The latest in the rumor mill regarding a possible step down for VP Dick Cheney comes from Insight Magazine. They write:
Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to retire within a year.
Senior GOP sources envision the retirement of Mr. Cheney in 2007, months after the congressional elections. The sources said Mr. Cheney would be persuaded to step down as he becomes an increasing political liability to President Bush.
The sources reported a growing rift between the president and vice president as well as their staffs. They cited Mr. Cheney’s failure to immediately tell the president of the accidental shooting of the vice president’s hunting colleague earlier this month. The White House didn’t learn of the incident until 18 hours later.
Mr. Cheney’s next crisis could take place by the end of the year, the sources said. They said the White House was expecting Mr. Cheney to defend himself against charges from his former chief of staff, Lewis Libby, that the vice president ordered him to relay classified information. Such a charge could lead to a congressional investigation and even impeachment proceedings.
“Nothing will happen until after the congressional elections,” a GOP source said. “After that, there will be significant changes in the administration and Cheney will probably be part of that.”
The rumors about a possible Cheney resignation have persisted throughout his tenure as Vice President - for example, back in October during the height of la affaire de pLame, US News reported that “government officials and advisers” were fueling the grapevine with speculation that Cheney would step down.
If the latest scuttlebutt on this proves to be true, I doubt it will have much - if anything - to do with any pressure on the part of the President to push Cheney into stepping down. Bush is nothing if not loyal, and I believe he wouldn’t try to exert any influence one way or the other on Cheney’s decision.
A Cheney resignation would put the left in a bit of a quandry as he - along with Karl Rove - have been on their political hit lists going back to before the President was inaugurated the first time. They consider having him in office as a Republican weakness on which they can capitalize. But if he steps down, they Congressional left would be in the position of helping to either approve or disapprove his successor - the person who could very well be considered a contender for the office of the Presidency come ‘08. The Congressional right would be chomping at the bit to get someone in that seat who they think could breathe new life into Republican party supporters who are tired from weathering so many storms on behalf of both Cheney and the President.
Professor Bainbridge has posted a just for kicks poll which asks the question: “If Dick Cheney Resigns, Who Should Bush Pick as the Next VP?” - make sure to cast your vote.
(Cross-posted at California Conservative)
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I don’t see any rift between Bush and Cheney but I can see Cheney stepping aside as a political move to get a younger and more vibrant (hint: Condi Rice) person into the VPs office with its attendant campaigning perks.
Comment by Stingray @ 2/27/2006 - 10:40 pm
Another vote for Condoleezza Rice!!!
Comment by Mwalimu Daudi @ 2/27/2006 - 10:56 pm
- From the Editor notes at Insight:
Margie - Marketing came up with an idea that could yeild a possible boost in circulation for the week. The “Cheney is about to step down thing”. It was floated during the “shoot a lawyer - get a medal” week dustup. Scare up some background and fill in some blanks. Usual “un-named WH sorces/insiders” ect ect. Lets get on this and see if it gets some traction. Let me know what you think - Ed.
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/27/2006 - 11:03 pm
From what I’ve heard, it was more like an hour or two before the White House was made aware of the situation…but what can you expect from “those” people?
PS: Thanks for the reminder!
Comment by camojack @ 2/28/2006 - 1:30 am
Let’s ask him to quit just to confuse the Left!
BTW, Cheney’s people talked to the area news media in Corpus Christi. They just skipped Bryan.. ? .. Gregory ..? .. whatizzname and the NY-DC press and it made them mad.
But who needs them? In fact, who can even remember their names?
Comment by ttyler5 @ 2/28/2006 - 1:55 am
Comment by tommy in nyc @ 2/28/2006 - 7:57 am
tommy, which Dcmocrat “Krap for brains” quit?
Cheney isn’t quitting. Insight has done these stories before and WAS WRONG!
Comment by PCD @ 2/28/2006 - 8:19 am
Well, here’s another of the Liberal MSM’s tactics, take something they desperately wish would come true, and write an article listing the “reasons” it will or should happen, and hope it does. This kind of projection has become all too common with the MSM, they have long ago ceased to simply report the news, now they feel the need to manufacture it as well. So, it’s “gee, we really, really hate that pig humper Cheney, so, he HAS to resign! I know, let’s write a story telling all the reasons he should resign! We’ll even include the “Fact” that Halliburton is turning puppies into rabid nuclear waste contaminated anti-children cyborgs for deployment in the middle east!”
Yeah, that’ll be a good “news” story. Same thing here, the press has been having wet dreams about Cheney leaving ever since he got there, and this is no different.
And if he did resign? Hmmm…let’s imagine another scenario, Bush appoints Rice as VP, Rice does a good job and is personable enough that the public loves her, she goes on to win the Presidential Elections, and we have another 8 years of Republican rule. Then would the people who were so hot for Cheney to resign realize they had once again engineered their own defeat? Nah, it’s all still Rove’s fault, not their own mishandling of politics.
Comment by Severian @ 2/28/2006 - 8:31 am
You know PCD I think you are right he won’t quit he’ll just get indicted in the Plame affair asnd be forced to resign.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH
Comment by tommy in nyc @ 2/28/2006 - 9:00 am
Tommy, the only one who need indicting in the “plame affair” is Joe Wilson.
As for “outing” Plame, Joe Wilson and Plame herself were the biggest outers. You want to indict their arrogant stupidity?
Comment by PCD @ 2/28/2006 - 9:19 am
Severian, if Rice ran, just think of the campaign tactic we could pull on our “favorite” lefties: “Vote for Rice or be branded a Sexist Racist!
Comment by PCD @ 2/28/2006 - 9:22 am
I love how ignorant people really are about the timeline on the shooting. If the shooting happened at 5:30 Texas time, what time was it in Washington D.C.? It appears that the POTUS was notified within the hour of the situation. Which is pretty much what Mary said on Meet The Press!
Comment by Pam @ 2/28/2006 - 9:34 am
“Tommy, the only one who need indicting in the “plame affair” is Joe Wilson.”
You know, you better alert the authorities to your theory. Too bad the Bush justice department is too partisan!
Comment by andrew @ 2/28/2006 - 9:34 am
Cheney’s approval rating is 18%. That might be one reason the Republicans are pushing for his resignation. It won’t help, he will be charged with war crimes; as will bush, Rumsfeld and Rice. Peace
Comment by steve @ 2/28/2006 - 10:07 am
- I love the way some on the left, totally unaware of the situation in the PlameGate scam, keep cheering and laughing.
- Libby is not charged with anything in the so called “outing” of Wilsons wife. He’s charged with purjury in the investigation, which is almost impossible to get a conviction on.
- What some in the moonbat camp do not seem to understand is that with Libby’s call for a jury trial, that lying Liberal mole Wilson will now have to appear on the stand under oath, and theres a high possibility, to the dismay of the Dhimmycrats, that the whole nefarious scheme will be exposed.
When he started all of this “Joe the coward” thought he could stay in the shadows an just lob lie-bombs. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I imagine his lawyers are running around trying frantically to think of a way to keep him off the stand. The problem they have is there’s no way to stop the express now.
- So laugh it up Tommy, and when Wilson has to account for all his pravaracting I’ll laugh right along with you.
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 10:20 am
- Of course Steve. That will happen the same day they elect you the new Fairy Princess of Never-neverland at Disney World…
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 10:24 am
Big Bang- did you catch this article?
Former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, charged with perjury in the CIA leak case, cannot be told the identity of another government official who is said to have told reporters about a CIA operative’s identity, a federal judge ruled Friday.
During a hearing Friday afternoon, Walton said Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald can keep secret the other government official’s identity because that person has not been charged and has a right to privacy.
Comment by Pam @ 2/28/2006 - 10:33 am
- Well that would either be Rove or Cheney. Probably be Rove Pam. See the whole scheme was to have several reporters call the WH and engage Admin officials in conversations, the idea being to get them to mention anything they could about Wilsons wife, who they already knew about like half of Washington, and then claim she’d been “outed”. Since the plan was for the whole thing to be handled by a special grand jury wilson would never have to testify. Fitzy screwed things up when he charged Libby with things not directly a part of the original investigation, which allowed Libby to immediately call for a jury trial with the right to call any witnesses, and Wilsons goose was cooked. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I look for Wilsons lawyers to try anything they can to keep him off the stand.
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 10:46 am
“Well that would either be Rove or Cheney. Probably be Rove Pam. See the whole scheme was to have several reporters call the WH and engage Admin officials in conversations, the idea being to get them to mention anything they could about Wilsons wife, who they already knew about like half of Washington, and then claim she’d been “outed”. ”
HAHA!
Comment by andrew @ 2/28/2006 - 10:48 am
BBH- I disagree. I think that it is Joe Wilson that is being referred to here.
Comment by Pam @ 2/28/2006 - 10:51 am
- That would be another distinct possibility. It would depend on the timing, since Wilson was already out of the Admin when this whole thing broke. But that would make sense. Of course the problem now is if Wilson is asked that question under oath he has no choice. He’ll have to either answer or take the 5th and end up with a perjury charge himself. Wilson didn’t really have to tell Reporters though, since he’d had his wifes government affiliation up on his web site for over a year, prior to the whole thing going public. The joke around Washington is the only one who didn’t know was her pet cat.
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 11:03 am
Wilson on the stand will be key. You bet he will try everything to stay off the stand. I wonder if the Vanity Fare journalist/photographer will be called to testify?
Comment by Pam @ 2/28/2006 - 11:19 am
- At this point, the damage could spill out in all directions. The Dem leadership would no doubt be happy if the whole thing would just blow over. They have a real problem. If they stand by Wilson and he gets caught in his many lies on the stand, it looks bad foir them all. If they cut him loose as damage control he might do another paranoia thing and roll over on the whole scheme. He has a rep for blow hard self importance already, which is probably how this whole mess got started in the first place, with him blaming his whole failed career on his boses in the State Department. Either way the Dems have a potential “whitewater” like PR nightmare on their hands, which is whats so puzzling about the chortling of some on the left. Gonna be interesting no matter how you look at it, and definately not what the Dems had in mind when they decided to jump on this political trainwreck.
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 12:03 pm
Cheney ain’t going anywhere! Unless he wants to. The VP has been the target of the MoonBat Left since 2000.
They’ve tried and they could not and can not do it!
Jack
Comment by Jack Deth @ 2/28/2006 - 12:05 pm
- “When the going gets tough, the weak get Liberal” - BBH, 2006
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/28/2006 - 1:12 pm
Cheney’s approval rating is 18%. That might be one reason the Republicans are pushing for his resignation. It won’t help, he will be charged with war crimes; as will bush, Rumsfeld and Rice.
Please explain to me how this string of events will come about to fruition, Steve?
I’m most anxious have to someone to explain and detail this Pipe Dream I’ve been hearing about, yet never seeing any progress made on, for years.
Please elaborate.
Jack.
Comment by Jack Deth @ 2/28/2006 - 1:17 pm
Only 18% of the public supports this guy and the way politics works that makes him a punching bag for all kinds of people. He’s the guy who created the illegal war in Iraq out of whole cloth. That war has failed and the money behind the throne are not happy campers these day’s. You do the math. Peace
Comment by steve @ 2/28/2006 - 4:10 pm
Hey - I’ve been hearing rumors about this all week, but they all reference “Insight” magazine. I know this has come from a ‘leak,’ but I have no idea how credible that leak is.
I’m chomping at the bit to podcast/blog this sh*t, but I’m just not ready to fall into the speculation trap. What do you think?
Edited - language. –ST
Comment by dhp @ 2/28/2006 - 5:13 pm