by Mark Silva
The vice president's job - until the reign of Dick Cheney - was largely a matter of holding a mirror under the nose of the president to see if he was still breathing.
But now, in the aftermath of the most powerful vice president in the history of the republic, the question arises: Who might like an invitation to be a running mate this year?
The Capitol Hill newspaper, appropriately called The Hill, asked a lot of sitting senators the question and got some responses, some serious, some not-so.
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), who was arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom sex sting and has since been ostracized by his party, relied: "I would say 'No, Hillary.'"
"Republican prospects John Thune of South Dakota and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina dismissed the possibility, while conservative Sam Brownback (Kan.) expressed concern about how independent voters would react to him,'' the Hill reports.
"On the Democratic side of the aisle, Sen. Jim Webb (Va.) also dismissed the idea -- but with a grin. Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.), another Democrat whose name has surfaced in vice presidential speculation, was more candid: "I suspect that's not the sort of thing you say no to."
Yet many replied in jest.
"Of course," Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) said. "Big house, big car, not much to do. Why not?"
"Absolutely," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). "I think I would be great. First of all, I know how to behave at weddings and funerals. And I know how to be commander in chief. I'd bring a lot of fun to the job. We would rock the Naval Observatory."
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) noted that Cheney, a former Wyoming congressman, headed up President Bush's vice presidential search committee in 2000 and ended up in the spot himself.
"We'll have to see if Sen. McCain asks me to chair his selection committee. That seems to work well," Barrasso said. "It certainly seemed to work well for the last guy from Wyoming."
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who ran with Democrat Al Gore and is doing a lot of supportive talking for Republican John McCain this time around, said: "Once is enough... I already have the T-shirt and I'm proud of it.''
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Comments
These discussions invariably bring up the quote by VP Jack Garner who said, "The vice presidency isn't worth a bucket of warm spit." Only he didn't say "spit." Given that, if Obama were ever to pick Hillary, I doubt that he would want to have her behind his back...or Bill too, for that matter. The one factor a VP has going is that "only a heartbeat away" thing.
Posted by: Filmore | May 13, 2008 10:19 AM
Lieberman had his chance and can keep his T-shirt for all anyone cares He's a defector and an embaraasment!
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | May 13, 2008 10:19 AM
Lieberman is not a defector, the democratic party defected from him. Although he still votes with them the majority of the time, I think he's a pretty good guy.
Posted by: Joe | May 13, 2008 11:43 AM
The party defected from him? How does that work. Did the party make him become an independant? Did the party twist his leg t defect? Gee I didnt realize the democratic party had such power.
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | May 13, 2008 11:54 AM