Good News for McCain: Cheney's On Board

Some endorsements are sought.

Barack Obama courted former Secretary of State Colin Powell for months before the Republican general endorsed the Democratic nominee.

John McCain was delighted to be joined on stage the other night by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who leant some badly-needed star power to the Republican contender's Ohio campaigning.

But there are other endorsements that campaigns would prefer to let slip under the radar.

President George Bush, he of the Nixon-during-Watergate "approval ratings," will not be appearing with McCain in the final days of the 2008 campaign.

And even the most ardent Republican would not suggest an association with Vice President Dick Cheney, the Darth Vader of American politics, who can only dream that Americans might one day view him as favorably as Spiro Agnew.

But you can't keep an old powerbroker off the campaign trail forever.

So it was that Cheney elbowed his way to a microphone in his sort-of homestate of Wyoming a few days before the election and announced his enthusiastic support for McCain.

The soon-to-be-former vice president lavished praise on the woman who would succeed him: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Recognizing characteristics that other senior Republicans have missed, Cheney described her Paliness as being possessed of "executive talent, toughness and common sense."

Cheney, whose disdain for McCain was an open secret in official Washington, was more circumspect in his praise for his party's presidential nominee.

The vice president says that the senator, who he elbowed aside as a possible Bush running-mate in 2000, "understands the danger" that will presumably befall the Republican if he is elected..

Concluded Cheney: "He is a man who has looked in the face of evil and not flinched. He's a man who's comfortable with responsibility, and has been since he joined the armed forces at the age 17. He's earned our support and confidence and the time is now to make him commander in chief."

It is unclear whether Cheney's "face of evil" reference was to himself.

Here's some video in case anyone missed the campaign's all-too-brief Cheney-McCain moment.

Comments (53)

1. Concluded Cheney: "He is a man who has looked in the face of evil and not flinched."

   Yeah. He met Cheney in his office!

   Posted by jackwells at 11/01/2008 @ 6:03pm

2. Not sure how this helps Johnny Mack.

   Posted by skeletonman at 11/01/2008 @ 6:12pm

3. But at least his nutty-as-a-shithouse-rat brother hasn't called 911 for help with traffic this week.

   Posted by skeletonman at 11/01/2008 @ 6:14pm

4. birds of a feather get plucked together?

   Posted by leftofcenter at 11/01/2008 @ 7:19pm

5. Yeah cHeney, pAlin, what does it matter.

   MchsuB sees the face of evil every time he addresses an audience-- the smelly cattle being herded for corporate dic'tatorship fodder, milled soylent $, food for the godless, eager lingering deaths by a thousand points of lie; fooled yet again and again without even an once of selfless respect.

   MchsuB for 4 more years would be a continuing hell that only ignorance would truly deserve and be happy with.

   Posted by hsuBfools at 11/01/2008 @ 7:48pm

6. What was really great was that CNN had split screen showing Palin and Cheney at the same time. You would think that the campaign would have made sure that the two weren't speaking at the same time. Yet another sign of a badly run campaign. Not a sign of a great leader.

   Obama on the other hand: http://everyoneforever.org/blogger/

   Posted by racc at 11/01/2008 @ 7:57pm

7. Cheney's just opting for the lesser of two evils in his mind. I think that's pretty obvious.

   This is as extraordinary as Louis Farrakhan endorsing Obama.

   That is, not very.

   Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 7:59pm

8. The band on the Titanic comes to mind...

   Posted by bleedingheart at 11/01/2008 @ 8:18pm

9. This is as extraordinary as Louis Farrakhan endorsing Obama.

   That is, not very.

   Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 7:59pm

   Nice try, Skippy, but your attempt to tie your future president to Farrakhan is nothing but a silly, cheap stunt.

   Posted by skeletonman at 11/01/2008 @ 8:45pm

10. Nice try?

    Farrakhan endorsed and referred to Obama as the messiah. Cheney didn't even call McCain the messiah, yet Nichols is correctly attempting to link Cheney and McCain.

    Why are you so afraid of an Obama Farrakhan link Skeleton? It's there. go ahead and google it. So? How in the world could that surprise anyone?

    If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to hide something.

    Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 9:28pm

11. I think I figured out why Dubya can keep 28-26% loyalty among the Hard Right base....

    but Cheney only stays in the teens with them.

    Remember, most of these folks (the Religious Right particularly) still think that homosexuality is "caused by bad parenting" or "bad family morals"....

    so how do they explain Mary Cheney?!?!??

    Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 9:31pm

12. Mask, I've never once seen any evidence to suggest "most" of the "religious right" think that homosexuality is "caused by bad parenting" or "bad family morals".

    I have heard them consider homosexuality a choice, however. I disagree with them. It may be a choice in a small % engaging in homosexual behavior, but I believe it is not a choice but their God-given, natural proclivity.

    Get off the topic quick. The truth might be uttered by someone over the truth on Obama's stance on gay marriage! Shhhhh!

    Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 9:38pm

13. I'm sorry, I haven't even read this thread yet but this article had me in stiches so I hope the link works for you dear friends: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/opinion/01blow.html?hp

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 11/01/2008 @ 9:39pm

14. Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 9:31pm

    Mebbe Sarah can take her up to church on Sunday - I hear they gots preacher-man that can pray the gay away! Praise be...

    Pax - good stuff

    Frei - better watch out for LL & Rio Loco (using God and homo in that fashion) You old sinner

    Posted by leftofcenter at 11/01/2008 @ 10:25pm

15. Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 9:38pm

    FREI, ask some more....and ask them "Would gays make that 'choice' if their parents did a better job?"

    Ask....

    I'll wait.

    Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 10:29pm

16. Recent photos of Mr. Cheney have a strange, almost youthful aspect to them.

    He's a lot like a right wing shock jock who, by strange and unfortunate happenchance, got into a position of power and was able to grab the control handles of government, pulling on them with wild glee, watching the whole of society reel around in a precarious dance.

    Does he gloat about how he was personally able to twist our society around? Possibly, when he's alone with his cigar and his heart medicine he allows himself a chuckle or two; I'll bet he has to exert mighty control to keep it from building to a full blown belly laugh, though.

    Posted by ficheye at 11/01/2008 @ 10:46pm

17. FREI, ask some more....and ask them "Would gays make that 'choice' if their parents did a better job?"

    Ask....

    I'll wait.

    Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 10:29pm

    I know my mother blames herself for me turning out gay as a plaid rabbit (even though I don't think she had an influence one way or the other). If anything, my parents made me comfortable enough in my skin to admit I prefer the company of gents.

    Incidentally I'm a casual acquantance of Mary Cheney's. I don't think she's anywhere near the rabid neo-con her father is. But there's a lot of family loyalty there so...

    Posted by yutsano at 11/01/2008 @ 10:51pm

18. Quite a thread

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 11/01/2008 @ 10:55pm

19. Posted by ficheye at 11/01/2008 @ 10:46pm

    Obviously Dick's been drinking the blood of children to regain his youth!

    Posted by yutsano at 11/01/2008 @ 10:51pm

    "plaid rabbit" .. LOL, nice

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 11/01/2008 @ 10:55pm

    indeed

    Posted by leftofcenter at 11/01/2008 @ 10:59pm

20. Posted by yutsano at 11/01/2008 @ 10:51pm

    Years from now, I think we'll learn there was always a seed of "discomfort" with Cheney among the Religious Right.

    If it's not genetic (as they like to claim), then why couldn't "good, patriotic Christians" like Dick and Lynne convince Mary to avoid the "choice"??!?!!???

    Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 11:09pm

21. And if we are not able to hold Cheney's feet to the fire for war crimes, we will have allowed him to not only get off with the responsibility of killing over 5,000 of our young men and women but in the process building wealth for he and his Halliburton friends.

    As long as his faulty ticker keeps him kicking, we should never let a day go by without reminding him of what he has done.

    Posted by Hoot at 11/01/2008 @ 11:27pm

22. If it's not genetic (as they like to claim), then why couldn't "good, patriotic Christians" like Dick and Lynne convince Mary to avoid the "choice"??!?!!???

    Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 11:09pm

    I never knew Cheney was known for his piety or religious fervor. I mean if he is he sure doesn't trumpet it to the high heavens (pun intended) and make a big deal over it. I always thought he was the quiet Christian type a la McCain. I know it caused a huge row initially when Mary decided to be honest about her sexuality. Couple that with Mary insisting on motherhood (her son is ADORABLE!) and suddenly good ol' Dick looks like the antithesis of the Dobson righties. Then again Dick was from the Nixon era of conservatism and only went along with Reagan's deal with the Christian right. I personally don't think it was a deeply held belief.

    Posted by yutsano at 11/01/2008 @ 11:35pm

23. Even more good news for the McCain camp... Two Montreal radio personalaties called Palin and said that they were Pres. Sarkozy of France.

    It was painful to listen to. I almost felt sorry for her. She chatted on the phone with them for 7 minutes. The guy even said his wife was "hot in bed" and she didn't suspect that maybe it wasn't the President of France afterall.

    Posted by koroviev at 11/01/2008 @ 11:52pm

24. Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 7:59pm

    Yeah, Frei, except Cheney's approval numbers are probably lower than Farrakhan's. Oh, and Farrakhan has had nothing to do with the policies that have ruined, or just flat-out ended so many lives in the past 8 years.

    Posted by jmusolino at 11/02/2008 @ 12:46am

25. Posted by jmusolino at 11/02/2008 @ 12:46am

    I never claimed otherwise.

    Posted by freiheit1 at 11/02/2008 @ 01:03am

26. Posted by Maskdelta at 11/01/2008 @ 10:29pm

    Mask, I already admitted there are certainly wrong-headed people who would say that. I just don't feel your "religious right" stereotype is accurate, that's all. But hey, maybe you're right. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

    Posted by freiheit1 at 11/02/2008 @ 01:06am

27. Praise Jesus.

    And Felipe.

    And Matty.

    Posted by bobforer at 11/02/2008 @ 02:39am

28. November 1, 2008

    MCCAIN'S NAME NOWHERE TO BE SEEN AT PALIN RALLY

    Posted: 01:30 PM ET

    From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

    Palin signs made an appearance at a Florida rally – McCain signs did not.

    POLK CITY, Florida (CNN) -- At a boisterous Sarah Palin rally in Polk City, Florida on Saturday afternoon, one name was surprisingly absent from the campaign décor -- John McCain's.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/02/2008 @ 02:53am

29. Posted by freiheit1 at 11/01/2008 @ 9:28pm

    Is that anything like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell et al claiming that the GOPs foolish imperialism is pre-ordained by god???

    Posted by TexasFlood at 11/02/2008 @ 03:26am

30. POLK CITY, Florida (CNN) -- At a boisterous Sarah Palin rally in Polk City, Florida on Saturday afternoon, one name was surprisingly absent from the campaign décor -- John McCain's.

    Posted by frosty zoom

    I saw that on TV also, all signs at Palin's rally had only her name on them. Even the podium sign was McCain free.

    Maybe she's stocking up on file footage for 2012 campaign commercials. It would make sense. Why remind anyone of her part in a terrible loss.

    Posted by koroviev at 11/02/2008 @ 04:27am

31. Dick Cheney is not a joke, I am sorry to crush the fun. Please remember he should be tried on war crimes with Pinky. Pinky and the Brain are fun to laugh at but they are no joke to those who have lost their basic rights.

    Posted by truthandjustice at 11/02/2008 @ 07:50am

32. Posted by truthandjustice at 11/02/2008 @ 07:50am

    Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

    Yeah, but where are we going to get a wombat and a case of duct tape at 3 in the morning?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 08:28am

33. After Clinton left office, did Mary Cheney keep the baloney in her pants?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 08:33am

34. Palin/ ?

    2008?

    I guess that crowd did not get the 8 month long memo on "experience and celebrity". Has anybody ever seen a party flip flop so quick?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 08:36am

35. John McCain gave Rashid Khalid $400,000, Cheney endorsed McCain,

    Working through PontiFlogic..... how many Israelis did Dick Chenye kill?

    Pontificus, do you have an answer on this important question?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 08:55am

36. I guess that crowd did not get the 8 month long memo on "experience and celebrity". Has anybody ever seen a party flip flop so quick?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 08:36am

    "When you hit me on the head with your beer bottle, something in my chemistry was changed"

    "Whatever gets you through the night"

    "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with"

    Sadly, a once respectable party has morphed itself into lines from 70's pop songs.

    Posted by skeletonman at 11/02/2008 @ 09:03am

37. hearts'n'minds!

    Sunday, November 2, 2008; Page A16 YEMEN

    U.S. Embassy Attackers Said Linked to Al-Qaeda

    The six-man suicide squad that assaulted the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 17 had trained at al-Qaeda camps in the southern Yemeni provinces of Hadramut and Marib, and three of them had recently returned from Iraq, a Yemeni security official said Saturday.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/02/2008 @ 09:07am

38. Posted by frosty zoom at 11/02/2008 @ 09:07am

    they are working their way to Jerusalem...through Baghdad. They got a copy of Chimpies poorly re-folded Road map.

    (excuse the joke used in two threads, it's early)

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 09:27am

39. I thought Chimpy had protected US soil from terrorist attacks?

    sigh, another Bush claim bites the dust.

    up is pink, left is grain.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 09:32am

40. after 2000, The republicans will:

    Bring peace to the ME

    establish a functioning liberal democracy in Iraq

    Create a domino effect of democracy in the ME

    Restore credibility to the White House

    Unite the country

    Create a permanent republican majority in congress

    Overturn RoeVWade

    reduce entitlement spending

    end the abuse of earmarks

    balance the budget

    reduce the trade deficit.

    How did they do?

    Obama 270+

    Senate-dems pick up 7

    House-dems pick up 20+

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 09:49am

41. "There are 43 million uninsured Americans – 4 million more than when the current administration took office. George W. Bush will reverse this trend by making health insurance affordable for hard-working, low-income families." [Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 website]

    In the first two years Bush was in office, the number of uninsured American increased by nearly four million. Since Bush took office, health insurance premiums have risen by an average rate of 12.5 percent per year. According to a major study, "widespread adoption [of Bush's major health care plan] could drive up the annual deductible paid by workers." [Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 7/8/04; Kaiser Family Foundation, 4/04; USA Today, 4/25/04]

    George W. Bush will "fully fund the Pell grant program for first-year students by increasing the maximum grant amount by more than 50 percent, to $5,100."

    [Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 – Education website]

    President Bush has frozen the maximum Pell Grant at $4,050 in his FY 2005 education budget. This is the third year in a row that Bush has frozen or cut the maximum Pell Grant. [Source: House Committee on Education and the Work Force 2/2/04]

    "To restore confidence in government, George W. Bush will...return civility to the nomination process." [Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 website]

    When Democrats objected to the nomination of William Pryor to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the White House stood by its allies who leveled charges of anti-Catholic bias at the Democrats. When Sen. Patrick Leahy confronted Vice President Cheney about the impropriety of this charge on the Senate floor, Cheney civilly told him to "F*** off." [Source: CBS, 6/25/04]

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 09:56am

42. I am certain this is of earth shattering proportions. After all who did everyone think he was going to endorse? Obama? Big deal! Yet another corrupt Republican endorsing a corrupt Republican! It doesn't surprise me that sycophantic Arnold was up there kissing ass either. After all he is looking to run for the senate one day. I am surprised he waited until the election was almost over to do it. I guess neither one wanted to be seen with McCain!

    Posted by ganddw42 at 11/02/2008 @ 10:20am

43. Posted by crabwalk at 11/02/2008 @ 09:56am

    Well they did reach across the aisle as promised .. they just neglected to tell us it was to slap the disagreeables in the face

    Posted by leftofcenter at 11/02/2008 @ 10:22am

44. I wonder if JM will go quail hunting w/ DC any time soon? *BAM* "Oops, my bad.... SARAH!!!"

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 11/02/2008 @ 10:29am

45. As for the divine Sarah's sterling qualifications, read & listen to the her conversation with "Pres. Sarkozy," at the Daily Kos site.

    Posted by sloper at 11/02/2008 @ 10:33am

46. Wow, the average American is for Obama literally. The real-life Average American, the nation's most statistically average man or woman found after a long non-partisan search, has come out for Obama, according to the search's website: http://www.theaverageamerican.com

    Posted by worldly at 11/02/2008 @ 10:49am

47. As for the divine Sarah's sterling qualifications, read & listen to the her conversation with "Pres. Sarkozy," at the Daily Kos site.

    Posted by sloper at 11/02/2008 @ 10:33am | ignore this person | warn this person

    The world is having a pretty good laugh at the USA today. My initial reaction was laughter and disbelief, followed by visceral sickness.

    Posted by OneVote at 11/02/2008 @ 12:23pm

48. "This phone call shows Palin for the boneheaded, beauty pageant queen she is. She couldn't follow what was being said, just waiting until she thought it was her turn to speak and then speaking beauty pageant platitudes. God help the US (and the world) if she's ever doing any serious negotiating where the stakes really matter. Put her in a room with a real enemy and see who comes out whole. She's too easy to fool. She's in way over her head."

    or

    "hahahahahahahahahahahahah.....AHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!! oh lordy lord. Is this really the kind of leaders you have in America???? Oh GOd at one point i was actually convinced Sarah Palin has been an actress this whole time....."

    blogs from gurardian.co.uk (today)

    Posted by OneVote at 11/02/2008 @ 12:59pm

49. John McCain is a traitor to the United States, who denied his country four days after capture in Viet Nam. Eudcation yourself by reading the facts in his own words in his book. Country First, oh you betcha.

    Posted by mcteach at 11/02/2008 @ 1:03pm

50. I just lost my temper with a friend, a sweet man, a born-again Christian, a black man from Honduras who taught me how to tie a bowline knot in about ten seconds flat, the man who is helping me by sanding and finishing my decrepit deck, a McCain/Palin supporter who told me, kiddingly, that he would vote Democratic if I hired him for some other job on the house we were talking about. I exploded. I told him that he was my friend because I have always known him to stand up for what he believes is right. That if voting for Palin is voting his conscience then that is what I would expect him to do and respect him for doing so, but DON'T TELL ME YOU WOULD VOTE DEMOCRAT TO OBTAIN WORK FROM ME (I was shouting - I lost it for a moment). God this election is twisting me up somehow. They did a great job on the deck by the way and I still love them. I apologized for raising my voice.

    Posted by A_Pax_On_Your_Houses at 11/02/2008 @ 2:41pm

51. When Bush was initially elected, I told a group of friends that I hoped he wasn't as big a liar as his dad was, as Bush senior was the biggest liar to occupy the office up to that point. People thought I was nuts.

    I remember quite clearly Bush's repeated promise while campaigning to support the Kyoto Treaty. ONce in office, he completely reversed position. I remember Cheney sneering and basically telling everyone to get real - did we really expect them to support such a treaty? Such positions may make one feel good, but seriously....(sneer, smirk). I remember the press taking this as a sign of the Bush administration's savvy, realism and toughness.

    Lying repeatedly to the American people. Some savvy. Some toughness. I hope we all vote to repudiate such disgraceful and un-American behavior. I hope we create a "reality" of our own, a reality reflective of the true values of the American people, and send these bullying cowards packing.

    Posted by Dwight Wall at 11/02/2008 @ 2:48pm

52. mc cain the " hero " broke under pressure while captured -- what about all othe other pows who did not break -- havent seen the "hero" label attached to them

    exactly how has he been tested-- why doesnt someone remind him that turncoat liberman said exactly the same thing

    he looked like a fool on snl -- did he think that would get him a single vote

    Posted by lougee1043 at 11/02/2008 @ 4:15pm

53. The Bush Administration and Dick Cheney in particular are getting very concerned about the proposed treaty with Iraq! The December 31 deadline is rapidly approaching and U.S. Raids into Syria have not been conducive to trust by a Sovereign Iraq. It is beginning to look like Iraq is going to ask for an extention of the U.N. mandate of 6 months to a year so they can negotiate with the New President rather than G.W. and that puts a lot of plans for the continuation of the occupation at high risk and Cheney has a lot to worry about! Be interesting to see what happens as if Obama is elected, I have no doubt that Iraq will request an extension from the U.N.!

    Posted by RITEON at 11/02/2008 @ 4:19pm