Bush and Cheney: Is it normal for the Veep to be smarter and more competent and involved?

[Ardent15]

Look at their experience:

Cheney: Congressional intern, White House staffer, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, White House Chief of Staff, Congressman from Wyoming, Republican House Whip, Secretary of Defense, American Enterprise Institute Fellow, member of the PNAC, and CEO of Hallibuton.

Bush: failed congressional candidate and businessman, occasional campaign stumper for his Daddy, and Governor of Texas-a Governor with fairly little power.

The contrast is enormous. And if you look at Bush's staff, they were mostly a bunch of political hacks-Rove, Hughes, Gonzales, Bartlett, etc.If you look at Cheney's staff, you see such figures as David Addington, a real fucking asshole who was very experienced with ruthless policy plays in Washington, and Scooter Libby, a member of the neocon cult. And they had access to the White House Office.

Hell, look at their wives and daughters. Laura just "looks out for the children" (even though she killed a man), and Jenna and Barbara are partygoing idiots. Cheney's wife, on the other hand, is a very influential and powerful right-wing voice, and his daughters-Liz especially-are smart, devious political operatives.

It's like there were two Presidents under Bush/Cheney-a guy who would stump "for the troops" so to speak, and be "folksy" and "funny", and then the serious chess-player who would actually do most of the policy and management.

[Warpy]

1. Republicans like the front man to be a star of some description

and don't really expect him to run things.

So yes.

[cognoscere]

2. No, but when you're working with

something like a Bush, even a dog turd would be smarter and more competent.