Cheney In '08......Yes Please

I have previously commented on the possibilities of the GOP nomination going to Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, and Condoleezza Rice in '08, yet no candidate mentioned has excited me as much as the possibility of a Dick Cheney presidential bid. As I stated in my post on a possible Rice bid, what I will be looking for among the nomination seekers is which one will best advance the Bush agenda and legacy for the next four years. As quite arguably the president's most important advisor, and one of the leading crafters of White House policy, Vice President Dick Cheney is the best man to meet this criteria.

My guess is the '08 elections will be very similar to the '88 elections. The Republican candidate, whomever he or she might be, will be running largely on the president's legacy and his perceived success in the eight years he will have occupied office. The exact same situation existed in '88, where the president's father ran and was elected to continue in the Reagan legacy, and the large margins he won with are do in the most part to the satisfaction the American people had with President Reagan's presidency and it's accomplishments.

Bush 41 was a disappointment however, as he inexplicably wandered away from the Reagan agenda and legacy that had proven successful. Instead of confronting evil and seeking to spread freedom, the elder Bush worked with dictators and left Saddam in power. Instead of following in the tradition of supply-side tax cuts and deregulation he broke the promises he campaigned on and raised taxes.

This is the exact kind of thing I want to avoid in four years. Republicans must seek a candidate who will continue to advance liberty's cause abroad and limited government at home. Growing threats in Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China will demand that America is led by a president who is tough and who understands that the only way to genuinely secure America is to insure that the world is populated by free peoples, peoples who do not threaten their neighbors or the world. Nominating a candidate who slips back into realist diplomacy and who seeks to raise taxes instead of cut them will ill-serve not only our party but our country.

The contentions that the vice president is neither dynamic or graceful in appeal are in my mind exaggerated. Vice President Cheney carries more gravitas than just about any public figure present, and his grasp of the issues, sharp mind, and strong leadership should more than compensate for the fact that he isn't exactly the communicator that Reagan was. The American people are not stupid, and they will turn to the candidate who will best bring leadership and strength to the Oval Office. Dick Cheney is that candidate, and it is my hope that the president will ask him to run when the time comes.