Dick Cheney is hardly a has been, but rather a ‘still is’
and always will be.
This is another example of Lupica desperately trying to make him sound hip. Cheney obviously can't be a "has been" in this context, because he was never president. He is no longer Vice President either, but there is a long tradition of former VP's doing the dirty work and taking care of the party's interest while the former president remains above the fray. Obviously Al Gore did this sort of thing all the time, but Lupica thinks Gore is a better man than Cheney...
Obama is a wannabe, neverwas, or neverwillbe.