Sally Quinn has written an Op-ed in the washington post, A GOP Plan To Oust Cheneywhich suggests Cheney’s time as VP may be short. It’s gratifying to note that the scenario she describe is almost identical to the one I’ve been predicting for almost a year.
The big question right now among Republicans is how to remove Vice President Cheney from office. Even before this week's blockbuster series in The Post, discontent in Republican ranks was rising.
As the reputed architect of the war in Iraq, Cheney is viewed as toxic, and as the administration's leading proponent of an attack on Iran, he is seen as dangerous. As long as he remains vice president, according to this thinking, he has the potential to drag down every member of the party -- including the presidential nominee -- in next year's elections.
Removing a sitting vice president is not easy, but this may be the moment. I remember Barry Goldwater sitting in my parents' living room in 1973, in the last days of Watergate, debating whether to lead a group of senior Republicans to the White House to tell President Nixon he had to go. His hesitation was that he felt loyalty to the president and the party. But in the end he felt a greater loyalty to his country, and he went to the White House.
Today, another group of party elders, led by Sen. John Warner of Virginia, could well do the same. They could act out of concern for our country's plummeting reputation throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East.
For such a plan to work, however, they would need a ready replacement. Until recently, there hasn't been an acceptable alternative to Cheney -- nor has there been a persuasive argument to convince President Bush to make a change. Now there is.
Quinn suggests that Bush and the Republicans have not had a good replacement for Cheney—Giuliani’s too New York social liberal, Romney’s a Mormon and McCain’s campaign put Bush off too much with the conflict/competition. But she says Fred Thompson could be the knight in shining armor who could remove one of the most toxic elements of the Republicans’ horrible public image.
She writes that installing him as vice president could help set him up as a stronger candidate for the 2008 presidency, and could act to put a damper on Bush’s “button” moments. Quinn concludes;
Cheney is scheduled this summer for surgery to replace his pacemaker, which needs new batteries. So if the president is willing, and Republicans are able, they have a convenient reason to replace him: doctor's orders. And I'm sure the the vice president would also like to spend more time with his ever-expanding family.
I don’t think the dems will allow Bush to appoint a potential presidential candidate as vice president.Why would they allow the Republicans to have a leg up in the presidential race.
A more likely scenario is for Bush to appoint a senior—very senior—leader of the conservative hierarchy as vice president—even his own father or perennial Republican rescue ranger James Baker. Matter of fact, James Baker might be perfect, except that he might find himself in a position where he would decide to take a run for the presidency. It will be tough to find a Republican who is both respected, who can actually HELP Bush and the nation, and for whom a run for the presidency is definitely off the table. But that could be the biggest impediment to helping Bush reach the point where he encourages Cheney to accept that note from the doctor saying he needs to retire.
It’s likely that before this scenario unfolds, Harry Reid will vet the replacement Bush has in mind. It’s unlikely Bush will proceed without some confidence that he can replace Cheney without a big fight in congress. He’s already been embarassed enough by his growing lame duck status.
Still, as more and more ugly, embarassing, Republican-party-damaging dirt comes out on Cheney, THE WALKs to Bush’s office, like the one Goldwater led to Nixon, will be happening with greater and greater frequency. There will be building pressure to dump Cheney, not only from the Republicans. I’d be surprised if the current count of eight members of congress who have signed on to Kucinich Cheney impeachment bill doesn’t climb to ten in the next week or two. With the Dem failure to stop the war, one way to placate unhappy Democratic voters is to throw them the Cheney bone.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com and is a columnist with Northstarwriters.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
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A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
"It will be tough to find a Republican who is both respected, who can actually HELP Bush and the nation, and for whom a run for the presidency is definitely off the table."
It is tough to find a Republican with a brain.* It appears that to be a Republican, you have to not have one. Nonetheless, this would be a good bone to chew on (oh, yuk! I mean figuratively, of course).
*Believe it or not, I actually did find ONE! A doctor of mine, who tried hard to talk his family out of voting for Bush. Hooray for him!
by
Daniel Geery (26 articles, 74 quicklinks, 123 diaries, 750 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 9:45:55 AM
It might be possible to find an old republican, who was a conservative before being a republican meant being a panderer to the extreme religious right.
Of course, Bush would probably like to have another poison pill Vice President, someone so toxic no-one would considering replacing bush with him-- like Rick Santorum.
by
Rob Kall (869 articles, 4016 quicklinks, 345 diaries, 1847 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 10:27:38 AM
Great idea! Few Democrats and Indys would disagree with it. But I've heard over and over again how the GOP is "just about finished" with this administration, until they vote with Bush again on the next issue that comes down the pike. In other words, maybe with the amount of seats that the GOP must defend and the depth of this administration's hurt to the party, maybe, just maybe, many of these senate and Congressional candidates instead of leaving the party now are just accepting the fact they aren't going to win re-election. Thus, they are going to stick close to the NeoCons and ride out the last wave. In spite of the November 2006 landslides and the talk of GOP defections, little has changed in D.C. in the six months since the Dems took control of Congress and the majority of state legislatures.
by
Dusty Nathan (16 articles, 0 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 53 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 12:52:30 PM
There's another likelihood that might well keep Fred "Regular Guy" Thompson out of the Veep's seat.
America is sick to death of George W. Bush; so sick, in fact that it wants nothing to do with anything Bush. Thus, in order to fulfill that nasty family's "manifest destiny," the White House needs to go to the Democrats in 2008. At that point, in 2012, Jebby can run against an incumbent Democrat and, after a typically vile, sleazy campaign, take the White House and finish off the Republic, once and for all.
by
Bob Kincaid (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 43 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 1:09:49 PM
During the 04 debates, there was a moment when Kerry bearded Bush by mentioning the Osama bin Laden is still at large. Bush was visibly angered and nearly suffered a melt-down.
Bush has ignored the recomendations of the 9/11 Commission, the elders on the Iraq study commission.
Bush stuck by Brownie and Rumsfeld until he lost an election.
There are no more elections for Bush to lose and he needs Cheney more than he ever needed Brownie or Rumsfeld.
Cheney knows where all the bodies are buried because he planted most of them, and that sort of an intimidation factor is the most precious asset Bush has ever had.
by
Robert Chapman (28 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 556 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 1:24:34 PM
For the current Republican party to survive as a valid political party they will first need to remove Dick and George(as well as their entourage) and then purge the so-called Christian Right venom that has poisoned them so terribly. Removal of as much lobbiest bribery as possible will also be necessary just as it must be removed from Congress's pocketbooks. The Democrats have almost as big a problem with Hillary, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, and many others. As the old saying goes, "Physician heal thy self", so must the 2 primary political parties of this nation or expect to be demoted as viable entities in our nations political processes. I, personally, would like to see these two parties removed from our political processes as they have entirely too much influence on our government and it's operations. I can accept someone running for office on a political parties platform but once they are elected they represent all of their constituents and should perform accordingly. Our Congressional representatives only pay attention to first the lobbiests and then their parties. We, the people, get left out of the equation almost completely and that is as anti-American as it can get. Common sense seems to evade almost everyone in DC and that has allowed the current mess and tradgedy to continue with the obvious devestation to our once great country.
by
Hayesml47 (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 504 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 1:25:01 PM
IT WILL HAVE TO BE... the Republicans, because the Dems lack the stones for such adventurism. Had they the stones of FDR or TR, we would have had no need to still be discussing this in 2007, he would have retired or simply disappeared.
Dan Quail. George the First used this cynical choice to avoid any investigation into his Iran/Contra role and to demonstrate he cared not a whit about this country, placing a truly incompetent man a heartbeat away from the presidency. George II could do a repeat.
by
W.M.L. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 399 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 3:26:09 PM
Most efforts at 9/11/2001 Truth focus mainly on WTC - Building 7. It is the most blatant lie of all the lies surrounding 9/11/2001.
The Building was not hit by an aircraft and did not fall with the shock waves from the two towers. I have seen videos clearly showing squibs accending prior to the middle of the building collapsing pulling the outsides in.
This video has convinced me that it was an inside job. It includes not only the WTC sham but also documents on the buildup to 9/11/2001 and infomation about the other aircrafts and sites:
This evidence alone warrants further investigations and the negligence itself warrant impeachment. When you add to the mix The Patriot Act, The Military Commissions Act, Warrantless wiretapping, Torture, Secret Prisons, & Renditions sponsored by a VP who now refuses to say how many items he has kept Clasified in order to hide his crimes, it should be very embarrassing for both parties.
The lack of action on both sides is Obstruction of Justice. It looks like High Treason to me with a large number of accomplises who all should be brought to justice.
by
Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 3:26:51 PM
It is the duty of every Rep. to acknowledge that there are a number of infractions and further investigations are warranted. Anything less is an outright obstruction of justice.
That is precisely why the confidence of the People in Congress is so low. They are failing “WE THE PEOPLE” because they are being bought off by the Big money contributors who are not “WE THE PEOPLE”.
Too much money enters our races from places outside the United States. Our Government is for sale and WE can’t afford to have any say.
by
Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 3:51:24 PM
...same old song and dance," as the lyrics to the old Aerosmith song says. In other words, I'll believe it when I see Dick(LESS) in a prison jumpsuit taking that last walk towards the lethal injection chamber.
The DUBYA-Dick(LESS) (or is it the other way around??) regime has pulled so many boners, destroyed so many things, and torn asunder so much of this country with impunity, what makes anyone here or anywhere else believe that this latest wrinkle...er, I mean scandal is going to be different from the plethora of scandals which continue to blossom and flower on an almost daily basis? Well?
I want DUBYA out. I want Dick(LESS) out. I want the whole Hee-Haw gang that is the DUBYA regime to take the long walk off the short pier! Frankly, I don't care how it happens.
But, let's look at reality. The DUBYA regime eclipses even the Nixon presidency in total number of scandals. Bar none, it is clear that the DUBYA regime has more blood on it's hands, more dirt under it's nails, and more shit stains on its collective Aquaman underwear than any other. From the day the earth stood still, 9/11, to this now latest (but surely not LAST) wrinkle about the shadow presidency of Dick(LESS), surely this administration has wracked up more than enough crimes, misdemeanors, and treason to make even Charles Manson green with envy. However, to this day, not one single higher-up fuck-up in that regime has spent one day feeling remorse for their actions, much less seen the inside of a detention center for their high crimes and misdemeanors...not one.
Oh sure, Lindy England got a spanking for pointing at the flaccid cocks of humiliated residents of Abu Ghraib. Oh sure, Scooter Libby has been thrown to the wolves (or under the bus, depending on your favorite trite saying for being made into the scapegoat). Oh sure, Colin Powell was made to take the rap for the intentional "intelligence failures" that lead to the Iraq War. Yes indeed, there have been many halflings, underlings, and Miss Things that have caught the blame for the evil goings on under the roof of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. However, to date, not one single higher-up has tasted anything more than a firm tongue wagging, finger wagging, or even a wimpy wrist slap for their criminal actions.
And now the truth emerges that Dick(LESS) has been truly acting as if he is above the law. Is anyone here surprised? I'm not. It's the same old song and dance. The only difference is now more people are aware that all is not well in our federal government.
What a fucking surprise!
As each new criminal wrinkle in the fabric of the DUBYA regime has been discovered, there have been armies of ass-kissers, spin alchemists, sycophants, toadies, and water-carriers there to iron out said wrinkle. This army of wrong has protected the DUBYA regime through events I thought would surely bring it tumbling down, or at least get someone with real power in trouble. However, after the total disgrace that was (and continues to be) the "clean up effort" from Hurricane Katrina, I began to get the feeling that no crime committed by these assholes, up to and including CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE would ever be punished.
And now, at this point in history, the truth of the shadow presidency comes to light. Am I supposed to believe that after six continuous years of maintaining the criminal status quo, suddenly, a knight in shining constitutional armour is to come riding up to the White House to vanquish the Dick(LESS) Dragon?
Well, I don't.
Put another way, I will believe that there is more than smoke to this fire when I see Dick(LESS) being thrown into the dumpster behind the White House, to the wolves, or under the bus. Until one of those things happens, I am going to look upon this as just one more movement in a criminal symphony of which even Beethoven himself would be proud.
Blessed be! Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 4:06:28 PM
"Cheney is scheduled this summer for surgery to replace his pacemaker, which needs new batteries. So if the president is willing, and Republicans are able, they have a convenient reason to replace him: doctor's orders. And I'm sure the the vice president would also like to spend more time with his ever-expanding family." I think Quinn wrote that.
Short circuit's are possible. I'll bet his doctor thinks about that himself unless he is also a demoniac. You know dueling is still legal in Uraguay? Maybe we should legalize it here.
Don't they also have a constitutional right to representation?
see Dick Cheney on death row?
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty or due process?
Cheney's pacemaker could short circuit?
How can anyone have let a remark like that slip into public discourse?
Those remarks and remarks like them are an embarrassment. They are dishonorable and mean.
Our only assets are our credibility and our powers of persuasion, in allowing ourselves to sink to the level of the remarks I noted above we are jeopardizing our credibility and forfeiting our persuasive powers.
by
Robert Chapman (28 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 556 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 5:21:31 PM
I suggest that you sir, are becoming a laying-in-the-weeds, cheapshot artist and a pompous, sanctimonious, bore. You were out of line last week denouncing peers on this site and there you are again seeking vengeance, so if it is wordwars you are seeking, you picked the wrong time, place and fellows. Grow up and stop playing the superior elistest, you lack the credentials, sir.
You know what's embarassing? That a sitting Vice President would LIE on national television on multiple occasions, even, in once case blatently saying that he never said something that had just been aired. Beyond that, to claim that waterboarding is not torture or that the U.S. doesn't torture when we have PICTURES AND VIDEO of us doing it. THAT is embarassing. To wish such a vile and evil person who has brought so much disgrace to the image of the United States should die a quick death (rather than the slow one he has sentenced millions of others to) is not an embarassment -- it is a smart vision.
YOU, on the other hand, are getting to be a bit redundant.
The Rethuglicans have stolen two elections, destroyed our economy (except for the corporations and superrich), ruined our international reputation, savaged decades of laws protecting the weak and less powerful, and generally made a mockery of representative government in six short years.
Cheney has been prompting much of this, and should disappear, like Agnew.
The big difference -- we should work to prevent the proposed replacement from being confirmed and simultaneously begin the process of impeaching Bush while there is no sitting V.P.
by
Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 720 comments)
on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 12:50:55 AM
If either Bush or Cheny are impeached, he will then stand trial in the Senate, in a proceeding presided over by The Chief Justice of the United States Suprem Court.
You know what that means don't you? Yup -- that's right: Chief Justice Roberts is NOT in the Judiciary branch of the government, but part of the Senate!!!
And you people thought you knew something about government.... heh, heh, heh...
by
Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 997 comments)
on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 10:03:10 PM
Yes, Roberts will preside, and that will give much power to the side of evil.
But, his power is not omnipotent, and every decision he makes can be appealed to the whole body for an immediate vote. And, if Chief Justices care about anything, it's their place in history, and he will NOT want to be seen as having managed only the third major impeachment trial in history in a heavy-handed and unfair way. Too many decisions overridden will be VERY embarassing to him.
An impeachment trial of Cheney (and later Bush) will a valuable lesson to the people of America, even if we do not have (and never get) the votes to convict.
There is great accountability in simply educating the American people on what these Rethuglican monsters have been doing for six years. The legacy of Bush/Cheney/Rice/Rumsfeld/Rove/Hadley/ et al. will be the crimes that are demonstrated and then the votes of their Rethuglican (and southern DINO) supporters in the Senate who will refuse to convict even in the face of clear evidence.
H. Res 333 -- It's time!
by
Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 720 comments)
on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 12:56:53 AM
Dubya has proved one thing repeatedly....he will never turn on his friends...the only way The Dick will go is if he has a massive heart attack or congress suddenly develops some testicular fortitude and impeaches the bastard
by
BenMarbleMD (22 articles, 0 quicklinks, 217 diaries, 322 comments)
on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 1:04:28 AM
Yes, or haven't you heard that our government is secular, with a separation of church and state (or politics and religion, if you will). Barry Goldwater, the father of modern conservatism was very much against mixing the church and state. He was an outspoken critic of Scary Jerry Falwell. Are you saying he was wrong? If you are, fuck you and the horse you blew to get you here.
Don't they also have a constitutional right to representation?
We all do, but they need to KNOW that the pulpit and the voting booth don't mix in this country. Like it or not, we are not a christian state, at least not yet, so get over it!
see Dick Cheney on death row?
Yes! Do you know what the penalty for treason is? It is D-E-A-T-H! While you may think otherwise, Dick(LESS) is a traitor to this country! If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with the writers of the constitution...or you could piss all over the constitution like Dick(LESS). I didn't make Dick(LESS) a traitor. He did that all on his own!
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty or due process?
It went the way of Habeas Corpus. Hasn't anyone told you about Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, or Extraordinary Rendition? I am not the one who wrote the (Un)Patriot(ic) act or the Military Commissions Act. That was the work of the Dick(LESS) shadow presidency. If they can play that game, why can't we?
Cheney's pacemaker could short circuit?
That's not very likely, but I sure as fuck won't cry one single tear when that lying, craven traitor meets his end! If it happens because he gets stuck in a room full of running microwave ovens, or because something else shorts out his pacemaker, it would be ok with me! As long as he's pushing up daisies, who cares what put his sorry ass in the ground?
How can anyone have let a remark like that slip into public discourse?
It's easy. Some people use the hunt and peck method. Some people, such as myself, use a variation of touch typing. Either way, as long as you are somewhat proficient at understanding how to type, spell, and put words together in sentences, one can let almost anything "slip" during public discourse, like, "I hope Cheney croaks when I hit the 'period' key to end this sentence." I wonder if that worked. Probably not, but you can't blame a guy for trying!
You should try letting something slip once in a while. You appear to be too anal for words. But that's just my observation and ad hominem attack for the evening...hehehe.
Those remarks and remarks like them are an embarrassment. They are dishonorable and mean.
Dishonorable and mean. Do you mean "dishonorable" like shirking your patriotic duty during one war and sending other people's kids to do theirs in a war you helped bring into being? Do you mean "dishonorable" like telling lie after lie just because you believe the end justifies the means? Do you mean "dishonorable" like being an out and out traitor that exposes spies and national secrets for purely political reasons? What do you mean?
Do you mean "mean" like when Cheney told a Senator to fuck off while in the Senate building? Do you mean "mean" like letting over a thousand people in New Orleans die? Do you mean "mean" like pretending your lesbian daughter is less than human just because she might be seen as a political embarrassment? What do you mean?
Our only assets are our credibility and our powers of persuasion, in allowing ourselves to sink to the level of the remarks I noted above we are jeopardizing our credibility and forfeiting our persuasive powers.
What the fuck are you talking about?
The last time I looked, I did this as a hobby. I have yet to make one single dollar from writing. I have been writing since I was five years old, or so, and I have yet to make any money. That includes my poetry, prose, essays, articles, etc..
While I have made some money from my original music, I hardly count fifty bucks from selling some CD's as making money. Shit, that was eaten up by the cost of the CD's, the paper and ink to do the liner notes, and so on. Some moneymaking venture, eh?
I am not here to persuade anyone about anything. I am here to write my opinions, my thoughts, my understanding of the world in which I live, and so on. If no one buys into my ideas (and I am sure many don't) that's not going to stop me from writing. I write for myself, not for you, or Rob, or anyone else who comes to this web site; therefore, it doesn't matter to me whether people buy my opinions or not.
I am here to discuss, debate, and offer my opinion about a subject near and dear to me: politics. Sure, some folks are going to dig what I say, and will let me know, either publicly or privately. Others will think I am full of shit, and will let me know in the same way. Whether or not I am right will come out eventually, but that's of no concern to me one way or the other.
There is more to life than being right. This is something you clearly need to learn for yourself.
Of course, if the words that show up here are too much for your delicate virgin eyes, you could always go to Tom Delay's "blog" and join him in his orgy of "conservative" self-righteousness. I'm sure you won't be too missed around these parts. There will always be another one to come along to piss on the fun, just like you.
So get over yourself, dude.
I agree with PeteTheProf. You are a bit too sanctimonious for my tastes, too. But hey, I have been debating empty-headed animal food trough wipers like yourself since I ran a computer BBS in Toledo. I am used to your tactics, and I am always happy to tell people such as yourself what I think!
Blessed be! Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments)
on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 3:39:14 AM
I am here to discuss, debate, and offer my opinion about a subject near and dear to me: politics. Sure, some folks are going to dig what I say, and will let me know, either publicly or privately. Others will think I am full of shit, and will let me know in the same way. Whether or not I am right will come out eventually, but that's of no concern to me one way or the other.
I'm with you Pappy. Myself, I just have to vent my frustration before I crack. Maybe one of my opinions or links to things that I have read elsewhere will give someone who has a little more fight left in them a little ammo in their fight for things that are truly good.
We have an enemy that is motivated by greed and power. They are evilly proficient at deception, bribery, & treason. We need to share our belief in goodness in order to protect ourselves and our world from these monsters.
by
Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments)
on Friday, July 6, 2007 at 2:40:22 PM
