Interesting. Condi may be the one person in the “buddy” category who could get confirmed.
A Vice President McCain would also mean that the Arizona’s Democratic governor would appoint his successor to the Senate. I doubt the GOP would want their chances of reclaiming control of the Senate to be even further diminished.
A related thread from two years ago: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340362&page=1
Hey! Maybe it would be Gonzales! That’d satisfy all those folks that want him out of Justice!
Sniffing the ether again, are we?
Yeah, that’s actually sort of what I meant by my first post. Presidents try to appear impartial with regards to their parties primaries, and while a year ago it might’ve been possible for Bush to pick a possible successor without making it look too much like they were knighting a heir, now that most of the candidates have officially declared thats no longer the case. I only mentioned the possibility of McCain because I can sort of see Bush deciding to screw the appearence of impartiality to try and protect his Iraq project, but I admit its a pretty outside possibilty.
That said, I doubt the Dems would offer serious resistance to Bush’s choice for VP as long as he didn’t choose anyone too hated (Gonzales or, God forbid, Rumsfeld). The job is more or less powerless (Cheney’s powerful, but only because Bush lets him run a lot of stuff, not because he’s VP) and it makes more sense to save their powder for a fight that actually matters.
I think it was Vice President John Adams who said of the office, “In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.” Yes, the job is more-or-less powerless. Except for that succession thing. How much weight the current herd of Congresscritters would give that, I don’t know.
I’m having a hard time deciding whether Bush gives a horse’s patoot about who follows him as president. I suspect not.
Well, off to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream of President Gonzales. . . . :eek:
A dream, to some… a nightmare to others!
Bonus points if you recognize the movie reference.
Has anyone checked lately?
But on a serious note, I’ll also say it would almost certainly be Rice. Bush apparently regards Rice as his political heir - he supposedly told the Republican nominees that she and his brother Jed would get first call on his endorsement (back when that was still a valuable commodity). Rice would most likely be confirmed. Naming a black woman as a Republican VP would probably bring a few votes back from the Clinton or Obama campaigns. And making her VP would make her a much more viable candidate in future elections (2008 is probably too tied up at this point but there’s still 2012 or 2016).
He’d simply appoint whomever he wants, and he’d go about doing Vice Presidental jobs. Congress would cave in and go along, regardless of what the law says, because that’s what they do.
The fact that I’ve never seen them do anything else BUT cave in.
Merlin, in Excalibur; my brother likes that quote.
Right you are - Excalibur.
What I meant was “what do they have to gain by rejecting some of his choices?”
If Cheney dies and Bush is impeached before the replacement is named, the White House.
I’m not saying that’s likely, mind you.
I too think Rice would be the nominee and she would be confirmed.
Since they’d need about 17 Republican Senators to vote to convict Bush… yeah, not very likely.
I was going to say Condi as well, but I don’t think so. Then Bush would have to get two nominees thru the Senate confirmation process. No, it would be someone who didn’t precipitate that scenario.
It would keep the office vacant.
Nancy Pelosi would be next in the line of succession. 
Obscure? Ford had been a member of the Warren Commission and before assuming the Vice-Presidency, he’d been the congressional minority leader for eight years.
Perhaps he’d pick some non-entity of the Dan Quayle variety. (And no, I don’t mean Quayle himself.)
Couldn’t he just choose any Republican, as long as the person met the mimimum qualifications for the office (American citizen, at least 35 years old, etc.??)
I am kidding. He was a horrible choice and took bribes inside the white house. Just another business man.e But, the choice would gain the power of incumbency. Even Ford became a viable candidate after being VP and short term prez.
And the first time he or she tried to break a tie by voting in the Senate, they would be informed that they’re not the real Vice President and “pretend” doesn’t count. The same would happen if Bush died in office and the “Vice President” tried to assume the Presidency. Or if he or she … no, wait, that’s pretty much the complete list of Vice Presidential duties.