November 24, 2004
REPLACEMENT GAMES:
A Heartbeat Away: Speculation about a replacement for Dick Cheney just keeps on ticking (James Ridgeway, November 24 - 30, 2004, Village Voice)
Most recently, on November 13, Cheney went to the hospital for medical tests after experiencing shortness of breath. Initial tests showed no abnormalities. The pacemaker indicated no irregularities during the preceding 90 days. And an electrocardiogram showed no change.Should his condition go south, any number of politicians could get the nod, but many of these possible fill-ins carry bad baggage. Let's consider four of the realistic possibilities:
Only one of the choices he offers is even remotely realistic--you have to have been asleep the past five years not to realize that only the inner circle would have a shot. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 24, 2004 12:28 PM
Are you thinking of Frist? That's the only one that didn't make me roll my eyes.
Posted by: Governor Breck at November 24, 2004 12:46 PMI'd be happy with Frist. Racicot doesn't seem to me to be Presidential material, nor Nickles for other reasons. Schwarzenegger isn't eligible.
Posted by: pj at November 24, 2004 12:46 PMWhat the heck? Ok, they picked Frist because it's credible, they picked Arnold because it's interesting--did they pick the other two out of a hat?
Frist would be my second choice, though, after Condi.
Posted by: Timothy at November 24, 2004 1:11 PMTim: What you said. Condi '08!
Posted by: Mike Morley at November 24, 2004 1:18 PMRaccicot is the only one on the list Bush is personally tight with.
Posted by: Dan at November 24, 2004 1:58 PMRacicot may be tight with the President, but Bush isn't going to replace Cheney with someone who has no foreign policy experience. That's a bigger negative than not being in Bush's inner circle.
Condi, of course, has neither negative...
Posted by: Timothy at November 24, 2004 2:49 PMBush is capable of surprising even us Bush Mavens on this list.
I'm hoping he picks (if indeed Cheney leaves) someone outside the short list.
Of all those discussed, Frist bothers me the most. He just isn't man enough for the role. The scary thing is that almost no one is.
Who, other than Bush, is capable of ignoring (mostly) the chattering class. These people will eat Frist alive.
I realize that I'm too far out of the box on this, but I'd pick someone like Schundler.
It's too bad that nepotism isn't held in higher regard. If it was, Jeb is the obvious no-brainer.
Posted by: BB at November 26, 2004 3:42 PM