April 05, 2007 2:55 PM ET NEW YORK The New York City daily The Sun, clearly not afraid to go where others fear to tread, declared on Wednesday in an editorial that one big man is missing on the 2008 campaign trail. "For all the talk about potential candidates who haven't entered the 2008 presidential race — from Mayor Bloomberg to Vice President Gore to Senator Thompson and Speaker Gingrich — the one that who would bring the most to the race is Vice President Cheney," the editorial began.
It's not just that the president deserves a strong defender out on the trail. "Mr. Cheney has virtues as a candidate in his own right," the editorial continued. "He has foreign policy experience by virtue of having served as defense secretary, and he has economic policy experience, having served as a leading tax-cutter while a member of the House of Representatives. His wife, Lynne, would be an asset to the ticket in her own right.... By our rights, Lynne Cheney would make one of the greatest First Ladies in history. Mr. Cheney, in any event, is more than four years younger than Mr. McCain, and, if elected, would be 67 years old at his inauguration, younger than Reagan was when he took office. His health, while a topic of frequent speculation, hasn't interfered with his service as vice president....
"This is not an endorsement, and there are things we find attractive about many of the other candidates. But for those of us who are concerned with extending Mr. Bush's campaign for freedom around the world and cutting taxes at home, a Cheney campaign is attractive."
On its message board, the editorial drew a mixed response, from "I totally agree" to "this is insane," from "Amen" to "Last Throes." One poster today asks, "Was The Sun taken over by The Onion?" Another observed that Cheney had done a good job as president "the last eight years." Another proposed a Cheney/Alan Keyes ticket.
E&P Staff