Add "Kevin McCarthy" to the possibly very short list of things Dick Cheney likes.
The Republican congressman from California is the leading candidate in the House speaker's race, and he received a boost late Wednesday when the former vice president issued a statement of support for McCarthy's bid to replace John Boehner. McCarthy is likely banking on Cheney's endorsement, which came the night before the scheduled vote, to resonate in some Republican circles.
In his statement, Cheney said "it is more important than ever that we have strong conservative leadership in the House of Representatives," and shared that he's known McCarthy — "a good man and a strong leader" — for many years. Unable to refrain from making a dig at the president, Cheney talked about "chaos on the rise abroad," and added: "The Obama administration has done enormous damage to our military capability and to our relationships with key allies around the world. Especially when the president refuses to lead, Congress needs to step up to provide for our national defense in support of American power."