Posted on 07/18/2004 6:44:49 PM PDT by wagglebee
A month ago, after Vice President Dick Cheney caused a stir when he told Sen. Pat Leahy to "f--- yourself," White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett advised the Cheney team to "just make a joke of it," a senior White House official tells Newsweek.
But Cheney did not. Rather, the veep affirmed to Fox News that he had told off Leahy and "felt better afterwards."
Mary Matalin, the former White House aide who acts as an informal media and political adviser for the Cheneys tells Newsweek that she doubts Cheney had ever heard the White House official's advice. "I know what advice he was given because it came directly from me through [his daughter] Liz. And he already knew what he wanted to do," says Matalin.
It is significant that even Matalin communicated with Cheney "through Liz," the veep's 37-year-old daughter, who recently quit her job as a deputy assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs to work on the Bush- Cheney re-election campaign, report White House Correspondent Tamara Lipper and Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas in the July 26 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, July 19).
Vice President Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, and daughters Liz and Mary, known around the Bush-Cheney headquarters as The Family, can be intense, insular and prickly as they protect their man, his reputation and his place on the GOP ticket.
Matalin readily acknowledges the central role played by the Cheney family.
"They family together, they work together," she says. "It's a seamless operation." Liz Cheney says: "Family members can be completely honest. We're very direct with each other." That is not always true of Cheney staffers, who sometimes feel intimidated by going up against The Family. Since taking office, Cheney is on his fourth press secretary, and all of them have appeared to be afraid of even trying to pass on tough or annoying questions from reporters.
But The Family has been feeling a little besieged lately and Cheney is lagging in some polls. His favorable rating in a New York Times/CBS poll last month stood at 21 percent, compared with 39 percent for President George W. Bush. But other opinion surveys show Cheney hanging on to a slight favorable/unfavorable edge (46 to 43 percent in the latest Newsweek Poll).
A senior Bush-Cheney campaign official shrugged off the polls as meaningless. And every White House and campaign official contacted by Newsweek rejected the suggestion that Cheney might be dropped from the ticket. Still, a Bush campaign official concedes, "We didn't care enough about his image."
Buzz that Cheney may be dropped from the ticket is a "silly parlor game," says Matalin.
"Why won't he be a, you know, Washington B.S. guy? Because he's not a Washington B.S. guy," she says. "He might be burned by you guys [the media], but they love him out there...He is a reassuring guy, not because he has grandchildren sitting on his lap, but because he just exudes depth and breadth and experience and competence."
Oh, and welcome to FR.
Persistent, though, ain't he?
Often, the first clue that we are dealing with an old embedded troll or a new one is the dual claim:
1. " Being A real conservative.
2. " We should get rid of Cheney.
Whenever we hear anyone suggesting to get rid of Cheney, Troll alarm bells should go off until the Troll is Zotted.
Jakenuts left out two letters in his troll sign on name!
Are those two letters :"is" ?
You win the "is" prize.
Remember a terrible president asking us to define "Is"?
And I know the meaning of the word IS!Do I win another prize for that? :-)
not only married serpenthead, but bred with him. I haven't trusted her since the 92 election.
Bigtime bump for the best VP in memory.
Cheney won't be veep if GWB isn't reelected.
He's a great veep, but a terrible campaigner in the all important appeal to swing voters.
Good shot, PKM ! :^D
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He's dead, Jim.
(Click here or on the pic).
"No way, McCain is the October surprise. You hear President Cheney in 2008? That's Hillary's pipe dream. McCain would mean 12 more years of GOP.
www.bushmcain2004.com "
Not happening. It's a lib ploy, just like entertaining the McCain for Kerry's veep thing. The libs are making McCain some sort of prize. If Bush goes with McCain, it validates Edwards.
It's Bush/Cheney
No way, McCain is the October surprise.Forgetaboutit !!
Yep !
The surprise is the Embedded Digital Rapid Response Brownshirted Trolls still post BS like Bush/McCain.
Think "you" really "got" something there, petronski!
"FRgards" :)
bwteim
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