http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/11/cheney-auto/Cheney alienates congressional Republicans.»
In September, the White House sent chief of staff Josh Bolten and Vice President Cheney over to Capitol Hill to convince recalcitrant Republicans to accept the administration’s financial bailout package. The appeal failed, however, when “House Republicans rose up en masse against their vice president,” as Politico reported.
Yesterday, White House nevertheless dispatched Bolten and Cheney to meet with Senate Republicans about the auto bailout plan, where they “heard a barrage of criticism — and offered few satisfying answers.” “They probably left with less support than they came in with,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) said that Bolten and Cheney were unconvincing, admitting “that the bill wasn’t as strong as they would have liked.” A June poll found that Cheney had an approval rating of 18 percent.
Update: In a press briefing this morning, White House spokesperson Dana Perino said that officials still believe there is a "chance" the auto package will pass the Senate.