Reply #207: Nor should you [View All]

[troublemaker]

It's not that Gore did anything substantive but that his role was more substantive than preceding VPs. Cheney's role speaks for itself--we've probably had five presidents with less power. The office is developing into a catch-all. If Cheney went on a shuttle diplomacy mission nobody (except Powell) would find it that odd.

There's no electoral track record yet, but I wonder if Cheney will cause people to pay attention to the VP slot in future. I know people that thought Bush was retarded but voted for him because they assumed Cheney would be running things.

Wes may have skills as a negotiator and he's well respected abroad but the part of his resume that impreses me is his work with army training and planning... innovation in war gaming... that sort of thing. I wouldn't mind him pulling double duty as VP and intel czar --I'm assuming the CIA chief won't also be director of intel in a new admin.

Most importantly, I genuinely believe he's the best man for the VP for electoral purposes. It's often said that all Reagan needed to do in the 1980 debates was not look insane--that people were just burned out on Carter and would take any alternative as long as they didn't think he would really blow up the world.

Similarly, I think all the dems have to do is not look like they'll let the foreigners come kill us all. It doesn't matter if the electorate's rational. I'm just saying that will be the test. (Assuming people remain burned out on Bush. Funny thing about that... is Bush the first president whose re-elect numbers are always well below his approval rating? It looks like 5%-8% of the populace thinks it's unpatriotic to DISAPPROVE of the president, even if they can't wait to see the last of him.)

This is Kerry's to not lose. That's why I'm hopeful, because he's tennacious and careful and dull. Either people will be sick of Bush or they won't. If people are tired of Bush the only thing that will keep him in office is fear. Wes is good at dispelling fear. I have mixed feelings about the man but really warmed up to him the first time I heard him say that Bush's biggest problem was sowing fear. (It was radical at the time)