The Next VP

So the rumor has it that Tricky Dick Cheney will step down after the 2006 elections. Apparently Cheney is attaining such a level of liability that the increasing friction between VP's acolytes and Bush's stormtroopers is creating a poisonous atmosphere that even Bush can understand.

Of course, absent the inter-office friction, Georgie would probably keep Dick on. Even if Cheney has a staff member indicted, and even if he's drunk and shoots someone in the face, and even if he leaks government secrets, and even as he is increasingly likely to be indicted, that's not grounds enough for Chimpie to let him go.

The stage still seems to be set for his “graceful” departure. So who will replace him? The bets in this camp are that it will be Sen. John McCain. Last year there were rumors that Condi Rice would get the nod, but she seems to have scotched the idea and she would really not be the best choice for the continued hegemony of the Republican dynasty. McCain would be because of his cross-over capability with voters who are not part of the Bush base. McCain is electable, Sen George Allen is not, Sen Bill Frist is not, Gov. Mitt Romney is not, Rudy Guilliani is not. McCain and Bush have been getting cozy lately, and it seems that advantageous positioning is underway.

With Bush and his crowd sinking deeper into the netherland of political viability, they need a spark that can create some magic. McCain will get the nod.
Posted on The Human Stain