# Why don't we have a Vice President? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 25, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053 "2003-12-25T22:02:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/21 "2003-12-26T12:49:23Z")
Mr. WeakHeart is biding his time quietly profiteering from the war that he talked Mr. WeakBrain into. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/22 "2003-12-26T13:47:56Z")
From the link that **ratatoskK** provided: > [@](#): > > In the hours that followed hijacked planes being flown into buildings in New York and Washington, correspondents say Mr Cheney took charge of running the government while President Bush stayed out of the capital. As you were saying, _Spavined Gelding_\*… \*By the way, is that bog spavin or bone spavin? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/23 "2003-12-26T14:20:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\* Bush43 having learned a major lesson from Bush41’s troubled administration (having a senior member who attracts endless jokes about his intelligence is a bad idea) > \*\* Then how do we explain putting the person who attracts mockery at his intelligence at the _HEAD_ of the ticket? :d&r: ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/24 "2003-12-26T17:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blalron \* > \*\*I’d love to be Vice President. I’d get a salary of 200k a year, for doing absolutely nothing except calling the White House periodically to see if the President was still alive, and breaking ties in the Senate. That’s my dream job. \*\* “Am I president yet?” “No!” “Am I president yet?” “No!” "Am I president yet? “KNOCK IT OFF!” ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/25 "2003-12-27T01:24:30Z")
**Brandus** , I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I was under the impression he was being kept under wraps until the administration straightens out what its current message is. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/26 "2003-12-27T02:10:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vezer \* > \*\*“P-a-t-a-t-o-e” doomed Qualye. \*\* Yea, well at least he never asked a grand jury to define the word “is” for him. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053/27 "2003-12-27T02:20:15Z")
Seriously though the VP job has usually been (AFAIK) one of either: - useless funerals and meetings that the president doesn’t want to deal with (Gore, Quayle) - behinds the doors negotiations with Congress and others (Cheney, LBJ) - grooming for the top spot (Bush I, Powell in 2006 when DC has another cadiac “episode”) But I will give this DQ, when he tried to run in 96 folks asked him why, given the trauma of being VP, he’d run for the top job: “No kid grows up dreaming of be \* Vice \* President of the United States” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-have-a-vice-president/221053.md?page=1)