Former Vice President Dick Cheney shared his thoughts on Sarah Palin as a vice presidential candidate and questioned her reasons for leaving her position as governor of Alaska, during an appearance on « The Laura Ingraham Show » Friday.
When Ingraham asked Cheney what qualities were necessary in order to be a successful vice president, he listed a sense of humor about late-night comedians, a willingness to « do what you think is right » and a knowledge that « you don’t run anything as vice president. » He also said thick skin was necessary for the job.
« And you do need to have thick skin, you’ll be subject to a lot of criticism, some of it funny, some of it not so funny, » Cheney said.
When asked whether Sarah Palin was well-suited for the vice presidency when she ran with Republican candidate John McCain in 2008, Cheney focused more on her actions as governor.
« Well, I’ve never gotten around the question of her having left the governorship of Alaska midterm, » Cheney said. « I’ve never heard that adequately explained so that I could understand why, how she decided in her first term to step down and still be — I’d like to know more about that. »
Cheney’s comments follow a statement made by Karl Rove during an August 24 appearance on Fox News, when he said Palin has shown signs of « enormous thin skin » as speculation continues about a potential 2012 presidential bid.
Palin is scheduled to make an appearance at a Tea Party rally in Iowa on Saturday. She released a video last month that fueled speculation that she would use the appearance to announce her presidential candidacy.
Palin pushed back against the rumors. « Any professional pundit claiming to have ‘inside information’ regarding Governor Palin’s personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public, » read a statement on the SarahPAC website.
Rove responded to the statement with consternation. « I’m mystified, » he said. « Look, if she doesn’t want to be speculated about as a potential presidential candidate, there’s an easy way to end the speculation. Simply say, ‘I’m not running.' »
huffington post
