This Cheney thing is really bugging me.

A month ago, Mary Cheney was called a "selfish hedonist" by the handpicked loser of the Illinois senate race. Lynne Cheney said nothing.

Yesterday, Alan Keyes, says "If we do not know who the mother is, who the father is, without knowing all the brothers and sisters, incest becomes inevitable" in a response to a question of gay marriage. Lynne Cheney says nothing.

Alan Keyes is not a bad man? What kind of monsters are these people?

BTW...who takes over as VP if the current one is say, struck down by a heart attack?

Mary's outed herself and worked as a publicly lesbian outreach person for several years. Until 2004.

Dick Cheney himself said in Iowa that he and Lynne have "a gay daughter" .... but for someone else to mention that fact of public record is a "cheap and tawdry act?" Methinks, in my little corner over here, that "cheap and tawdry" is feigning outrage and being ashamed of one's daughter because your party's fundy-raising base is wierdly obsessed about gay & lesbian sex.

Oh, and the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R-IL), is considered next in line for presidential succession.

jaime,

heart attack? At the rate these two are going they are lucky that their pants don't spontaneously combust.

Regarding your question, however, the proper question concerns who mans the Bush automaton if Cheney strokes out.

As for taking over the VP role. It is subject to the succession guidelines of the 25th amendment, section 2. The president nominates someone who is then approved by both houses of Congress. This is not to be confused with the Presidential succession act of 1947. So if Bush/Cheney were to sign a suicide pact and follow through with it the Speaker becomes President.

My bad. You're correct. I answered the wrong question. Hastert would take over only if Cheney and Bush were both non-living or had an "inability or failure to qualify"... hmm, let me ponder that one for a moment.

Ahhh...I remember that episode of the West Wing.

The interesting question is who gets to be the man behind the curtain if Dick has another grabber and assumes room temperature. My money is on Mr. Lynne Cheney.