Keep Dickie

Fox News says Cheney maybe, maybe, should step down. I say, "No." He's our greatest asset. It's like Spiro Agnew. What more could we ask for?

Some 27 years ago Dick Cheney and I started our careers in elective politics together — he as a freshman congressman from Wyoming and I as a freshman congressman from Texas.

Though the vice president and I often don’t agree on policy matters, I have a high regard for his intelligence and political abilities. However, the unfortunate hunting accident in Texas this past weekend and the clumsy way in which Cheney disclosed news of the incident to the media are just the latest in a mounting list of controversies surrounding him.

While the shooting of a member of his hunting party has been declared an accident, the verdict is still out on his role in the leaking of classified intelligence information by his former chief of staff.

With Republicans as well as Democrats criticizing and questioning the vice president’s actions, I think the question of whether Mr. Cheney will complete his full term in office is an appropriate and legitimate line of inquiry. Certainly, people are starting to whisper; television pundits and newspaper columnists have raised the issue. It is not unreasonable to consider the political consequences of a Cheney resignation.