This does not surprise me.
Washington (CNN) – A new group wants former Vice President Dick Cheney back in the White House.
The organization – “Draft Dick Cheney 2012” – launched on Friday, and unveiled their new Web site. Their aim: To convince the former vice president to seek the Republican presidential nomination in the next race for the White House. But there may be a major roadblock to the group’s pitch – Cheney himself.
Mr. Five Deferments should probably have had a Draft Dick Cheney 1967 organization, but I digress. Say what you want about Cheney, but he’s not an out-and-out clown like Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. He’s not a lightweight like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty. The reason Bush picked Cheney as his running-mate was, more than anything else, because the field of Republicans with stature was extremely small in 2000. I mean, how else could Bush have won the nomination? That small field was completely decimated during the eight years of Bush’s presidency. It was so bad that the Republican Party nominated John McCain, a candidate that the base absolutely hated. And McCain couldn’t find a suitable running-mate, leading to the catastrophe from Wasilla.
The reason I think Cheney will not run is more health-related than anything else. He’s the only Republican left standing in this country with an ounce of gravitas. That he’s totally discredited and considered a war criminal by most humans is really beside the point. Any party that would even consider nominating Mike Huckabee or Sarah Palin isn’t a serious organization. If Cheney were younger and had a healthier heart, he’d win the 2012 nomination in a walk.