How far was Dick Cheney (right) willing to go to get his war in Iraq? Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, quoted in Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman’s new book, says the vice president hoodwinked him during a one-on-one meeting in the Capitol.

Armey claims he was wavering on the Iraq war, until Cheney fed him a bunch of bunk about suitcase nukes and the like.

“Did Dick Cheney … purposely tell me things he knew to be untrue? … I seriously feel that may be the case. … Had I known or believed then what I believe now, I would have publicly opposed [the war] resolution right to the bitter end.”

That’s Armey, in a quote from the book as reported by The Washington Post, perhaps doing a bit of legacy polishing.

One might ask the distinguished gentleman from Texas why he didn’t bother to request any intelligence during his private cherry-picking session.