Bush's No. 2 gives no quarter and plays for all the marbles

[struggle4progress]

By Kenneth T. Walsh

Far from being chastened by recent setbacks, including the indictment of his chief of staff, Vice President Dick Cheney is thumbing his nose at his critics--and encouraging President Bush to do the same. "Bush and Cheney are standing as one," says a prominent Republican who regularly advises the White House. "Their strategy is to get the conservative base solidified again, and Cheney is key because he is the administration's main link to the right."

Cheney is described by White House insiders as combative and eager to rally the GOP faithful. As part of that effort, he will continue to ride the Republican fundraising circuit in advance of next year's midterm elections, as he did last Friday, headlining events in Cincinnati and Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Behind the scenes, Cheney is feeding Bush's instinct never to give ground when under attack, White House advisers say, despite rising concern among Republicans that the president doesn't realize the depth of his political trouble. With Bush's job-approval ratings at historic lows, 52 percent of Americans think the indictment of Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby reflects broader ethics problems in the administration, according to a Washington Post/ABC News Poll. <snip>

President Bush, meanwhile, is thinking in bigger terms. Friends say he has decided that he will never catch a break from the Democrats or the media--on the CIA case or anything else--so he will govern from the right, as he did on most issues in his first term. "He seems content to remain a 51-percent president, unlike other presidents who wanted to increase their job approval far beyond that," says a friend. "In fact, as long as he gets one more vote than the other side, he seems happy."

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/051114/14cheney.htm

:) 19%

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Reminds me of Al Pacino in "Devil's Advocate"

At the end of the movie when he says that pride is his favorite sin. Their hubris will ultimately be their undoing. :evilgrin:

[Erika]

2. Cheney and his wife have ice water in their veins

The new definition of Ghoul is "Cheney like".

W's legacy may be decided by how he responded to his own promises; a new tone in D.C, a uniter not a divider, etc.

In other words, W is a president who never was and should have never been. He's Cheney's monkey at the other end of the organ grinder.

[Ouabache]

3. He is more like a 35% pretzeldent now isn't he?

n/t

[napi21]

4. So he thinks he's still at 51%? Hmmm. Guess he doesn't watch

any TV or listen to any radio either! We already know none of his staff have the balls to tell him bad news.

[fooj]

5. Reality check...

"In fact, as long as he gets one more vote than the other side, he seems happy."

Well, that hasn't happened in quite some time now, has it?

Peace.