Elon Musk is the new Dick Cheney

The comparison isn't flattering to either man

President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union in 2007, with Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauding. (White House Photo: David Bohrer.)

For three months in 2000, Dick Cheney vetted potential running mates for George W. Bush’s presidential candidacy. And then, shortly before the Republican convention, Bush announced his choice for vice president: Dick Cheney.

Cheney was the head of the defense contracting firm Halliburton, but also had deep experience in the federal government, having served in the White House during the Nixon, Ford and George H.W. Bush administrations and as the single member of Congress from Wyoming. The Bush-Cheney ticket was elected that year, after the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount of votes in the crucial state of Florida.

Five years older than the new president, the famously-secretive Cheney was an adept operator, ever-present behind the scenes in the White House. During Bush’s first term, "he was so influential that it was…