Cheney in 2012?

At first when I heard Ross Douthat, the new conservative op-ed writer at the New York Times, had suggested that the GOP should have run Dick Cheney as the presidential candidate in 2008, I thought he was another ridiculous right-winger. I thought he was seriously going to argue that Cheney would have won. But it turns out he had a different point, a very interesting point.

Douthat's argument was that no one represents the conservative viewpoint in America better than Cheney does. So, if you really want a litmus test of whether the Republican Party is losing elections because they are too far left or too far right, what better way of doing that than running the man who best represents the right?

This way, if he had won, we would have found out the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys of the world were right. The problem with the Republican Party had been that they were being too soft and moderate. No one is harder than Cheney. But if he lost, they could get it through their thick skulls that the country is not that far right and the Republican Party erred by going too far away from the American middle.

But you know, it's not too late! Why not run him in 2012? He'd be younger than John McCain was when he ran in 2008. Cheney certainly seems lively and engaged in the national debate now. It's not like he's withdrawn from national politics. In fact, you might be hard pressed to find a more prominent Republican leader right now.

The only reason I can think that the Republicans wouldn't run him as their dream conservative candidate is that they know they are full of shit. They are perfectly aware that Cheney would get slaughtered, eviscerated, destroyed, pwned and waterboarded by almost any Democrat in a national election, let alone the widely popular Obama.

These conservative talk show hosts claim that the Republican Party does not defend its positions forcefully enough. They certainly can't say that of the former vice president. He's out there defending torture and intensely aggressive foreign policy every week.

If you ask me, it looks like he is pleading with Al Qaeda to hit us again so that he can be proven "right" in his mind. It seems like he's trying to send a not so subtle message to Osama bin Laden to strike so that he could run around gloating that we were hit as soon as we stopped torturing people. But that's not how the right sees it. They think he's doing God's work out there, defending the seemingly indefensible. And that he is the one man trying to keep this country safe. Ok, great. Then have at it, hoss.

Why not run on this ideology in 2012? Use the same fear tactics Bush used twice, that the conservative talk show hosts love and see if you can get the American people to buy into it. Do you believe or don't you? If torture rocks so much, why don't you get its biggest advocate to defend it and fight for it on the campaign trail?

Come on, I dare you. I triple dog dare you. Make the most conservative man in America your candidate, if you got the guts. You're not going to back down from a battle of ideas, are you? You're not going soft on us, are you? Come on, do it! Run Cheney in 2012. Make our day.

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Comments

[Snertly]

What Obama should do, vis a vis Dick Cheney, is appoint him to some position.

Something just big enough to need a Senate confirmation process.

[tokenconservative]

Congratulations on producing a nothing of an article that merely parrots Douthat's more cogent and articulate point.

[NoSandwiches]

Dick Cheney is the worst president we ever had.
Aren't there term limits the prohibit this?

[S1m0n]

Cheney/Limbaugh in 2012! I like it.

[paixa3]

Cenk; I actually think that Cheney would win. I mean hel&, there has been no truth, honesty, nor justice in the USA for about 30 years and the "fans" are still on the sofa's or walking around with electronic gadgets coming out of their ears.

[MyGuyO]

Whoa.....Cheney win! No way.

Now that would be pure T O R T U R E.

[Buddy McCue]

These "electronic gadgets coming out of their ears" are not always a bad thing.

Because there is such a thing as podcasting, I don't have to hear Rush Limbaugh in the workplace, even though I work in a shop in the rural South.

I can hear quality, information-rich programming from KCRW, like The Politics of Culture, and Left Right and Center, and To The Point. I like to listen to Media Matters with Bob McChesney and Democracy Now. There's good stuff from NPR like It's All Politics and Intelligence Squared.

Perhaps people in Blue States get this kind of programming regularly on their radio broadcasting spectrum, but down here? Not so much.

[Pupadup4oBama]

If he won, then we'd ALL know it was rigged. HOwever, we can not become complacent and think that he CAN'T win....we have to fight, fight, fight to protect ourselves and our country from these evil-doers.

[freddiefreeloader]

Winston Churchill once said " a fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.

[Pupadup4oBama]

wow, perfect description!

[Bushwillresign]

Vegas should have a pool where we can pick who the republicans are going to throw under the bus in 2012. Odds and everything. I pick, um, give me a minute, Huckleberry, er huckle-something.

[larry278]

Could they take the $5.00 bets of the small time gambler? The odds could be interesting.

[DingoDave]

They're as equally bad s each othr. How could you choose?

[DingoDave]

I'll take 100/1 that Cheney is lying through his teeth.

[LolaB]

Although this is an agist argument.... I highly doubt anyone with gray or no hair is going to be elected president.... too many younger voters are now registered voters thanks to the democratic primary. They don't feel the same about past events like vietnam or the Regan era.... if we are lucky they remember or know about Bush senior.... older men don't relate to them and are not electable.

[bluehand]

Cenk, you better be carefule what you ask for. In every horror movie the monster always appears to be dead, but not really. Cheney's like one of those monsters that just won't stay down.

[DingoDave]

I'd love to see Dick Cheney accept an invitation to be interviewed by Cenk on The Young Turks.
Now that WOULD be worth watching! : D

[Pupadup4oBama]

Cheney doesn't have the GUTS.

[ihavenobias]

Another excellent piece Cenk.

[Gib]

LOL

[zendem1]

It will be Jeb Bush. Close enough.

[Mugzi]

jeb or cheney are very scary!!!

[Spiritof1982]

Why not both?! We could have 8 more catastrophic years of Bush-Cheney!! Palin could be added to Mt. Rushmore!! Rush Limbaugh will replace Gore Vidal as America's poet-laureate!! Carpe diem, Republicans!! Your time is now!!!

[camper65]

An itinerant troubadour was thrown into a dungeon after being convicted for robbing a tax collector. His cell mate asked why he hadn't been executed. The singer replied, "I made a deal with the King. I promised to teach a pig to whistle in one year - if I succeeded, the King would set me free." His new friend said, "How do you expect to to do that - all you've done is postpone your death for a year." To which the troubadour replied, "A lot can happen in a year - the King could die - I could die. And you know, I just might teach that pig how to whistle." Lesson - don't get too confident. A LOT of things can happen in 3 and 1/2 years!

[kimleehan]

Google emptywheel­.firedogla­ke prior notification to congress---- It will blow your mind.

[freddiefreeloader]

so theres a good chance nancy pelosi never was advised about waterboarding being used. this is good, thanks kim

[paixa3]

As the subject himself would ask; So?