Former GOP senator: Bush should consider dropping Cheney

[stevedeshazer]

By MARC HUMBERT
AP Political Writer

July 7, 2004, 2:14 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- President Bush should consider dumping Vice President Dick Cheney from the Republican ticket this year, an influential former GOP senator said Wednesday.
Alfonse D'Amato said Bush should consider putting Secretary of State Colin Powell or Sen. John McCain of Arizona on the GOP ticket.
There was no immediate comment from the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Bush has long maintained he wants Cheney to be his running mate.

source: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--cheney-damato0707jul07,0,4757880.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[AlCzervik]

1. That would be good for *

but bad for us. Keep Cheney!

[MidwestTransplant]

10. The chance of either of them doing it are slim to none

[physioex]

12. It's not that simple...

Powell is just a figure head, who is shunned by the neocons. Cheney plays such a large role in the administration that it would not be easy to remove him. He is essentially the go between the Neocons and the business interests. Chimp would be lost without him...

[Catfight]

2. Dumb and Dumber is the perfect Rupug ticket. No need to change

a thing. Stay the course Dumbya, things will look better for you closer to November. LOL

[Myrina]

3. He can't dump the president !!

Who'd handle all that policy stuff while Georgie was taking his afternoon naps ? :shrug:

[LittleApple81]

24. Dump the puppeteer? * was stuttering today because Cheney has carpal

tunnel.... BWAHAHAHAHA... thanks to another poster in a thread about his visit to NC today.

[WI_DEM]

4. Powell would be much more of a threat in my opinion

than adding either McCain or Rudy--because it could shake up our most loyal voting block.

[physioex]

14. Powell won't work..

The neocons can't stand him....

[rocktivity]

44. And even if the neocons COULD stand him

they know they could never "puppet" Powell the way they do Bush should he find himself having to fill a president's shoes.

:headbang:
rocknation

[noonwitch]

20. I think Powell wants nothing more to do with the administration

Here's a guy who Bush & Co used because he had such a good reputation. They got him to lie to the UN. Now that the truth is out he probably wants to retire and hide somewhere from the armegeddon unleashed by his bosses.

At least, that's how I'd feel in his shoes.

[stevedeshazer]

23. If he really felt that way,

Wouldn't he resign? Why would he stay on playing charades?

He's in on it. That's the only plausible answer, isn't it?

[noonwitch]

21. I think Powell wants nothing more to do with the administration

Here's a guy who Bush & Co used because he had such a good reputation. They got him to lie to the UN. Now that the truth is out he probably wants to retire and hide somewhere from the armageddon unleashed by his bosses.

At least, that's how I'd feel in his shoes.

[Roy]

57. BS..................

This kind of hints that black people will vote for a black face over important issues.
I think this thinking if in fact that is what it is is very shorted and a big mistake.

[candy331]

61. Pity is the caring and loving Democrats didn't think of it

first, oh wait they did but you know the nation is not ready for an African American or surely we can't alienate the voters that are not ready. If Colin had stood up and not licked Bush I can guarantee you AA would have voted in mass to Republicans. I don't know what it is going to take to convince Democrats that AA are leaving. Sometimes denial is all a person has so refuse to give it up. Sure the Repugs used the AA but so does the Dems. At least the Repugs have to work for their vote the Dems feel they owe it to them. Now where again is that river of denial?

[Brucey]

5. He'll never drop Cheney...

at least not for someone who would challenge Jeb for the 2008 nomination.

[hlthe2b]

26. Yup... Cheney is likely safe because he won't try to succeed Bush*

leaving the empire available to Jeb in 08.

He also holds the cards with both the neocons and the Grover Norquist "tax the poor, reward the rich" and the industrial military complex crowds.

Cheney will not allow himself to be replaced without a major war and Bushie* is terrified of looking weak or indecisive, or admitting he made a mistake. Rove might try to convince him if he sees the writing on the wall (and enough moderate Repugs express their anxiety), but I doubt he'd win that one....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Bush should consider working with a new president?

Hard to imagine a repig suggesting that!

[SpiralHawk]

7. Ahoy - Trial Baloon spotted at 10 o'clock

Time for the POWERS to tell Big Dick to "Fuck Off"*?

* This tradmark phrase used without the kind permission of Vice pResident Dick Cheney.

[napi21]

8. Oooooo, the natives are gotting restless again!

I doubt Shrub will drop Cheney unless he's indighted for something. He's made a BIG DEAL of his "loyalty" and "stand by me friends" philosophy.

I hope he keeps the jerk! He'll help the Dems defeat this corrupt admin.

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

9. nothing but an RNC-approved trial balloon

This is all about sending out feelers to the diehards; it dovetails with Lurch's bus adventure last week. Both are intended to gauge the base's commitment if Lurch stays on.

[stevedeshazer]

17. I agree

Especially after reading this thread... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1166958/posts

[Hegemony Cricket]

36. That thread rules...

...first time I clicked on a link to freepland in quite a while.

They seem a little less certain of themselves these days.

*rubs palms together*

[AspenRose]

11. Rudy Giuliani

That's another name I've heard kicked around.

He's pro-choice, though, so that'll never happen.

[physioex]

16. And an adulterer....

Although it's none of my busniess. It would never work with Puritans in their party...

[LiberalFighter]

64. Has Rudy been castigated by the Catholic bishops?

[cthrumatrix]

13. cheney drops the F-bomb on this idea....mr toliet mouth is in trouble

i think

[physioex]

18. Wrong, Other than a few fall guys like..

O'Neil, Clark, and Tenet how many real administration officials have been fired? No, people in this administration are never fired no matter how much they screw up..

[JM]

30. O'Neill was in fact fired

for three reasons

1) He had his own opinions that ran contrary to the company line
2) He expressed thos opinions
3) Bush had to make room for Snow, who sold CSX to Carlyle in his last act as CEO of CSX.

Watch, they will somehow try to run Jeb as VP

JM

[physioex]

33. I listened to what O'Neil said...

And he actually sounds like an intelligent guy. He had so much experience working for so many administartions. Why would he get kicked out all of a sudden?

[Dulcinea]

35. Disloyalty.

Boy George requires that his people be loyal to HIM, kind of like the Sopranos. It's explained in O'Neill's book, "The Price of Loyalty" (an excellent read!)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

38. "Wrong, Other than a few fall guys like.."

O'Neil, Clark, and Tenet how many real administration officials have been fired? No, people in this administration are never fired no matter how much they screw up..<<

How many have resigned in disgust?? That's an even bigger story... but the repugs don't want to talk about it.... "they are just disgruntled former employees".... what they foget to throw in there.... is that they are disgruntled because they have a conscience and are concerned about where they are headed after their time is up on planet earth.

[physioex]

39. Right...

And they do some serious character assaination after they are gone...

[wish_I_could_vote]

15. This possibility scares me

But I'm hoping it won't happen happen. It would leave Bush too vulnerable to claims of listening to polls, something he never does *wink wink*.

Now a convenient heart attack....that is a possibility. If I were Cheney I would not be sleeping lightly. Think about it....a sudden quick demise in the middle of the night just before the election....and outpouring of grief and guilt for disliking the man....a quick insertion of a popular candidate....it could be what Bush needs.

[Spazito]

19. I see it as a real possibility, Cheney will drop behind the "curtain"...

still be running the show. One thing to remember, imo, it is not the "person" that the REAL powers care about it is that their ideology succeeds and their global domination goal is realized therefore anyone AND everyone is expendable if necessary.

[Mr.Green93]

22. he should get someone with better hair

[iamjoy]

63. Another Freeper Quote

OTHERS SAY CHENEY DESERVES TO BE VICE PRESIDENT CAUSE OF HIS HAIR /SARCASM OFF!

[struggle4progress]

25. Oooh! Could we have Dan Quayle again?

He was good for late night TV!

[physioex]

27. Noe.......

:evilgrin:

P.S. It was a spoof on Potatoe in case you forgot.... :smoke:

[stevedeshazer]

29. Okaye

What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle winning friends while speaking to the United Negro College Fund, 5/9/89 This gem has been added to Bartlett's `Familiar Quotations'. (reported in Esquire, 8/92) (reported in the NY Times, 12/9/92)

[physioex]

32. Bwahahaha...

Actually I long for those days compared to what we have now....

[struggle4progress]

43. If I remember correctly, Quayle's team later blamed this gaffe ...

... on whoever prepared the flashcard Quayle was reading.

Anyway, it's an easy mistake to make, because the "e" in "potato" is actually silent.

[Dulcinea]

28. Not gonna happen.

Powell has already said he won't be back if Boy George is.

I don't see McCain playing second fiddle to the Dim Son.

Besides, Cheney's the REAL president!

[sandraj]

31. Yeah right

Like Cheney is the only one who should be dropped from that ticket :eyes:

[Kolesar]

34. Note that this is advice from Alfonse D'Amato, the loser

He lost his Senate seat to Chuck Schumer.

[CreekDog]

37. Not Quayle, he would make Bush look dumber

[pinniped]

40. Both of those a$$holes need to go.

The entire klan is corrupt. This further shows what miserable failures these repukes who stole the wh are.

------
Bush has long maintained he wants Cheney to be his running mate.
------

More like the other way around.

Even without ch* * is still an asshole who belongs in jail for life.

[Dr Fate]

41. Cheney has too much hubris to do that.

Just like the snarling James Bond villian, he will go down with the flaming ,secret headquarters...

[skip fox]

42. This possibility is frightening to me as well. McCain would

make W. more difficult to beat, that's for sure, both because of the positive political valence McCain would bring and because the loss of Cheney's negatives. PLUS, I'm betting it was Cheney who made sure the CIA gave W. only what W. wanted to hear about WMDs and the al-Quaeda link to Saddam.
.He'd be easy to dump, given his heart problems. A ready-made fig leaf for his departure,

The only factor that militates against Bush dumping Cheney is W.'s well known loyalty (croney-culture's highest virture). Perhaps Cheney also helps him with the far right voter.

[Thor_MN]

67. Even more frightening than Bush/McCain is McCain/Bush...

That's a horse that could win, except for the boat anchor of Bush being on the ticket.

I can't wait for this election... I want visit my brother in DC and be standing outside the White House with a "No, F___ YOU, Dick!!!" sign the morning after.

[dArKeR]

45. In the height of the frenzy 'love' for aWol/Cheney, I was the first to

declare Bush and Cheney wouldn't even get the GOP SCUM nomination. (2 years ago.) I'm telling ya, I've got a sixth sense and I believe in the power of thought. I couldn't let myself believe such evil disciples of Satan could cheat and rule America for four more years. You can force history by taking in honesty, truth... and objectively 'will' America back onto a track of greatness. It sure was lonely back then, back in the dark ages of hysteria and the GOP Attack on America when 87% supported Satan. Those were really scary times. We were down more than the Rebel Alliance against Vader and the Imperial Empire. That's why Kerry would have been nuts to pick Gephardt. Maybe they are good people but we need Knights in Shinning Armor to lead us against the GOP. Gephardt and Daschle may be excellent to lead is in a 'traditional' congress but things have changed with the scum of the like of Gingrich, Lott, Haster, Frist, Delay... We need New Age Knights in Shinning Armor to defeat the Disciples of Satan.

1. Kerry wins and we take over the Senate (and we all help Daschle win his seat), Daschle MUST be replaced with new 'forward thinking' Dem. leadership.

2. When Bush has a psychotic breakdown and withdrawls from the race, I want my yellow DU star changed to green and I want a 'lifetime' membership in which I can say anything I want and never be revoked! LOL!

[stevedeshazer]

56. You may end up being right

About Bush and Cheney if enough stuff happens soon.

But I think they're going down with the ship, along with the ENTIRE NEOCON WING of the R party.

[0007]

46. Alfonse D'Amato is a real scumbag with big time connections

with organized crime.

To get a rise from this crook the administration must be in a no win situation.

[spinbaby]

47. More likely Cheney will dump Bush

A) Cheney is in charge.

B) Bush is becoming an incoherent, alcohol-soaked liability. They can't prop him up much longer.

No question but that the chimp must go. The only question is how they're going to pull it off. I'm betting Bush blows up in a "terra" attack and Cheney either "rises to the occasion" with "great leadership" and aquires some telegenic VP candidate or he is so struck with grief that he "retires" leaving some more popular repug team to run for office while he runs things from behind the scenes.

I'll just go off to polish my tinfoil now.

[Generator]

48. Maybe I'm whacked but

I don't honestly believe that either Powell or MCcain would accept.

Beyond that, the ONLY "quality" these fascist warmongers have is loyalty. I stand by that, Shrubpants ain't dumping Dick.

Though Dick could resign over health issues and then still get his Halliburton kick-backs for free with even less questions asked.
(uh uh Mr.Vulcan cyborg lizard alien man could be watching)

:scared:

Did I mention that CheneyFuck is the poster boy for corporate crime and greed? Haha, the Repukes are catching on, it takes them awhile but eventually they "get it".

[Demeter]

49. Of Course, Cheney Could Always Dump Bush

That would really send a message to the freepers.

[dArKeR]

53. Does Cheney have any anthrax left?

[Algomas]

50. Here is my 02...

I predicted months ago that Bu$h/Cheney will not make it to November and that McCain will be the Republican nominee. I think the writing is on the wall and the bag-men in the shadows are hedging their bets. Wouldn't it be a fitting end to Cheney's treasonous career to die from a "heart attack" inflicted on him by his own people?
The ANSWER group has an interesting take on our predicament: Major demonstrations at the Inaugural, no matter who becomes president. Given the fact that Kerry's positions are hardly any more enlightened than Bu$hco, there can be no let up in pressure from us, the disenfranchised and screwed citizens. Just look at the reprehensible vote for the Bu$h judicial nominee Leon Holmes this week. He was approved by Democrats!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x669187

[PATRICK]

51. Can't pass this up

Good old Al. Aside from the fact that he just doesn't get it about why Cheney is there in the first place, note the notable exception to his "short list".

The Pataki-D'Amato NY clique hates their rival Guiliani. Of course Pataki would be an excellent do-nothing, know-nothing stooge for VP but I don't think he'd have a prayer in hell of delivering his state.

As usual, D'Amato is more comical than anything else and talking from this odd quarter of dumping the Veep is only a quaint attention getter. The rest of the party has long since passed the point of no return for taking independent stands of any sort. Even a troll like D'Amato is way on the outside looking in, resembling far too many retired NY pols of both parties turned out to stud in the curmudgeon pastures rechewing the grasses of wistful disgruntlement.

[Zen]

52. Nice little slap in the face for a Prez? who can't EVER admit failure

I love it. That little chimp brain must be about to explode.

[Piperay]

54. The monkey can't fire the organ grinder

who the hell would be in charge then?!? :wow: It would serve chimpy right to have McCain telling him what to do if he was actually dumb enough to try something like that, BWAHAHAHAHAHA! :silly:

[stevedeshazer]

59. Monkey? Organ grinder?

You're killing me here!

[koopie57]

55. I think it will be

bush/cheney cuz the whole mess of them are too arrogant to admit another team might have a better chance of winning or appearing like they were wrong. I wonder if cheney might have a heart incident in the middle of the night, but I really I don't really see that happening. And I don't think bush and mccain would manage to run together just cuz i think there is a lot of animosity between the two of them. Powell and bush running together ... Powell would make bush look so stupid and inept. But, that is just what I have been thinking.

[2Design]

58. but....but.....but....cheney is running the country...he is the one who

called the shots on 911...it was his plan.....we can't dump him.....<shaking in his fake cowboy boots>

[JDPriestly]

60. A Bush/McCain Ticket Might Appeal to Bush

The Republican fundy base would accept McCain. Of course, Bush and McCain are ideologically totally incompatible. But, as vice president, McCain could be relegated to a ceremonial role like many previous vice presidents. Making McCain vice president would silence McCain's criticism of the Bush administration and prevent him from building a middle-of-the-road Republican power base to challenge Jeb in the next election.

Nominating McCain as the vice presidential candidate would also put Kerry into a difficult position. Kerry is a genuinely loyal man who appears to like McCain very much. Would Kerry have the guts to fight his friend McCain hard enough to win? If Kerry puts on gloves out of deference to McCain, he will lose the support of Democrats who already feel betrayed by the failure of the Democratic Party and Gore to take off the gloves in fighting Bush's appointment, the war, etc. That would result in Nader's winning a lot of votes from Democrats angered by what they would see as another sell-out to Republican tricks. Kerry will have to decide whether he wants to win enough to forget his friendship and trust in McCain and turn his back on a friend.

It's really a perfect ploy -- provided McCain falls for it. And how can McCain refuse the vice presidency, especially since the alternative may be ostracism by the Republican Party and facing a neo-con challenge candidate in the next primarily election? Of course, if McCain accepts, he loses a lot -- Kerry's trust and friendship -- and his political identity as a maverick. If McCain accepts, he will be swallowed up into the Bush machine -- give that machine legitimacy -- and relinquish the Republican center to Schwarzenegger. In other words, by accepting, McCain simply delays his political demise.

Offering McCain the vice presidency looks like a typical Rove coup. It would rid Bush of the McCain threat whether McCain accepts or not.

[2Design]

66. McCain will only accept presidency....not VP

[iamjoy]

62. Freepers Are Vicious

QUOTE
Some people say that Cheney deserves to be vice-president because his son was killed in an automobile accident. /sarcasm off
END QUOTE


how dirty and rotten of them to make fun of Edwards' tragedy!
It just shows new lows to which conswervatives will sink. Good grief, I think losing Wade was a major turning point in Edwards' life (how could it not be.) He tries not to campaign on it but is he not supposed to talk about it?!!

[Chicago Democrat]

65. How did he die?

[iamjoy]

68. Car Accident

His Jeep got caught in some winds or something on I-40 & flipped over.

Now this is interesting, the fact that you don't know how his son died just shows Senator Edwards isn't trying to make political hay of it.

Interestingly, the way I found out was by Ann Coulter writing an article that then presidential candidate Edwards was campaigning on it by not campaigning on it. She was rather cold-hearted (as usual) too.

I think Wade Edwards died in 1996 at age 16. I don't usually think about it unless some Conservative brings it up, because except for in his book Four Trials, I've never heard Senator Edwards mention it.