WASHINGTON -- In Bushworld, it's always Day 41 of
Desert Storm, that glorious day the
president's approval ratings soared
toward 91.
The head-scratching choice of
Dick Cheney is explained by the fact
that he was in the bunker during the
family's finest hour. They would
have preferred Colin Powell, who
was also in the bunker during their
finest hour. But they let Brent Scowcroft, who was also in the bunker
during their finest hour, help seal the
deal for Mr. Cheney.
It's impossible to work up even a
solitary goosebump for a former
staff member in the Ford White
House. A prosperous, well-fed, balding, bland, male Republican Washington insider and former House
leader who voted to the right of the
N.R.A. and Newt Gingrich.
In Congress, Mr. Cheney was way,
way out there, always willing to pony
up money to guerrillas in Nicaragua
and Angola but not to poor women
whose lives were endangered by
their pregnancies.
When Trent Lott starts gushing
about somebody, Katie bar the door.
The Texas governor who promised
to be a "different kind of Republican," the candidate who used words
like "inclusive" and "compassionate" and "heart," is now running
with a guy who defended cop-killer
bullets and plastic guns that could
slip through airport metal detectors.
Million moms will love that.
The Bush convention in Philadelphia will be gauzy, trying to appeal to
women, moderates and minorities,
showcasing Elizabeth Dole, Condoleezza Rice (also in the bunker at the
finest hour), John McCain, General
Powell and Laura Bush. The opening
theme is "Leave no child behind." It
will be delicious to see how the Republicans deal with those Cheney
votes against Head Start.
"Inclusive" loses a little punch
when you are running with someone
who in 1986 opposed a call to release
Nelson Mandela after 23 years in
prison, and often voted against the
economic sanctions that helped
crush apartheid.
The Cheney choice is about the
past. But then, W.'s campaign has
always been less about vision than
vindication.
The dauphin must reclaim the throne because the Bushes
must restore the halcyon days of the
ruling-class court that thrived before
that dissolute commoner Bill Clinton
usurped it.
The family yearns to go back to the
"honorable" days, the golden era of
Establishment reign -- before the decision not to go into Baghdad began to
fester, before Bill Clinton stole credit
for the thrumming economy, before
first ladies went all weird on us.
Mr. Cheney was picked because he
is the anti-Quayle. George I was determined that George II not repeat
his mistake, choosing someone
young and callow. The ticket already
had that covered.
Back in 1988 Mr. Cheney, then a
House luminary, would have been a
good choice for George I. For George
II, he comes across as the baby sitter.
Mr. Cheney has been minding Junior all year -- first coaching him in
foreign affairs, then helping him sort
through his V.P. picks, and now stepping in to provide a steady hand on
the tiller.
The past dictated the choice in this
way as well: W., who had loafed
through long years when he could
have been prepping for the presidency, felt he needed some heaviness on
the ticket.
The Bushes hate being "psychoanalyzed," as they call it. They don't
like personal questions. And yet they
make many crucial decisions based
on personality.
The father chose Dan Quayle and
the son chose Dick Cheney for the
same reason: They wanted men who
liked them, men with whom they had
"a comfort level."
And while Mr. Cheney might have
voted like Tom DeLay, he has a calm
and avuncular air. He vetted the
other candidates, but he himself was
vetted by W. and Poppy, who, as
usual, trusted their instincts.
I doubt either Bush would have felt
comfortable running with a woman.
Or with anyone who challenged their
egos or made waves, like John McCain. They need a history of loyalty,
and they have a preference for deference.
Dick Cheney is one of their guys,
in the Club. And they know best.
Before the Bushes mess up any
more vice-presidential picks, for Jeb
or George P., they might want to stop
checking their gut and start checking
the voting record.
A ticket with two rich white Texas
oilmen who went to Yale, avoided
Vietnam and act more moderate
than they are? For the Bushes, that's
a perfect fit.
Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company
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