IT SHOULDA BEEN CONDI::

Bush Reportedly Writes in His New Memoir That He Considered Dropping Cheney From 2004 Ticket (Karen Travers, 11/02/10, ABC News)

According to the Times, Bush writes that while Cheney helped with the Republican base, “he had become a lightning rod for criticism from the media and the left.”

“He was seen as dark and heartless – the Darth Vader of the administration,” Bush writes. “Accepting Dick’s offer would be one way to demonstrate that I was in charge.”

From the NYT -- But in the end, Mr. Bush writes, “the more I thought about it, the more strongly I felt Dick should stay. I hadn’t picked him to be a political asset; I had chosen him to help me do the job. That was exactly what he had done.” Mr. Bush wrote that he trusted Mr. Cheney, valued his steadiness and considered him a good friend. So, “at one of our lunches a few weeks later, I asked Dick to stay and he agreed.”