March 8, 2007 [LINK / comment]

Replacement for Dick Cheney?

Once again, we have to worry about Dick Cheney's health, as he suffered from a blood clot in his leg after a long flight home from Central Asia. In response to the latest Cheney scare, Donald Sensing wondered what would happen if Colin Powell became vice president and then announced he was running for president -- against Barack Obama! I wrote:

Being a proud man with much to be proud of, the only way Powell would serve as veep and then run for prez is if he set firm conditions, e.g., being allowed to speak his mind on the goofs in Iraq. (I know, that makes this scenario even less likely.) In that case, he could neutralize much of the anti-war sentiment Obama would tap, with none of the Bushite crony baggage. Aside from a few folks on the hyperpartisan Left, he is widely regarded as trustworthy and sincere. With oceans of gravitas, a dependable record, and personal warmth, he would easily trounce Obama. That is, unless the economy tanks between now and then, which is a serious possibility.

Political civility 101

Iowahawk presents an amusing imaginary dialogue between Ann Coulter and Bill Maher on "the deterioration of civility in American politics." I never thought much of Maher, and I'm not as fond of Coulter's sharp political rhetoric as I used to be. Her crack about John Edwards a few days ago did not even strike me as funny.

When former NARAL head Kate Michelman said that Edwards could become "first woman president" (as Bill Clinton was regarded by some as the "first black president"), however, I thought that was pretty funny. It was meant as a compliment. See New York Sun.