[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Not as dumb as it appears. Cheney's not a well man, God bless him.

I say: Condi! Condi! Condi!

[ilgipper]

liabilities? His only liabilities are those conjured up by the left. He is popular among conservatives and foreign policy/defense expert. Sounds to me like a man we want involved with this administration at this time.

[JohnGalt]

It has been widely reported that the Jim Baker Realist faction of the party wants Cheney gone and possibly a Powell put in his place at VP. That is why Baker was brought into the Administration, to sweep out the Iraq War architects and counteract the Cheney factions.

[ElectricStrawberry]

Did health and Halliburton REALLY make much of a difference in '00? Will they attack Powell's "health" when he runs for office? How 'bout Guiliani? Can't go around having a president that had cancer now can we..... ...buncha friggin' weenies.

[Yaelle]

I love Cheney, but it would be nice to have a Veep with whom we could run in 2008. That is the only flaw with Cheney, IMHO.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

If Cheney drops off the ticket because of health concerns, the best replacement would be the President's heir apparent for the 2008 election.

That would be Tom Ridge, a man of impeccable character, a Viet Nam vet, and the best man to step into the shoes of a commander-in-chief fully experienced in the war against the terrorists.

Condi Rice will replace Colin Powell as Sec. of State if he retires.

[Tall_Texan]

This isn't really news - this has been spun practically since Bush was sworn in. I don't know if Cheney will still be on the ticket or not. I don't think you'll see Bush rise or fall politically based on his Veep. I think the majority of voters have already formed an opinion of the man, good or bad.

The intriguing thing to me is what Rice would do for the ticket. Will she attract more black and women voters? Would she turn off some conservatives who see Cheney as "their guy" in the loop? Would the media slam her and try to discredit her the way they did Clarence Thomas and for the same reasons? Will she help Bush in blue states? Will she cost Bush in other states? Does she become the front-runner in 2008 if she's added to the ticket and they win in '04?

We have no idea about Rice as a campaigner and there is a danger that she could say something that might embarrass the ticket. She'd have to survive one VP debate, for example.

In the end, I don't think it would matter much because with a known quantity leading the ticket, the VP is not a key towards people voting or not voting. But it is interesting to consider other aspects to having her on the ticket.

[pikachu]

I forgot- Cheney is supposed to run EVERYTHING on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and be too sick to do anything on Tuesdays and Thursdays or is it the other way around? It's amazing that half the democrat pundits see him as the puppet master and the other half see him on his death bed.

[cartoonistx]

Were this the plan, it would have occured months ago. And there's no reason to do it before the election at all if it is indeed in the works. Public perception of Cheney is not bad and he seems healthy enough to survive the race.

[HitmanLV]

I think this is total hogwash. The Bush team has already invested in electing a Bush-Cheney team and Bush doesn't need to rock the boat with a new VP pick.

I disagree and have felt for a while that Cheney will not be on the ticket, and that after much speculation, Rudy will join as VP and be positioned well to run for President against Hillary in 2008.

Right now, Bush has no legacy in 2008. We really need to fix that.

[Cicero]

In the first place, it's true that they would be fools to announce a different VP before the convention. This would be tightly controlled.

I do worry about Baker. He is a malign influence--very capable, but with no perceptible values.

The rest is all speculation. I don't doubt that the President's father would like Bush to take a course more along the lines that Baker represents. But let's face it, Bush Jr. has had a LOT more political success than his father did. Not only has he been more principled and more conservative, he has been a better political operator. The leftist press may hate Iraq, but if Bush stays the course the voters will support him. If he changes course, he will lose all that support, just as his father did.

[Glenn]

Cheney runs, wins, then resigns because of health. Bush can pick his heir at that point.

[beaversmom]

President Bush is a loyal guy to people that are loyal to him. I think Cheney will be on the ticket unless Cheney decides he doesn't want to be. I'll be happy with Cheney on the ticket but a Condi Rice or Guiliani on the ticket in 2004 would be great strategery for 2008.

[Azzurri]

I think Cheney will run again but, if not, I'd love to see Rick Santorum as the VP pick. Could secure Pennsylvania and maybe Ohio for GW.

[YaYa123]

Great subject for discussion, so thanks for the thread.

I've already gotten a fundraising invitation, a reception honoring President George W. Bush on Thursday, Jan 15 in Atlanta. The front of the invitation reads "BUSH Cheney'04". There's no doubt in my mind Bush/Cheney will run and win. But.....who's to say that during the second term, Cheney's health might not force him to resign.

While I would love for Condeleeza Rice to be the first female president, (and this unusual career track would work for me), I bet President Bush would be hard put not to select his brother to finish up Cheney's term.

Americans might not like political dynasties, but the Kennedy wing of the Democrat Party, and the Clintons, could hardly complain.

But I hope Cheney is able to finish up the second term, with Governor Bush running in his own right, and choosing Condeleeza Rice as his veep.

[rushfreedom]

Yes Condi Rice would be a great pick. Remember the convention will be in NY - Guiliani home, wow - this would be earth shacking news in NY if Guiliani was pick.

[Jhensy]

Does the Bush family want Jeb as a candidate? If so, Dubya won't anoint any successor this time round.

I don't think going straight to another Bush for president is good for the GOP. I think Condi would be political gold, and immediately put the big prizes like California and New York into play. Plus it would slay dead those bogus 'racism' and 'inclusiveness' cards the Dems use as a weapon.

And, please, no Tom Ridge as Veep. This would excite no one.

[Republican Wildcat]

They sure have wasted an awful lot of cash on campaign materials if this is the case.

[rface]

I like Cheney - but I also think there are many others who could fill the spot. Like a poster before me: Dr. Rice MIGHT be a good choice.

[Cold Heat]

Cheney, by his own admission and verified by other family members came into the administration to help get it started and to lend his vast experience to the White House.

He is slated to retire, but he could stay. I think it would likely be up to him.

The Dem's have tried to make him a pariah with the Halliburton BS and now they are parsing his old speeches during the war.

What they do not seem to understand is that this president does not give a rats ass what they say.

To sum up, it would not surprise me if he backed out and left the position open for a 2008 prospect.

Condi is a possibility, but so are others. I would prefer to see Condi as a governor or Senator.

The VP slot is not a great place to position yourself from. Ask Al Gore! Personally, I think Colin Powell would be good for the job. It would be a natural evolution from the State Dept. and he would do a great job in that slot plus be good for the ticket, IMHO.