Dick Cheney gets the awaited call

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 25. The former Defence Secretary, Mr. Dick Cheney, finally got the telephone call he was waiting for. Shortly after six in the morning he got a call from the Texas Governor offering him the Vice Presidential slot on the Grand Old Party's ticket for the Presidential elections of November 7. The formal announcement will be made soon with the candidates scheduled for a joint appearance in Austin Texas later in the afternoon.

In spite of determined efforts to keep the pick secret until the very end, the news started spreading like wildfire soon after Mr. Cheney made a voter registration change from Texas to Wyoming to stay within a constitutional amendment that bars Electoral College members from casting their ballots for the President and the Vice-President from the same state. Mr. Cheney made the switch last Friday.

The Texas Governor did have a wide field to choose from that included several state governors, senators and at least one from the House of Representatives. In the end Mr. Bush settled with the candidacy of Mr. Cheney who was also in charge of the vetting process for the Vice Presidential candidates. Republican leaders are generally hailing the choice of Mr. Cheney saying that he brings not only executive experience but also foreign policy knowledge that Mr. Bush is seen as lacking.

Until the very end the hope in some quarters was that Mr. Bush would still make a last minute change and bring in someone like the retired General Colin Powell or Senator John McCain. Gen Powell has said even as of Monday that he is certainly not interested in any elective office, but has not ruled out accepting a Cabinet Post in a potential Bush administration next year.

As for Mr. McCain, although the Arizona Senator has said that he is not interested in the Number Two slot, he has indicated that he will accept the post if offered. But the Texas Governor, among other things, has said that he wants a running mate with whom he can feel comfortable with. The bruising primaries left a lot to be desired in the manner in which Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain went about their attacks on each other. The differences may be buried in an official sense, but there is an uneasy relationship.

The question that pundits and analysts will be reviewing in the next several days is the kind of advantages and disadvantages the former chief of the Pentagon brings to the ticket. The positive side to Mr. Cheney is that he is unlikely to create an uproar within the Grand Old Party in the sense that he will be acceptable to the moderates and right wing elements of the Party.

There are at least two downsides to the choice of Mr. Cheney. First, although doctors have said that he is in good shape, the history of heart troubles will merit attention in the media. Secondly, a perception in some quarters that in going for Mr. Cheney, Mr. Bush is actually turning around to the team that served his father, Mr. George H.W. Bush. The Texas Governor is known to be close to his father but at the same time he does not wish to leave the impression of being still in his shadows.

The argument has been made that Mr. Cheney will not upset the Republican calculations and not harm the main candidate in any fashion. At the same time the question will be posed on the kind of political advantages he brings to the ticket. Right now Mr. Bush and the Democratic presumptive nominee are close in the polls, a statistical dead heat. Mr. Cheney is seen as someone who will not be altering this as opposed to the excitement that Gen. Powell or Senator McCain would have brought on.

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Section  : International
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