Dick Cheney 2012?

Despite Obama’s defeat of the “Clinton machine,” American political dynasties are still alive and well, said Reihan Salam in The Daily Beast, and that includes the “tarnished” Bush clan. Ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is probably the GOP’s best hope for 2012, and Dick Cheney seems to be “gunning” to be at his side. Or at the head of the ticket. Cheney for president may seem a “surreal nightmare” to many Americans, but “stranger things have happened.”

Yes, Cheney’s “68, white, and bitter,” said Roger Simon in Politico. But that’s why he’s “the voice, the face, the spirit, and the guts of the Republican Party today.” And despite poor polling, he actually “has many pluses”—he’s “very, very good on TV,” he’s calm and articulate, and he’s tough. “The Republicans need a person who knows how to attack.”

Why would he run in 2012, when he’s already enjoying his “third term”? said Maureen Dowd in The New York Times. Cheney’s one of “the best infighters in Washington history,” and through his nonstop TV appearances and “Obama-bashing,” he seems to be getting the “Boy Wonder” president to follow his orders on the torture photos, state secrets, and other Bush-era national security policies.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up