Cheney Staying Put

Despite the fact that it's perhaps better for them, Dick Cheney doesn't appear to be ready to resign as Vice President.

Dick Cheney is the gift that keeps on giving. Now one of the most unpopular vice presidents in history and enveloped by this Valerie Plame scandal, his staunch support for the war in Iraq, ties to Halliburton, and contempt for the Democratic Congress and any Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch makes him toxic for the Republican Party.

Even should Dick Cheney resign, who would Bush appoint to serve out the rest of the term. It wouldn't be any of the GOP Presidential nominees. None of them are going to want to be attached to this administration and run on their record. For the first time since perhaps the Stevenson/Eisenhower race in 1952, we're going to see the presidential candidates from both parties run from the incumbent President.

Former Congressman Martin Frost (D-Texas) speculated on Fox News that Bush would appoint Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut as his Vice President, in an ironic twist, which would destroy the Democratic majority as Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell is a Republican who gets the appoint a replacement, likely a Republican (my guess would be former Congressman Rob Simmons.) Lieberman, however, is a Democratic-leaning independent and would almost certaintly have to caucus with the Republicans for them to take control.

Bush may also promote Condoleezza Rice to the Vice Presidency, making a statement (first female, first African American, and a Republican ,) but it doesn't seem like Condoleezza Rice wants to get sucked further into the vortex of shame.

So Cheney probably stays for the next 22 months...He's lost all his political capital and his support anyway, so he's essentially useless at this point.