Dicked again
The big question right now among Republicans is how to remove Vice President Cheney from office.
Even before this week’s blockbuster series in The Post, discontent in Republican ranks was rising.
I like how the Washington Post refers to their series as a “blockbuster post”, a series which — incidentally — only tells us what anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear and noses to smell have either known or suspected all along.
That leaves Fred Thompson. Everybody loves Fred. He has the healing qualities of Gerald Ford and the movie-star appeal of Ronald Reagan. He is relatively moderate on social issues. He has a reputation as a peacemaker and a compromiser. And he has a good sense of humor.
I hate this article. I am reminded of seeing speculation from 1971, laying out the scenario where this would happen, that a Democratic Presidential Nominee Edmund Muskie may select a black running mate. You will note that he did not. More recently, in 2004, peak oil enthusiast Michael Ruppert was one of many, both off the edges of the political scene and around the center, that Cheney would be thumped as vice president in preparation for that race. The idea was a bit incredulous seeing as, we all know, Dick Cheney is more powerful than George W Bush.
Actually my favorite speculative boohaahee of recent vintage was the presidential bid of Condoleezza Rice. Based on what information, no one knows, except that the idea made various peoples (Dick Morris in particular) hot.
Who wrote this speculative article anyways?
The writer is co-host, with John Meacham, of On Faith, an online conversation about religion.
Who’s that? I’m not saying he is necessarily wrong — maybe Cheney is being given the boot — though I imagine the triumvarte of Romney-Giuliani-McCain would be a bit peeved by Fred Thompson’s ascension to vice-president– but why would he have any insight that you or I do not have on the issue of Cheney and the churnings of Republican politics?
June 26th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Look, Cheney’s a huge drag on our side. Everyone knows it, and everyone contributed to the knifing that this article was. But Fred would not, repeat not sign up as VP.
Condi would take the promotion if Bush really needed her there. No way one of the guys in the field would go work in this WH, especially after Bush has bashed the Base on immigration and found a way to kill off the McCain candidacy.
June 26th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Agreed. If Cheney exits stage right, I will basically accept the series of Washington Post articles as a coup d’etat from within the Republican Party– in large part to salvage the Party’s 2008 chances. What annoys me about this article is the floating of the name Fred Thompson, the name placed there to fill out the conspiracy: Why: an heir apparent! Condi Rice is the most logical vice presidential replacement, if we even really need such a thing right now with less than 2 years remaining, and less than a year before the focus of politics is moved to the nominees, as the parties align themselves to that focal point as opposed to Bush — Cheney.