Bush outlines how he "intends to use Cheney" in second term

"Cheney's feet solidly planted in No. 2 spot"

(I can hear the replies now..."Cheney's feet solidly planted in No. 2"...)

:evilgrin:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&e=3&u=/usatoday/20050120/ts_usatoday/cheneysfeetsolidlyplantedinno2spot

Bush, who doesn't have to worry about his vice president straying from the boss's agenda to better position himself for a presidential run, says he intends to use Cheney as he did in his first term: loyal and steady adviser, chief negotiator with Congress and prime message-carrier to the public.

"He doesn't want to be president, which really changes the role of the vice president," Bush said in an interview. "In other words, he's not going to be out there beginning to fine-tune his message and begin to seek his political way. ... It's different from previous vice presidents, one of whom (his father, George H.W. Bush) I know well."

When Al Gore (news - web sites) ran for president during Bill Clinton (news - web sites)'s second term, he distanced himself from the scandal over the president's behavior with Monica Lewinsky by avoiding campaigning with him.

In 1988, the elder Bush, as Ronald Reagan (news - web sites)'s vice president, tried to finesse his role in the Iran-contra scandal when he ran for president. He said he was "out of the loop."