Thought of the Day: Dick Cheney is a Wily One

Shocking turn of events: Dick Cheney refused to endorse a 2012 presidential run for Sarah Palin!

GASP!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/14/dick-cheney-on-sarah-pali_n_461870.html

Now why would such a kind, loving old man like Dick Cheney refuse to help out poor little Sarah Palin? Well duh, A.) Despite my personal feelings about his politics, he's not stupid and B.) He's got something up his sleeve.

Dick Cheney is a skilled politician. He holds an intrinsic understanding of the American body politic. Many people believed that Cheney did not run for president in 2008 because he was too old or lacked the will to hold the office. How naive. Good old Dick knew no matter what Republican got into the election, they were never going to win. Any Democrat, whether it be Clinton, or Edwards, or Biden, or Obama, was going to beat any Republican that ran against them. He understands the American political winds and how regularly they shift. So why in the world would he waste his time, his money, and his reputation on a doomed presidential campaign? Why wouldn't he hang back in the shadows for a while, let the bad feelings associated with his administration fade a little bit, build up his war chest, and try later when there's a greater opportunity and he has more resources at his disposal?

All of the politicians lining up to run in 2012 won't be saying nice things about each other any time soon. It's the same reason Newt Gingrich condemned Rudy Giuliani on the Daily Show last week for dragging his feet on restoring Ground Zero during his mayorship of New York City. Because they're planning on making a run for it in 2012.

And even if Cheney doesn't run in 2012, understanding that Obama has a substantial advantage over any Republican that would run against him, why would he want to associate himself with Sarah Palin and the unstable political movement she lords over? She is a nut, most Americans don't feel she is fit to sit in the Oval Office. Why would Dick Cheney align herself with a radical right-winged lunatic at the risk of losing independent votes in the long-run?

Indeed, Dick Cheney is a wily one. He's one of the few Republicans that can look past short term political advantage, and that, along with some moderate social views, will one day make him a formidable opponent for the Democratic Party.