Dick Cheyney and his heart: Should he stay or should he go?

Great Debates
1

First off, I know Republican-Democrat partisanship inevitably will enter into this discussion, but if at all possible, I would like to focus on the real issue at hand: should a Vice-President with a bad ticker step down?

On one hand, should the Prez die or be “unable to perform his duties”, is it really safe to have a Vice President who at best might be spending time in the hospital as the Commander-in-Chief, or at worst die in office as well? What if, God forbid, Dubya leaves this vale of tears while Cheyney is out under the knife in a hospital?

Yet, I heard a local doctor on the radio this morning who said that actually a pacemaker and the procedure performed this weekend will insure that the Veep won’t keel over with a heart attack, and if anything, he will be able to perform his duties BETTER than he did before.

Plus, Dubya seems to be in great physical health, so of course the likelihood of his demise is improbable.

Whether you like or dislike the guy, there is no doubt he is an asset as an experienced deal maker and foreign policy expert. Generally Cheyney is respected by both sides of the aisle in Congress. And considering the inexperience of the guy in office, it is comforting to know that there is someone able to give him knowledgeable counsel, whether or not you agree with what specifically his advice is (see how hard it is not to get into it?)

Yet . …that question of “what if?” is still there, and besides, since the job of the Vice-President is to take charge should something happen to the President in an emergency, isn’t it not in the nation’s best interest to have a Veep that has a serious health condition?

So . . .what’s your opinion Dopeheads? Are you okay with Cheyney’s ticker or do you think he needs to step down?

2

I think he’s a superb role model for people with heart disease. Don’t let the fact that you’ve got a “dicky heart” slow ya down, folks. Other people with pacemakers aren’t asked to quit their jobs.

And besides, under the Americans with Disabilities Act it’s entirely possible that he can’t be made to leave.

3

If he quits the VP job today a new VP will be appointed.

If he dies of a heart attack at some point in the future … a new VP will be appointed. He might not, in fact probably won’t, die of a heart attack in the next three years though. What’s the issue?

Haj

4

IIRC Eisenhower’s heart problems were more serious than Cheney’s. Nobody want Ike to resign, especially since Nixon was his VP.

5

[old joke]
No, fer Gawd’s sake! If Cheney goes, that means Dubya would be running the country!
[/old joke]

Naw, he just has to delegate some more of the stress (a condition which most VP’s in history would not understand).

6

Ah, but most people didn’t KNOW Eisenhower was that ill. The press tended to gloss over these things back then.

I saw a doctor on teevee yesterday making the point that Cheney is not “healthier” than he was before, that this device is NO insurance against a heart attack, just against arythmia—he even hinted broadly that someone with Cheney’s history probably had another three years in him, tops.

I think this is all part of Bush Sr.'s plan: pick a VP sure to drop dead, then appoint Jeb to be Junior’s new VP! Like the Kennedys, only without the brains.

7

For what that’s worth :slight_smile:

Personally, I’d stick it out just to be a nuisance.

8

I heard that too, but it wasn’t Jeb, it was Katherine Harris. :rolleyes:

9

For most vice-presidents, this wouldn’t be a big deal – as the old saw goes, a veep’s traditional job is to attend the funerals of foreign dignataries, and little more.

However, even without political posturing here, it’s a well-known fact that Cheney is carrying a disproportionate share of the presidential duties, doing all the heavy grunt work that Dubya doesn’t care to do. In this regard, if there’s serious concern about whether or not Cheney can do the job, IMO he really should step down and provide a smooth transition to someone else (maybe Dan Quayle is available? :smiley: )

10

Here are my nominations for the next VP:

Sen. George Allen (R-VA)
Phyllis Schafely
Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Marion Barry (good for some laffs)
Don Feder

That be it.

11

If Cheney were useless, he should stay as VP, but he’s performing valuable work for the American people, so he should resign.

What’s wrong with this picture?

12

Actually, Eisenhower’s cardiologist was so famous that I was able to remember the name “Dr. White” after all these years.

13

Really? I heard it was Barbara or George Sr.! :eek:

14

Excellent point, D, one of the quirks of the officially powerless VP position.

My take on the whole thing is that there is no reason for Cheyney to retire, for now - he can currently handle both his limited official responsibilities and the expanded role he plays in the Dubya Administration.

However, I have strong doubts that he’s going to make it all the way through the remaining 3 1/2 years. I don’t think he’ll die in office, but eventually he’ll have to retire. I mean, c’mon, three procedures in eight months! It’ll be very interesting to see who replaces him. My early money would be on Colin Powell - it would solve some of the administrations infighting problems on foreign and defense policy and damn skippy it would be a boost for Dubya’s re-election campaign. The question is, would Powell accept such a “promotion”?

Sua

15

I read somewhere-I think in US News and World Reports that he’s not following doctor’s orders on things like diet and such.

He’s gonna end up back in the hospital.
sigh

16

I would suggest that no one can predict the future course of someone’s health or life. My grandfather was beset by a series of major ailments during the last 20 years of his life. He had about 4 or 5 major strokes, about that many heart attacks, Parkinsons, skin cancer, and a few other sicknesses that I can’t remember. I remember one day reading about “Pistol Pete” Maravitch, playing a game of basketball in the gym, shouting out “I feel good” and keeling over dead. I was thinking, who would have thought, 15 or so years ago, that my grandfather, a man with a serious heart condition, would outlove the then 23 (or so) year old athlete Maravitch. You can never know.

I think if Cheney can’t or doesn’t want to perform the job he should resign. Until then, I don’t see it as being an issue at all.

17

My personal opinion - if a president or vice-president is in full possession of her/his mental faculties there is no need for her/him to resign. Most tasks involving a great deal of physical exertion can be handled by members of the cabinet (e.g. travelling to meet foreign leaders could be accomplished by the secretary of state.) I would deem her/his position important enough that s/he can justify staff and other interested parties going to her/him for meetings, instead of the president or VP having to travel.

As far as the VP or president dying unexpectedly, the rules for the chain of succession seem to me perfectly adequate.

18

Lots of political position holders have lots of health problems, for example the Governor of Massachusets. She went out of her way to continue serving throughout most of her pregnancy. If Cheney continues to make reasonable adaptations to continue on his work and resigns if he truly cannot work for extended periods of time, then there is nothing wrong with what he is doing.

Eve, where do you get less than three years from? He has a cardia arythmia that is being treated by a constant monitoring as well as a “built in defibrulator”. How is this not treating the arythmia?

19

First, a nitpick. She’s only the acting governor. When the governor leaves office, the lieutenant governor does not become governor in Massachusetts.

Second, it’s recently been a bit of a joke around here that the governor apparently doesn’t do much, as Swift took a bit of time off, only checking in over phone from her home out in western Mass. (this being one of few states without an official governor’s residence).

20

Jeez, Theodore Sorenson goes off the market just when we need him again.