A U.S. newspaper says former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney believed his former boss, then-President George W. Bush, relied less on his advice in his second term and sought a more conciliatory public position.
The Washington Post says Cheney, who has been described as the most powerful U.S. vice president, has said "the statute of limitations has expired" on many of his secrets.
It quotes his authorized biographer, Stephen Hayes, as saying Cheney said he has strong feelings about what happened in the Bush administration and that he does not have any reason not to "forthrightly express those views."
The newspaper quotes a participant in a recent gathering with Cheney to discuss his book as saying Cheney felt Mr. Bush was "moving away from him" in his second term.
The participant is quoted as saying the implication was that Mr. Bush had gone "soft" on him, or rather had hardened against Cheney's advice.
The person is quoted as saying Mr. Bush showed an "independence" that Cheney did not see coming, as the president sought to be more conciliatory and make concessions to public sentiment.
The newspaper says Cheney, distressed that Mr. Bush had not pardoned top White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, will describe his heated arguments with the president on that topic in full in his book, expected to be published in 2011.
Libby, who was Cheney's chief of staff, was convicted in 2007 of perjury and obstruction of justice for misleading investigators probing the leak of the identity of former CIA covert officer Valerie Plame. Then-President Bush commuted Libby's 30-month jail sentence, but did not pardon him.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.