Fair enough--he's not so much of a has-been, more of a never really was

AP headline:

Don't call ex-Vice President Cheney a has-been

Here we see, again, the bizarre obsession the press seems to have with giving weight to the opinions of absolute failures (also see: Gingrich, Newt).

At this point, Cheney's speaking up should be greeted roundly with,

"Go fuck yourself, Emperor Cheney."

But instead, they insist upon treating him as if he were the statue of Lincoln come back to life.