Cheney: From Dead Quail To Lame Duck

The Dick Cheney resignation rumors continue to simmer. Last week there was speculation on the Right, and today Nicholas Kristof writes that Cheney should resign "because of poor health."

It's hard to imagine Cheney leaving the White House - unless there are more indictments or surprises - but the speculation is not mere media fantasy. Some of the Republican chatter may be designed to weaken Cheney and cast him as a decreasingly relevant figure.

For example, a "Republican official" told Time that White House staffers are worried the accident will "hasten the start of the formal lame-duck period." Why tell a reporter about that fear, unless the goal is to promote it?

Some Republicans who have clashed with Cheney could benefit from a reduction in his stature. And the party's presidential aspirants are dedicated to eclipsing the Vice President. Senators McCain and Hagel have already shown that they like to buck Cheney, at least rhetorically. Hagel recently observed that if Cheney had served in the military "he would have learned gun safety."

But after the resignation speculation subsides and the hunting fallout fades, Cheney will still be looking down the barrel of the CIA leak case. If there is proof to recent reports that Cheney was directly involved in leaking the identity of a CIA agent, a lame duck tenure is the least of his worries.

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