis. He should remember his position is precarious, that he can
slip and fall. He should think about why his soldiers are carrying water.
Might this be to put out the conflagration that he fears. Does the desert
give the foe a psychological advantage? He should be careful seeing the
icons of American culture as welcome signs. He doesn’t know what’s behind
them. Moreover, the subject might well be projecting psychologically what
the country does demonstrably with pop culture--making the world over in
the American image. Most of all he should be wary of dreams that suggest
his role and that of the country are divinely inspired. 

The subject must be wary of psychological inflation, a distorted sense of
his own worth. He must be cognizant of his quest for power that seems to be
increasing as war talk grows. Perhaps he really wants to be President (For
the record the subject flatly denies this desire).

Big Dreams have consequences. And the dreamer has responsibilities.