We really should not be surprised that Cheney has been the de facto

[question everything]

president - as Olbermann commented earlier this evening.

I think that it was clear to most of us that Bush was selected because he looked good on paper: a scion of a known political dynasty, a two-term governor of a major state, has interacted with Latino people up close and personal (more or less)..

But I think that it was clear that he was going to provide a facade, while the real powerful people in the Republican party were going to pull the strings. We all know of Cheney and Rumsfeld but, I suppose, there are more.

[Kagemusha]

1. I doubt there are more. The real powerful people are Cheney, Cheney and Cheney.

Everything else descends directly from him. There are no "real powerful people" in the party with any influence on him. How could there be? Rumsfeld was Cheney's man, so he's just part of Cheney Inc.

And Cheney is a hardcore conservative and is trusted implicitly. They know what Cheney believes because it's the same things he believed 20 years ago. There's no need to pass notes like in a high school classroom.

[win_in_06]

3. So why doesn't Cheney make the next step and finally wear the crown?

His health? Seems like his ego would lead him to run for POTUS.

[Kagemusha]

4. He's not photogenic or charismatic, and his dark arts rely on secrecy.

Doing this without the public face provided by W. just would not work. He needs Bush to act as a shield, sin eater, what have you. This style of pulling strings just can't work when people see the strings themselves.

[Hekate]

2. The only surprise is that WaPo is FINALLY publishing this information

A bit late maybe, but it's finally in the mainstream press.

Hekate

[question everything]

5. I suppose in order to put in public you have to at least

thoroughly document it.