Has Bush's running mate gone lame?

[maddezmom]

Halliburton and health troubles leave Cheney vulnerable as election approaches

Julian Borger in Washington
Friday February 20, 2004
The Guardian

George Bush often introduces Dick Cheney as "the best vice-president ever" and then, in a belated nod to the fact that his father once filled the same job, he adds: "Mother might have a second opinion."

~snip~

A commanding role in foreign policy has left his fingerprints all over the hyping of intelligence about Iraqi weapons. He visited the CIA several times before the war, and his chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, tried to persuade Colin Powell, the secretary of state, to "sex up" the case against Saddam Hussein by sending him memos bursting with unsubstantiated claims.

Meanwhile Mr Cheney's five years as chief executive of the Halliburton oil services company now look less like admirable real-world experience and more like a scandal waiting to happen. Scarcely a week passes these days without a new investigation into Halliburton's operations in Iraq, from overcharging $61m (£32m) for fuel deliveries to billing the government for thousands of soldiers who did not exist.

The tide is also turning visibly in the press. Amid a flurry of media speculation, this week's edition of the National Journal, the ultimate Washington insider's magazine, put Mr Cheney's picture on its cover, complete with trademark snarl and the title: "Just the Ticket? Does having Dick Cheney as his running mate help or hurt George W Bush in 2004?"

~snip~
more:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1152054,00.html

[Raven]

1. If Bush is smart, Cheney will be out as VP.

He does Bush no good at all. On the other hand, in 2000, Cheney gave Bush "gravitas" because Bush was such a light weight. I remember many Repub friends of mine saying, "I'm not sure of Bush but Cheney has been around and knows what he's doing". I wonder who Bush will pick for VP this time.