What Transformed Cheney?

A reader writes:

This morning you wrote:

"And that, surely, is what really lies behind Cheney's embrace of torture, lawlessness, murder and violence: he does not have the nerve to defeat Jihadism the way the West has always defeated its enemies. Like many on the far right fringes, he is motivated primarily by fear, and paralyzed by paranoia."

Agreed. But you're forgetting two other primary motivators for Cheney's actions: guilt, for allowing the worst attacks ever on American soil to occur on his watch despite clear and present warnings, and self-interest, personal and political -- he had to show results before the next elections; what better way than to hire Jack Bauer and set him lose? You're also forgetting "stupidity".

Two words to describe Cheney's appalling record: he panicked.