Cheney in 2012? Now there’s a real September surprise

When George W. Bush selected Dick Cheney to be his running mate in 2000, some political observers thought it was a smart move.

After all, Cheney had cut his political teeth working for the candidate’s father and had already endured several heart attacks. So, the thinking went, the 60-year-old Cheney would not be a political rival to the new president, staging occasional rear-action insurrections, just a steadying veteran hand.

Right. In fact Cheney became the most powerful vice president in history, and Barton Gellman argues in his book "Angler" that Cheney did most of the steering in George W. Bush’s first term.

Now, nine years later, having survived heart seizures and eight years of the Bush administration, Cheney has emerged as an energizing force in Republican politics, becoming the most outspoken Bush-era critic of the Obama administration.

While the former president maintains a dignified public silence about his views, his former vice president has turned into a media pit bull -- accusing the new president of putting the country at risk by closing Guantanamo Bay and banning torture, accusing Atty. Gen. Eric Holder of politicizing the fight against terrorism by investigating CIA interrogators.

On Moday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs let him have it, accusing the former vice president of getting his facts wrong, of "the same song and dance we've heard almost from the first day."

Now comes James Taranto, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, who is suggesting that Cheney would be a terrific presidential candidate in 2012. If national security emerges as the key issue in the election, he argues, “Republicans would be wise to nominate someone with both toughness and experience. Under such circumstances, it’s hard to think of a better candidate -- assuming, of course, that he could be persuaded to run -- than Richard B. Cheney.”

The calculus: If the Afghanistan war worsens, it will become Obama’s war. And if terrorists attack this country again, a fierce voice on national security might have a chance. Plus, Cheney is writing his memoirs, a sure route to the presidency.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Dick Cheney speaks at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation's annual Journalism Awards ceremony on June 1. Credit: Getty Images

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Comments

[Chet]

I think Cheney should defend what was done during the Bush presidency. Eric Holder and Obama should leave Bush alone and concentrate on getting Ben Laden, terrorist and ending the war in afghanistan. If the war was wrong in iraq, why is there a war in afghanistan and so many american solders are dying? This administration is doing little about it. Maybe the next president will investigate Obama for crimes he and his activist administration is committing to america. Examle: Obama's unconstitutional bill forcing people to pay for government healthcare that they don't want.

[Chet]

Cheney in 2012 is not a bad idea. Barack Obama does not know what he's doing and has no leadership so he leaves decisions on everything to his cabinet and the demo congress. You get conflicting comments from him and his administration because they all have different plans. There is no concrete guide lines from the president. Example: what does Obama really know about the healthcare bill? Not much, he haven't read it. And so on.

[Chad]

Dick Cheney won't be around to see 2012. He has lived too slovenly a life, has been too lazy to exercise, and as a consequence has so many clogged arteries that he could go any day.

[vic]

For those critizing Cheney and want him to be quiet, will you stop blaming the Bush administration for everything? Will you stop lambasting their 8 years?

Cheney has every right to get out and defend the record of the Bush administration.

he was VP and pit bull, and that is the same role he has now. He was the media defender then, and he is the media defender now.

He only started criticizing Obama and his team AFTER all we heard was it's Bush's fault.

Don't throw stones in a glass house... if are willing to dish criticism be ready to take it.

Bush never liked the media because reporters are mostly POS, and always misquoted him. So he will probably never make himself available like Cheney has.

But kudos to Cheney for doing the American thing and stepping up to defend himself.

[KB]

Chet, maybe you can explain what Bush did to get Bin Laden. Oh yeah, he invaded Iraq, killed 4,500 of our soldiers and decimated the military. Too bad his aim was off. So, Obama is left with Bush's unfinished and forgotten war, the one that was legitimate, to address.

By the way, Obama has committed no crime and passing legislation is not criminal either, regardless of whether you think it is unconstitutional (really? have you read Article II to the Constitution where it says Congress has the right to regulate interstate commerce? I'm going to guess not). Meanwhile, torturing people, spying on Americans without court supervision, lying to Congress, lying to investigators, etc. are all crimes - that means there are laws that prohibit these things. In order to commit a crime, you have to break laws. Bush and Cheney broke laws, lots of them. That makes them criminals, not Obama. Got it?

[mkt]

The reason why the war in Iraq was wrong while the war in Afghanistan was necessary was this: the Taliban government in Afghanistan hosted the Al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked and killed thousands of Americans.

Meanwhile Iraq did not host Al-Qaeda (until after the US stupidly attacked Iraq), did not attack the US, did not have weapons of mass destruction, did not etc.

It's very simple. Attacking Afghanistan was necessary retribution for an attack on the US. Attacking Iraq after the WTC bombing was idiotic and incoherent, because they were not involved.

Consider what the US should have done after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Declare war on Japan? Check. Declare war on China? No, that's an example of stupidly attacking the wrong country. And stupidly attacking the wrong country is exactly what Bush did in the case of the Iraq War. Afghanistan was the right country and the right war. Iraq was the wrong country and the wrong war.

[Todd]

There "is" no subject-verb agreement from you, Chet. Maybe someone should investigate where you learned to speak English, and prosecute them for failure to teach you basic rules of grammar. Example: "If the war was wrong in iraq, why is there a war in afghanistan and so many american solders are dying?"
This sentence is not only completely nonsensical, it suggests that you fail to understand the basic reasons propelling each conflict. You sound like a fifteen-year old parroting what his neoconservative parents have told him.

Cheney in 2012? That's just...un-American.

[Blondie]

Cheney needs to retire and take a hike!Better yet pen a book,join the college lecture tours around the country.The lecture tours pay quite well.We had enough of him and Mr.Bush.

[Chet for Pres!]

I'd like to nominate Chet for office in 2012.

[Giovanni Faga]

Cheney for 2012?

You betcha!

[AB]

Chet. Go back to English 101 and pay attention this time. - AB

[h]

He did seem to be positioning himself a little in that egregious so called "interview" he gave Chris Wallace. If there were another terrorist attack on the US he would run without hesitation, knowing that stirring up fear is his special gift and creating enough fear would be his chance to win. I wonder if all the "bad heart" talk was mere shrewd smokescreen, that it isn't nearly as bad as he made it out to be, because it painted him as a non-threat to Bush, giving him an easier path to the VP job.

Dreadful mendacious, calculating man. He is Shakespeare's Iago.

.

[AB]

Looks like the Mayans were right after all. - AB

[Michael D]

Cheney - Palin in 2012! Fantastic! This would guarantee four more years for President Obama to continue to undo the mess that Bush/Cheney Inc got us into. We could call the ticket Crazy and Crazier. Seriously, though, are the Republicans so far gone that they would consider this bizarre ideologue as a presidential candidate? Where is Bill Buckley when we need him?

[John]

After all the Mayans were correct in predicting the end of the world in 2012.

[Reason]

"If the war was wrong in iraq, why is there a war in afghanistan..." Really Chet? Really? Wow! The misguided and misinformed fringe never cease to intrigue and terrify me - all at the same time.

[guy misterioso]

I think Cheney in 2012 is a fantastic idea. If there is anyone that could run the GOP further into the ground than Sarah Palin it's Richard "Dick" Cheney. What were his approval ratings when he left office, somewhere south of 18%? Cheney running would be an absolute godsend to the Democrats. I certainly hope that all sane GOPers realize that the only way out of their morass is to find smart, intellectually honest politicians that would appeal to independents and even moderate Democrats.

[Wade]

Reading the comments of Chet, and the breathtakingly delusional WSJ editorial, it is clear that the Republican Party wants Obama to fail so badly they can taste it. This is a party whose leadership was handed a healthy surplus it managed to turn into a massive deficit; that created Medicare Part D to get the senior vote and lied to the country about the costs; that held secret meetings where representatives of Big Energy and Big Oil were allowed to shape public policy; that lied the country into a war; that spied on Americans and illegally tortured in our name; that outed a covert CIA agent and fired government staff attorneys for political purposes. And on, and on, and on. Please tell me why would anyone, other than its members, bother listening to these people? Let them feign ignorance that the Obama administration could clean up their huge, stinking mess in a mere seven months. Rational beings know it's not possible.

[DMaz]

Dick Cheney will have to first engineer a terrorist attack on the US so that he can show that Obama didn't keep us safe. So bewarned my fellow US Citizens, the next terrorist attack is going to be a false-flag operation by Mr. Cheney and the republicans.

Continue to ignore the fact that Obama has kept us safe for now over 150 days.....

[Brian C.]

Spoken like a true idiotic republican. Want to talk about crimes and destroying the Constitution Chet? Moron Bush destroyed this country in so many ways. I'd love to have that chat with you but I'm afraid trying to talk to you about the truth would be like talking to a bag of hair.

[Geoffrey Levens]

Cheney should be first up in the docket for war crimes trial. This would be funny if it weren't so terrifying.

[century33]

is it just me ............. or does he look like The Penguin from Batman?

[Matthew]

Chet - you may want to do a fact check on your constitutionality statement. You should probably also check your statement on government mandated health insurance. I don't beleive either of these points are either applicable to this article or true.

[Cecil]

Cheney, 71, 79 when he finishes two terms with a bum heart? and Palin as his running mate? Is that the best the "just say no party " can do? LOL

[David Torney]

The GOP is, after all, for those with Empathy Deficit Disorder. Throw Sarah Palin in the mix and they're beginning to look a lot like the Addams Family...

[Devin]

Chet, before you start criticizing our President you should learn how to spell. One is not taken very seriously about their foreign or domestic policy views when they can't spell.
Ben Laden= Bin Laden
afghanistan and iraq should be capitalized since they are countries
solders= soldiers
"is committing to america" = are committing
Examle=Example

Good luck!

[bradchisholm]

Please Sir! May we have some more!

[Cs Mom]

I would vote against Cheney for president again...

[Cino]

A true nut case seeking the total loss of the ethics and and respect for the sacred Constitution of this nation. The ONLY thing that lunatic should be nominated for is a JAIL-TERM!

[Go away Cheney!!]

Will someone stuff a dirty sock in this old war criminals mouth?? He should be put in Guantanamo and water boarded for his war crimes. He helped run this country into the ground and blame Obama??

[Schigolch]

Before the American people can trust him to be an American, Mr. Cheney needs to explain his involvement with Zionism. Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and Dalke Feith were appointed to critical positions under his sponsorship in 2001. These men created Operation Iraqi Freedom. That is Mr. Cheney's legacy. He needs to explain this to the American people, whose sons bled and died for this vision of a Greater Israel. Mr. Cheney, you're on.

[ewvdt]

Dick Cheney and Ron Paul, now that would be an interesting ticket!
I'd like to see Ron Paul in some major role in rescuing this country.

[Somniferous]

I'd laugh at this suggestion, but I also laughed when people suggested that Bush could win a second term; there's no limit to idiocy, I suppose.

[Richard]

" Eric Holder and Obama should leave Bush alone and concentrate on getting Ben[sic] Laden, terrorist and ending the war in afghanistan"

Bush should have left Iraq alone and focused on getting Bin Laden, other terrorists, and ending the war on facts/reason.

"If the war was wrong in iraq, why is there a war in afghanistan and so many american solders are dying?"

See above.

"I think Cheney should defend what was done during the Bush presidency."

Which part?
The huge number of banks that failed? The second worse recession ever? The highest deficit since WWII? Alienating the rest of the world? Desecrating the memory of everyone who has ever served this country by working day and night to destroy the rights for which they fought, and died, for?

[Tom]

Would not stand a chance. An individual who commits and condones war crimes just places our country and its fighting men and women in more danger. Stupid idea.

[ST]

Dick Cheney for President? For what country? Certainly not the United States. Cheney and Bush are the two rocket scientist that put this country at war with Iraq for no particular reason and nose dived the economy. I hope the Republicans can think of someone a hell of a lot better than this half dead geezer. Not to mention the overwhelming that Dick Cheney is flat out evil. The man hung out Scooter Libby out to dry. Blew the cover of a CIA agent during a time of war. That's called treason folks. Dick Cheney is a criminal on many different counts but as it goes with powerful men, he will never be tried in a court of law.

[Alex]

Chet, you seem to be skipping around on focal points here. From the strengths of Cheney, to Obama, to the war, to how Obama is bad, to healthcare ("examle"?). 1) Obama is ending the war in Iraq, and both wars were started by BUSH. 2) The terrorists are mainly concentrated in Afghanistan, which was the only war we should have even considered. 3) Cheney and Bush teabagged, burned, abused, and shredded the constitution, whether it was warrantless wiretapping, government spying, torture (ILLEGAL, plain and simple. Say what you want about terrorists, but our founding fathers must be rolling in our graves for what we do to the "terrorist suspects". A good amount of these are innocent civilians we know were innocent.) And get your facts straight: There is NOTHING, I repeat N-O-T-H-I-N-G in the current bill in the house that forces you to buy the government plan. If you don't want it, don't take it. And don't even get me started on death panels and the like.

[john shermer]

It's not Ben Laden as in Uncle Ben's Rice. It' Bin Laden.

It's amazing anyone can still claim to be a Republican. It's a very disorganized and painfully backwards political party. Still trying to patch itself together with Ultra-Pro-American/Right Wing/Conservative-Religious power grabbers. Individuals within the party are talking so loud because there are fewer of them to raise a voice together.

The Repubs will be absorbed into a different party...like the Independant party...within the next 20 years. Your days are numbered.

[A.J.>]

Chaney for President are you kidding me? Why does'nt this guy take his 13% approval rating and go away

[Karl]

What a ridiculous idea.

First of all, a man in his physical condition may not even live to 2012. And even if he did, the stresses of the Presidential campaign would probably kill him pretty quickly.

Poring through his record, I can't seem to find many things he's gotten right. Many of his pronouncements have been premature. Still others appear to be downright false, perhaps deliberately so. His appeal is limited to the most rabid partisans. And he seems to have very little respect for the law or our legislative processes.

I still don't understand how such a man came to be seen as "powerful". I believe this is a man who is inspired by fear and distrust. His decisions will only provide short-term benefits to a small number of loyalists at the expense of the nation as a whole. If the Republicans dared to publicly declare him as their candidate, or even rally around him as their leader, they would most certainly be doomed to obscurity.

[Mike in SD]

Please, yes! Put that old coot up for nomination and watch the whole Bush era come under the strict scrutiny it is missing now and called to account for itself and the devastating consequences that have been felt from Bush-Cheney in every corner of the globe.

[Dick Diamond]

As an a liberal independent I love it! Right candidate. We need Cheney and Palin to run with him. Should they get elected, the population of Canada will explode.

[Big Blue Patriot]

Ms. Neuman:

So, spewing lies,unabashedly breaking U.S. law and international treaties, selling the environment and the lives of American soldiers into corporate bondage and allowing TERRORISTS TO SUCCESSFULLY ATTACK THE U.S. on his watch ("doing most of the steering") are qualifications for the Presidency?

Sounds like you're developing a case of "Cheney Derrangement Syndrome."

Besides, by all reports, Sarah Palin has much better aim!

[Mark]

Dick Cheney is a brilliant man, and he has the added virtues of being both honest and right (something that can't be said of anyone in Washington now). He was demonized by the liberal media, which led to poor poll numbers (though still better than Pelosi), but anyone taking a rational look at his record and what he says now would have to be impressed with his intellect.
I am continually amazed at how most liberal posters repeat 'war crimes' and 'torture' over and over, to the point of diluting the meaning of both terms, when neither war crimes nor torture took place.

[Cesar Guzman]

Hmmmmmm.

Well, I suppose he would be as aggressive as a pit bull when it comes to saving American lives. Even if that meant breaking the law, placing himself above the law, ignoring the law, and, yes, rewriting the law on the spot.

Hmmmmmmm.
I'll take my chances with our Constitution.

[Moxie Livernois]

Not an issue. Cheney isn't healthy enough to live that long. And he could never survive the demands of a campaign.

[Sid]

Was Obama even born in the US? Strange how they can't find the official birth certificate and we are supposed to take that official's word? I don't think so. Remember, this is the same party as drunken murderer Ted.

[KB YOU ARE AN IDIOT]

KB How do you enjoy your freedom right now? By all means, when it comes to these TERRORISTS, use all necessary means possible!!! Obama and Socialists Monkeys are making this COUNTRY weaker by the minute! Do you think, KB, that the Terrorists would be worried about how they interrogate their prisoners?

KB YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!!!

[Scott Tisthammer]

If the people of this nation are so blind, deaf, & bumb they would even consider electing that fool, we deserve to be attacked by terrorist!

www.nextrevolution.net

I can't believ the media or internet would toss this kind of crap at US after WY2K bush & dickless stole millions & broke us doing it.

The price of oil broke household budgets to Dc standards & exposed the crime in banksing, AIG, & the rest but our crooked as a dog's hind leg represnetative in the pocket & bed with the crooks, bailed them out.

The fools of this nation let it happen. let the crooks rob US of trillions of $.

We need to exercise the rights & responsibilities as the Declaration suggest we the people have. Alter or abolish this two party joke controlled throigh campaign finance because they have out US at risk, we are not safe with an economy as sick as DICK is DICK.

The republicans screaming socialist in reference to Obama don't even know the definition of the American Dream. Webster's definition: An American social Ideal

Memo, republican party

Obama not a socialist

repeat

Obama not a socialist

Republicans no dobt thought the American dream meant to own a house, ironically the housing bubble was a crime exposed by bush who was making millions on oil breaking US on that front.

Our mis-represnettaive shad at least two scams going on.

Bush was breaking US with war in Iraq so he coul dmake million son oil & the rest of our mis-represnettaives were breaking US through housing & derivatives.

The people still don't know what happened?
What a bunch of fools this country consists of. I kbew half were fools, they voted for bush, twice, but I thought the other half would see the crime, made Madoff look like a saint.

[Dan]

Really! I'm just astounded that anyone could possibly support Cheney after the mess that Bush administration made. I have no idea how one can support the ravaging of the Constitution, the needless war in Iraq, the damage done to our economy, the loss of America's position and image in the world, the crooked politics...