Former Vice President Dick Cheney shared his thoughts on Sarah Palin as a vice presidential candidate and questioned her reasons for leaving her position as governor of Alaska, during an appearance on "The Laura Ingraham Show" Friday.
When Ingraham asked Cheney what qualities were necessary in order to be a successful vice president, he listed a sense of humor about late-night comedians, a willingness to "do what you think is right" and a knowledge that "you don't run anything as vice president." He also said thick skin was necessary for the job.
"And you do need to have thick skin, you’ll be subject to a lot of criticism, some of it funny, some of it not so funny," Cheney said.
When asked whether Sarah Palin was well-suited for the vice presidency when she ran with Republican candidate John McCain in 2008, Cheney focused more on her actions as governor.
"Well, I’ve never gotten around the question of her having left the governorship of Alaska midterm," Cheney said. "I’ve never heard that adequately explained so that I could understand why, how she decided in her first term to step down and still be -- I’d like to know more about that."
Cheney's comments follow a statement made by Karl Rove during an August 24 appearance on Fox News, when he said Palin has shown signs of "enormous thin skin" as speculation continues about a potential 2012 presidential bid.
Palin is scheduled to make an appearance at a Tea Party rally in Iowa on Saturday. She released a video last month that fueled speculation that she would use the appearance to announce her presidential candidacy.
Palin pushed back against the rumors. "Any professional pundit claiming to have 'inside information' regarding Governor Palin's personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public," read a statement on the SarahPAC website.
Rove responded to the statement with consternation. "I'm mystified," he said. "Look, if she doesn't want to be speculated about as a potential presidential candidate, there's an easy way to end the speculation. Simply say, 'I'm not running.'"
LISTEN: Dick Cheney on "The Laura Ingraham Show"