Cheney VS. Biden & Happy Presidents Day!

Hey Vice-Precedence Fans!

Well, yesterday was a very interesting day for VP's in the media. Current VP Joe Biden was on NBC's "Meet the Press" and former VP Richard "Dick" Cheney was on ABC's "This Week".

Cheney made many interesting comments in his interview with Jonathan Karl, once again sharply criticizing the Obama/Biden Administration over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and national security issues. He claimed that any success that the current administration has had on these major issues was only due to the efforts of Bush and Cheney himself:

"If [the administration is] going to take credit for [Iraq's success], fair enough ... but it ought to come with a healthy dose of 'Thank you, George Bush' up front and a recognition that some of their early recommendations with respect to prosecuting that war were just dead wrong," Cheney said.

He went on to say that he thinks the policies of the Obama/Biden administration are putting the U.S. in danger of more terrorist attacks. He used VP Biden's own words against the current administration to make his point, attacking Bidens claim that another 9/11 level attack is "unlikely":

"I just think that's just dead wrong. I think the biggest threat the United States faces today is the possibility of another 9/11 with a nuclear weapon or a biological agent of some kind. And I think Al-Qaeda is out there -- even as we meet -- trying to do that. You have to consider it as a war. You have to consider it as something we may have to deal with tomorrow. You don't want the vice president of the United States running around saying, 'Oh, it's not likely going to happen.'"

While this is par for the course when it comes to Cheney (as I have reported on this blog) and probably made his fellow conservative Republicans very happy, he then
went on to make comments that probably had their jaws dropping in shock.

Cheney DID say that he agrees with Obama's strategy for Afghanistan, saying he is a "complete supporter" of the idea of sending more soldiers, sailors, and marines to that country and highly praised the Presidents selection of General Stanley McChrystal to lead this attack.

Once again, Cheney showed his open-mindedness when it comes to issues regarding Homosexual Rights. When it comes to "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" Cheney admitted that the time has come to re-examine the issue:

"Twenty years ago, the military were strong advocates of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' when I was Secretary of Defense. I think things have changed significantly since then. I'm reluctant to second-guess the military in this regard. When the Chiefs come forward and say, 'We think we can do it,' then it strikes me that it's time to reconsider the policy."

Keep in mind, this is not only a former VP making this argument, but as he reminds folks-a former Secretary of Defense (1989-1993). Besides that, as you all probably know - he is also the father of an out lesbian and grandfather to her two children produced from artificial insemination, something that has made conservative Christian Republicans in groups like Focus on the Family and The Christian Coalition furious and disgusted. So his point of view on this subject is a unique one that should be respected and taken into account.

He also showed a lack of enthusiasm for Sarah Palin and her ideas. He made it clear that he disagrees with her on the idea that President Obama could help himself politically by declaring war on Iran. On an interview last week for the FOX NEWS
show "FOX News Sunday" Palin stated that if the President: "toughen[ed] up" and "secured our nation," people might change what they think about him.

"Say he decided to declare war on Iran or decide to really come out and do whatever he could to support Israel, which I would like him to do. If he decided to toughen up ... I think people would perhaps shift their thinking a little bit and decide, 'Well, maybe he's tougher than we think he's, than he is today.'" Palin said.

Cheney disagreed with her and made it clear he did:

"I don't think a President can make a judgment like that on the basis of politics. The stakes are too high, the consequences too significant to be treating those as simple political calculations. When you begin to talk about war, talk about crossing international borders, you talk about committing American men and women to combat, that takes place on a plane clear above any political consideration."

As for a Palin presidential bid - Cheney showed little enthusiasm for the idea:

"I haven't made a decision yet on who I'm going to support. I think all of the prospective candidates out there have got a lot of work to do if in fact they are going to persuade a majority of Americans that they are ready to take on the world's toughest job," Cheney said.

Cheney also admitted that he was in disagreement with the majority of the Bush Administration when it came to issues of interrogation of detainees in Guantanamo and Abu-Grahib. He talked about a meeting he was in with the Cabinet and other advisers to President Bush held in the Roosevelt Room "where we had a major shootout" over whether to try captured terrorist suspects before military commissions or, as the Justice Department advocated at the time, in civilian courts here in the U.S.

"We never clearly or totally resolved those issues," Cheney said. "These are tough questions, no doubt about it. You want my opinion, my view of what ought to happen, I think we have to treat it as a war."

He was, and still is, in favor of water-boarding and other intense, controversial methods, while many of the cabinet members and military advisers were against it.

He went on to criticize the way the White House is handling terrorist issues and the incident on Christmas with the "Underwear Bomber" prompting Vice-President Biden on "Meet the Press" to say:

“Dick Cheney’s a fine fellow, but he is not entitled to rewrite history without it being challenged. I don’t know where he has been. Where was he the last four years of the last administration?”

"A fine fellow"? Wow. Where the hell did that come from? So as you can see it was a very interesting week for the former VP and the current VP - who you may have seen with his wife representing the U.S. at the Opening Ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

As you probably already know - its Presidents Day, which means days off for some people, no school for many, sales at car dealerships, furniture stores, mattress places ("Get Free Delivery with your New Sealy or any New Mattress and Pay Nothing til Next Year!!") department stores, and other places. While I don't begrudge anyone getting a good deal in this day and age with the economy the way it is, I think there needs to be more thought about what today is really about. Maybe, just maybe, we should take the time today to remember the Presidents (and VP's) who worked hard to make our country what it is today.

Remember President Lincoln, who sacrificed his life to make this nation free from the stain of slavery, who pledged "Malice towards none, and charity towards all" and who simply wanted to heal a nation stunned by death and destruction-only to be murdered in cold blood before he could do so. Lincoln rose to the greatest crisis in American history and preserved our Union, eradicated slavery, and made us what we are today.

Remember George Washington - who left his comfortable home to lead a war against the most powerful empire on Earth - who risked being hanged for treason and put himself in the middle of terrible fire from the enemy to rally his men, who somehow managed to attain victory and instead of making himself dictator or king as had all other men in history had in his position, simply retired and went home, until his country called on him again to be its first President, and who has set the standard for every President since.

Also, remember VP's like Daniel Tompkins who in his last act before becoming VP, banned slavery in New York. Remember William Wheeler, who when pressured to go along with machine-politics of New York and accept bribes flatly refused and said; ".."[T]here is nothing in the gift of the State of New York which will compensate me for the forfeiture of my self-respect". Remember the VP's who when tragedy struck the nation and we lost Presidents to murder or illness, took over an office they never thought they'd have to and did the best they could to make sure our system of government continued.

Remember our Presidents and VP's and think about all they had to give up to lead our country. Thats what today is really all about.

Thanks for reading and Happy Presidents Day!

Matt Saxe

Cheney Shooting Anniversary and Happy Birthday Sarah Palin!

Hey Vice-Precedence Readers!

Remember how I pointed out in my last blog for Aaron Burrs birthday that he was the first man to shoot someone while Vice-President, over 202 years before VP Cheney shot someone? Well, today is the 4th Anniversary of the Cheney Shooting.

On Saturday, Feb 11, 2006 Vice-President Cheney and a group of his friends and supporters were in Kenedy County, Texas at a private hunting facility called The Armstrong Ranch where the "hunting" consisted of shooting pheasants born, raised, and kept in cages until the hunters arrive in the area and get out of their vehicles. These odds aren't that great for the birds-about a 17% chance of escaping. This kind of hunting is extremely controversial-the Senior VP of the Humane Society at the time called it "an open-air abattoir".

So, VP Cheney and his friends are out there at around 6PM ready to shoot these pheasants. Cheney was armed with his own 28-gauge shotgun-a Perazzi. The party had already shot some birds, and Cheney's friend, 78 year old attorney Harry Whittington, had gone back about 100 yards from the party to recover a pheasant he had shot earlier. He was approaching Cheney from behind and was about 30 or 40 yards away when a bird or two flew up in between him and Mr. Cheney-who spun around and fired-shooting Whittington in the face, neck and upper chest.

Cheneys Secret Service agents and the medical staff who traveled with Cheney for his protection and in case of another heart attack instead found themselves having to help Whittington. Cheney later told FOX News in a special interview about 5 days after the shooting that he himself ran to Whittington and dropped down to him on the ground saying:

"Harry I had no idea you were there."

Whittington made no reply to Cheney or any one giving him medical attention. An ambulance standing nearby for the Vice President took Whittington to nearby Kingsville before he was flown by helicopter to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital.

While Cheney and his staff informed the White House about the tragic incident
that night, it wasn't released to the public for another day-and then it wasn't released by the VP's staff but by Karen Armstrong the owner of the ranch and former head of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. All the delays and secrecy around it made the whole incident look like a cover-up. Cheney held no press conference about it-leading Republican Congressman Christopher Shays to tell CNN he believed Cheney "does need to have a full press conference."

"It's like they don't learn," Shays said of the Bush administration.

"It had to have been terrible for him, and obviously the individual he shot and everybody who was there. But the information needs to be made public and made public quickly," Shays said.

Meanwhile, poor Whittington who had been moved from intensive care to a "step-down unit" suffered a mild heart attack due to a shotgun pellet lodged close to his heart and was immediately moved back to intensive care unit and underwent a cardiac catheterization test to detect blocked or leaky arteries. This was in addition to the fact that he had been shot so badly in the face, neck, and upper chest with the tiny 2.5 millimeter (less than a tenth of an inch big) bird shot pellets that Cheney had been using as ammo that day, that the doctors decided the best and safest thing to do was to leave the majority of the pellets in his body. Thats over 200 pieces of birdshot Whittington is walking around with these days. Imagine the conversations with the Security at airports!

"Sir, you set off the metal detector."

"Yeah, uhmm....do you remember when Dick Cheney shot that guy in the face?"

"Oh sure! That was hysterical!"

"Yeah, well...I'm that guy. I have 200 little bullets in my face, neck and chest."

Awkward silence.

Eventually Whittington recovered and even though he told a friend that he thought the whole incident was "much ado about nothing", due to the attention, he held his own press conference where he made a remark that would make every late-night comedy shows writing staff dance around their tables in glee:

"My family and I are deeply sorry for everything Vice President Cheney and his family have had to deal with. We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves."

Whittington had just apologized to one of the most reviled VP's in history for getting shot in the face by him, apologized for ruining his vacation, and invited him back to his state invoking the risk of maybe getting shot in the face again! Cheney was that powerful! It was both creepy and darkly, outrageously absurd-and the late-night comics had a field day.

On his first show after the incident, Stephen Colbert confessed to having been involved in a hunting accident of his own over the weekend, then proceeded to show an edited version of Brit Hume's interview with Dick Cheney, featuring Colbert in place of Cheney with far more humorous responses to Hume's question. Colbert later mentioned the hunting incident in his famous speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

David Letterman began his Monday show on February 13 with:
"Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction.... It's Dick Cheney," and added that:

"We can't get bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney."

His Top 10 list was devoted to "Dick Cheney's Excuses" and included "I thought the guy was trying to go "gay cowboy" on me".

On "The Daily Show" Jon Stewart and his staff headlined the story with the title "Cheney's Got A Gun" and Stewart pointed out how Cheney was so powerful that even though he had shot a man-he had gotten than man to apologize to him. Stewart also drew attention to the fact that back during the Burr/Hamilton Duel, Vice-President Burr had shot a man over issues of personal honor, but VP Cheney had shot a man because he "was mistaken for a bird".

Correspondent Ed Helms, supposedly reporting from Corpus Christi Hospital, TX, said that Whittington's condition had been upgraded from "stable" to "stable, but still shot in the face by Dick Cheney."

The politicians got into the act too: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) who Cheney had famously told to "Go f**k himself" on the Senate floor commented:

"In retrospect, it looks like I got off easy."

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan who was upset about how the whole incident was handled was referring to President Bush's meeting with the University of Texas championship football team when he said:

"The orange that they're wearing is not because they're concerned that the vice president may be there." However he pointed to his own orange-striped tie and added that "Although that's why I'm wearing it."

Cheney finally had an interview on FOX News in an attempt to try to straighten out the whole thing. To his credit, he admitted the entire incident was his fault, and his fault alone:

"I am the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend. That is something I will never forget....Ultimately, I am the guy who pulled the trigger and fired the round that hit Harry....You can talk about all the other conditions that existed at the time, but that's the bottom line...It's not Harry's fault. You can't blame anybody else."

The image of him falling is something I will never be able to get out of my mind," Cheney said. "I fired, and there's Harry falling. And it was, I'd have to say, one of the worst days of my life, at that moment."

The interview on FOX didn't help much-two weeks after the shooting a poll showed that VP Cheney's approval rating had dropped to 18%. Which makes you wonder-who the hell were those people?

This has now become one of the most famous incidents in VP history-and the fact that it all occurred on Sarah Palins birthday just adds to the humor. Yep, today Feb 11 is the birthday of the first woman to receive the Republican nomination for Vice-President of the United States, the former Governor of Alaska-Sarah Palin!

If you haven't already-be sure to read my blog where I go to Governor Palins book signing here in Minnesota at the Mall of America. I think you'll enjoy it-it was quite a unique experience, and Gov. Palin is (to say the least) a very unique figure in American history.

Join us here at Vice-Precedence in the spirit of bipartisanship and general American friendliness in saying:

Happy Birthday Governor Palin!

Also, we hope Mr. Whittington is feeling better too. Wow.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Saxe

Cheney and Yemen, Palin on "O'Reilly" & "Game Change", RIP Jean Biden

Hey Vice-Precedence Blog Readers.

In Cheney news, with the recent uproar over Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of Nigeria and his attempt to blow up Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, there has been a lot of focus on Yemen and terrorists coming from there under Al-Queda. Many are saying this constitutes a Muslim terrorist attack on American soil, something that hasn't happened since 9/11 and that its a black mark on President Obamas national security record.

Personally the way I see it-this is the equivalent of Richard Reid-the "Shoe Bomber" something that happened during the Bush Presidency-but lots of conservatives-like former VP Cheney-don't see it that way.

However, Mr. Cheney needs to tread carefully about any remarks he makes criticizing the Obama Administration about this incident after what has recently been discovered.

In 2007, then Vice President Cheney personally authorized the release of 11 Saudis from Guantanamo Bay, who then passed through a Saudi halfway house terrorist rehabilitation program to rejoin Al Qaeda. Two of the 11 former prisoners rejoined Al Qaeda in Yemen.

In February, 2009, the New York Times reported that U.S. counterterrorism officials confirmed that one of the prisoners Cheney freed was Said Al-Shihri, who became the deputy leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen, and that he was suspected of being involved in the attack on the U.S. embassy in Yemen in 2007.

A review by the Defense Intelligence Agency showed that 14% of the 530 Gitmo prisoners released through VP Cheney's direct approval, 74 individuals, have either been identified as still participating in terrorism or are suspected of doing so. Now 14% doesn't sound like a lot, but when you think about it, its 14% too much. So many people have strong feelings about Gitmo, and now this report comes out. It all seems overwhelming sometimes.

As Jason reported, former Republican candidate for VP, ex-Governor of Alaska, and best-selling author Sarah Palin will soon be working for FOX News. It all begins on "The O'Reilly Factor" TONIGHT! So you may want to watch that.

If you saw "60 Minutes" on Sunday you know about the recent revelations by John Heilemann of New York magazine and Mark Halperin of Time magazine-the joint authors of "Game Change" about the 2008 Presidential campaign-from the primaries all the way to election night. Steve Schmidt-who headed up the McCain/Palin campaign also was on "60 Minutes" as well. Besides revealing that McCain originally wanted Joe Lieberman on the ticket but couldn't name him for fear of infuriating the far Right wing of the party, Schmidt also revealed that when Gov. Palin was told she had been tapped for the VP nomination she replied that: "It's God's plan." Also, the reason she asked Joe Biden

"Can I call you Joe?"

was that in all her practice for the Vice-Presidential Debate she kept saying "O'Biden". Now that should NOT be some big revelation to people, because on Page 289 of "Going Rogue"-Palins own book which has now been out for over a month-she admits to it happening over and over during the debate practice and that debate prepper Randy Scheunemann had the suggestion that she ask Sen. Biden permission for her to call him Joe when they met in the middle of the stage to shake hands before the debate, and Biden being a gentleman, would be happy to accept. She was nervous about calling him "Joe" because, as she points out:

"Senator Biden was a senior statesman. He'd been sitting in a U.S. Senate seat since I was nine years old."

However, she felt comfortable with doing as Scheunemann suggested, and the rest is history. For those of you who think Palin was a negative on the Republican ticket, Schmidt (who Palin occasionally rips on in her book) admits that if Palin had not been the Veep candidate: "Our margin of defeat would've been greater than it would've been otherwise."

I'd read all about this in her book while waiting to meet Mrs. Palin here in MN (which you can read all about here on the blog) so I wondered who would really be stunned by this-its been out there for over a month! My guess is-people who simply dismissed Palins book because it was written by Palin. News Flash folks-its old news.


Finally, as Jason has reported on Friday Jan 8th, the mother of Vice-President Joe Biden, Jean Biden, passed away. She was 92. Vice-President Biden made the following statement on her passing:

"Together with my father, her husband of 61 years who passed away in 2002, we learned the dignity of hard work and that you are defined by your sense of honor," he said in the statement. "Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us."

Biden also had high praise for his mother at the Democratic National Convention in his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for Vice-President. His mother was there to see her son at this-the high point (so far) of his political career:

"My mother's creed is the American creed: No one is better than you," he said. "Everyone is your equal, and everyone is equal to you. My parents taught us to live our faith, and to treasure our families. We learned the dignity of work, and we were told that anyone can make it if they just try hard enough. When I got knocked down by guys bigger than me, and this is the God's truth, she sent me back out the street and told me, 'Bloody their nose so you can walk down the street the next day.' And that's what I did."


As Jason reported her funeral was today. Around 700 people gathered together at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Guests included President and Mrs. Obama, former President Clinton, and many Cabinet and Congress members. Vice-President Biden thanked the President for treating his mom "with warmth and personal affection."

In his eulogy Biden said the following:

"She believed in us, so we believe in ourselves. How could we do less?" he said. "... Mom taught us that courage was not defined by the lack of fear, but by the willingness to act in spite of your fears; that bravery lived in each of our hearts. And her expectation was that we would be summoned to reach for it when necessary."

Jean Bidens original name was Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, and she was born in Scranton, PA. on July 7th, 1917. In 1941, she married businessman Joseph Biden Sr., with whom she had four children, Joe being the oldest. The couple moved from Scranton to Claymont, Del., in 1953, when the future VP was 10 years old.

In the Vice-Presidents book-"Promises to Keep" his mother was concerned about him leaving his successful law practice to go into politics-particularly running for the Senate against an extremely tough opponent;

"You're not going to run for Senate and ruin your reputation, are you?" he recalled his mother asking.

"And once Mom was reassured that my future was safe, win or lose, she would do anything," Biden wrote.

He also recalled in the book how when his mother couldn't find a pair of cufflinks for him to wear to an eighth-grade dance, she fashioned a pair from nuts and bolts, which left him stunned and embarrassed.

"Now look, Joey, if anybody says anything to you about these nuts and bolts, you just look them right in the eye and say 'Don't you have a pair of these?'" she told him.

Bidens mother was a great source of strength to her son after the tragic car accident that took the lives of his first wife and daughter just a month after his election to the Senate in 1972.

"After the accident, she told me, 'Joey, God sends no cross that you cannot bear,'" Biden recalled.

Biden continued in his eulogy that his mom was fiercely protective.

"To mom, the greatest virtue was courage," he said. "She taught her children that the thickest of all substances was blood."

Pallbearers included four grandsons and three granddaughters read selections from the Bible.

The Rev. Msgr. Thomas Cini told Jean Biden's children that she was "your strength, your rock." In death, Cini added, Jean Biden has been reunited with her siblings and her husband.

"You can imagine the Irish feast that's going on right now, and she's leading them," Rev. Cini said.

The Vice President concluded his eulogy echoing those remarks.

"Mom is back in dad's embrace, where she belongs, and we're all at peace,"

RIP Jean Biden from Vice-Precedence.

What else will be said about former VP Cheney and all the debate about national security and Yemen? What will Palin say on "The Factor" tonight? Stay tuned for more here Vice-Precedence readers, and thanks for your support.

Vice-Precedence Meets Sarah Palin

Hey Vice-Precedence Blog readers! Here's the story I promised you yesterday. My meeting with former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska!

It started the night before, when I went and picked up my copy of her new autobiography-"Going Rogue" at the Barnes and Noble at the Mall of America. I had pre-ordered it 3 weeks before while taking my daughter Caitlin to the mall for her birthday-luckily its just across from the Build-A-Bear there, so it was just a quick detour. So on Sunday the 6th I went to the Mall where I was met by friend of the film-Chris Mogel, who took some pictures of me with the book-after we were told that we couldn't take pics in the store-we took them outside. Unlike at certain stores where people camped out overnight to be first in line to get autographs, the Mall of America does NOT allow people to do this. Fans would have to wait until the next morning at 5AM before they could get in line to go into the mall for the signing-that would start at 12noon! So I thanked Chris, who promised me he would send the pics of me with the book that night (which he did) and I would be back the next morning. When I got home-I started reading "Going Rogue". Its pretty easy reading-and I will talk about it more in another blog, and then went to sleep so I could get up early for the next day.

I woke at around 4:35 AM and got dressed, took some vitamins and juice, and went out the door to make the 25 minute drive to the Mall-there was no traffic and it was pitch black-but in my own neighborhood I drove slowly-good thing too-because I saw a big doe to the right of my car-so I turned on my brights and stopped. Good thing too-since another deer ran up to my car-within about 7 feet, and turned around and ran in the opposite direction just as I did. Too close for comfort. I proceeded to drive slowly and carefully looking for deer and other animals on the road to avoid hitting them until I got on the highway-where I turned on the speed.

When I arrived outside the Malls east entrance I could see the line already forming outside in 18 degree cold going around the corner of the mall. So I parked my car, and grabbed my copy of the book and joined the line-the time was 5:15 AM. The cold was simply bone-chilling. I could feel my feet slowly freezing and tried to move my toes as much as I could and press against my ears with my hands to keep them warm. Other people in line also did their best to keep warm and made small talk about how excited they were to be there. I mostly just made jokes about the cold and looked around. I decided I wouldn't ask questions about Gov. Palin and vice-presidents or politics until I'd gotten to know the people around me a little better and more importantly-until we were indoors, warmer, and in a better mood, as the crowd was beginning to get a little antsy about it. Many were outright angry when they saw a young family with a small child-about 1 year old-maybe younger-crying and screaming in the cold.
"Like that kid is going to remember anything about this." I heard one man mutter.

TV crews and reporters were running around-shooting the line and commenting for the early morning news. People waved to the cameras and cheered.

I too was getting impatient about the cold-and my feet by now were numb. When I overheard a guy in a homemade t-shirt with a donkey on it say:

"Its named Don Quixote-you know-for that Mexican philosopher." and no one corrected him-except me to the people around me-I just wanted to do whatever I could to get out of the cold.

Finally, slowly, the line began to move-we all knew from the rules passed out that they wouldn't open the door to let us in until 6AM. So I constantly looked at my watch. Slowly at around 5 after 6AM the line began to move. Finally I and the people around me got near the front. They let people in in groups of 20, and wouldn't you know it...as a group of people were led in-I was told I was #21 and wouldn't get in until the next group. So I had to wait an extra 10-15 minutes outside before being allowed in. Finally at around 6:50 or so, I was allowed in. We were led into the mall-me and the 19 people behind me, led by security all through the mall to the back of the line.

The signing would start at noon-5 hours more to wait.

As this line moved slowly once again to get the bracelets we needed for autographs, I began to warm up and as I got warmer and talked with the people around me, I began to feel comfortable enough to ask questions. I decided that I would ask people the same 4 to 5 questions-letting their answers lead into more if necessary.

1. What brought you out this morning-why do you like Gov. Palin so much?

2. Is there any specific policy stand of hers you truly believe in?

3. Were you going to vote for Senator McCain regardless of who he tapped as his VP candidate? Did Gov. Palin make a difference to you?

4. What vice-presidents who NEVER became President can you name besides our 2 most recent-Cheney and Gore?

5. What do you think of the Vice-Presidency in general?

I asked about a dozen different people these questions-always telling them that I was doing it for my book, blog and movie about the Vice-Presidency. Most people laughed at that-but agreed to answer my questions. I asked young people-college kids, an older couple who had driven all the way from Duluth for the signing, an attractive 20-something blonde and her boyfriend (who smirked during the questions and didn't answer them himself), and a few other people-trying to get as wide a spectrum of people as possible. I looked for any minority people=but to be honest, I saw only one Asian girl in her twenties, and absolutely no African Americans or Hispanics in line. Everyone there was mostly Caucasian-though there was a wide range of ages-from children to their 70's.

For Question 1 most people said that they just found her incredibly charismatic-that they liked her style and straight-talk and found her as one woman put it-"An amazing woman."

For Question 2 most people couldn't cite anything specific. Although one man in his late 20's, who said he considered himself a "conservative with libertarian beliefs in government." said he liked how she modeled her small govt. principles on Ronald Reagan. The 20-something blonde said it was Palins pro-life beliefs that she identified with the most-"She's just an incredible model for pro-life values and a smart, strong, conservative woman." she said.

For Question 3 every single person said they were going to vote for McCain anyway-regardless of who he chose for his VP. Though two people did say that they weren't excited about him, until he chose Gov. Palin as his running mate-and as they learned more about her, the more they liked her and got enthusiastic about the ticket. The blonde became a McCain/Palin volunteer and went out and raised money and actively campaigned. Almost everyone said they couldn't stand President Obama. One said that they thought President Obama-"a disease" who "needs to be destroyed-and no I don't mean that I want him assassinated."

For Question 4, no one could name a VP besides Gore and Cheney who wasn't president at first. One man said-"Hopefully never that idiot Biden."

Another man asked me-"Who was Eisenhower's vice-president? He was never President right?" When I informed him it was Richard Nixon, he paused and said-"Oh yeah, I forgot-well he became President so I guess he doesn't count." Finally the husband of a couple in their late 60's said: "Dan Quayle". I then said to a group of 4 people-

"You know you're all Minnesotans and you're forgetting a couple." I was then told by a different blonde 20-something from the first one that she was from Wisconsin, but then a young man blurted out:

"Oh! Walter Mondale!"

Then a woman in her early 70's said "Oh, and Humphrey, of course." I confirmed these two correct answers and reminded them that both of these former VP's had also been their party's nominee for President. They asked me to name some others, and I immediately responded with Aaron Burr and the story of the election of 1800 with the tie between him and Jefferson and the order of ascension which led into Question 5.

For Question 5, most people said the Vice-Presidency was something that was necessary, but not important at all. No one wanted to do away with it, but almost all agreed that it really didn't matter much at all.

While asking the questions and waiting and waiting, I flipped through the book, made small talk, and observed the surroundings: I saw many different sweatshirts with messages such as:

Palin 2012
Palin/Bachmann 2012
Palin/Pawlenty 2012
Veterans for Palin
Hockey Moms for Palin
PH.d Moms for Palin
Cougar Hunters for Palin.

I don't think anymore needs to be said about that last one.

The hours passed and I showed my book and receipt from Barnes and Noble to the clerks in front of the table at the rotunda in the East Part of the Mall in front of and to the left of the bookstore where a stage had been set up between two huge Christmas trees decorated in white, blue, and silver. It was on this stage that Gov. Palin would do the signing. I then had a blue bracelet placed on my left wrist, and was lead around to the line again. Reporters and others with blue "MEDIA" stickers shot footage of the line, and even interviewed some in line. By this time it was 11:35 or so, and all of a sudden some applause started, and I saw a older couple with a slightly younger woman walk into the area. Buzz started around us. I looked at the couple carefully, and then flipped to one of the two color photo sections of "Going Rogue" and looked for a specific picture. Yes. I was right, not 15 feet away from me, Palins parents-Chuck and Sally Heath, along with a woman who turned out to be "Sarah's Aunt Kate" as she said, were posing for pictures and shaking hands. I had agreed to get an extra book signed for a young man who was in line with me, since you were limited to two, and in exchange he would take some pictures for me with his camera-since I am too poor to have one except my cell phone cam-which, frankly, sucks. So his aunt held my book, and this young man-Bryan Herschbach, and I went over and I waited patiently and then walked up and stuck out my hand and said:

"Hi Mr. Heath. Thanks for coming out here today."

"Hi, its great to be here. Nice to meet you. Whats your name?"

"Matt, sir. Thanks for doing this."

"You're very welcome Matt, thanks for coming out and I hope you have a great day."
and he shook my hand. He couldn't have been friendlier. We got two photos. I was thrilled and after I got back to the line called Jason to let him know the good news.

So, we knew she'd be arriving shortly. We overheard some girls nearer to the front of us began to chant:

"We love Sarah yes we do, we love Sarah how 'bout you?!"

Then there was a quick burst of applause and we knew she had arrived. The line began to move very quickly and orderly-despite a few people cutting-we knew that where we were and the fact that she would be signing from Noon to 4PM, that we would get autographs. We made our way to the main line, and went thru a quick security check. By this time, we could clearly see Gov. Palin and next to her, her husband Todd. She was wearing her classic red outfit, and her hair was up-right out of "SNL"-she was standing up, signing with a flourish, and giving out handshakes and hugs as cameras flashed all around her. The line moved quickly, and all of a sudden I was putting my cell phone in a little basket and getting ready to go on the stage and meet the governor and former VP candidate.

Bryan and his aunt Renee moved ahead of me up the stairs, after handing their books to someone to be passed up to be signed. Meaning that you may not get the book that you bought signed, but you would definitely get a signed book. They hugged Mrs. Palin and moved across the stage and down the stairs. Finally I was given the go-ahead and made my way across the stage to right in front of the first woman to receive the Republican nomination for Vice-President of the United States, one of the most polarizing and popular women in the history of American politics.

"Hey how are ya'?! Whats your name?" I heard in that distinctive voice as she looked and smiled right at me and stuck out her hand. I have to admit; she is a very attractive woman in person. She seemed honestly happy to be there and to be doing this. The woman has charisma in person. No doubt about it. Still, it did feel a little surreal. But there she was in the flesh-and there was no going back now.

"I'm Matt Saxe governor, and its an honor to meet you," and I shook her hand, it was very light and dry with a gentle but firm grip. "and you too Mr. Palin." and here I quickly moved my hand to the left and shook hands with Todd Palin-strong and sure.

"I'm producing a documentary about the vice-presidency called "Vice-Precedence" and I would love to interview you for it."

"Oh wow, thats a great idea! How interesting." she said with a big smile as she signed my book with a red marker. Todd then said-"Wow. That's a very cool idea." The assistant to her left then quickly said to me:

"Put in a request at SarahPac dot com."

"SarahPac dot com?" I quickly asked as I was moving across the stage. More people were of course moving in behind me to take my place.

"Thats right-SarahPac dot com." he said.

"Thank you, and thank you Governor and Todd." I said-slipping up by not calling him Mr. Palin. I regretted that.

"You're very welcome. Thanks for coming out Matt!" they both said almost together with big smiles, and Todd waved goodbye as the governor began to sign another book.

That was it, about 5 seconds or so of face time. I got my cell back and looked at the time-1:15 on the dot. She was moving quickly thru the line. But still, it was all worth it. I had met a VP candidate and told her about our film, and I had an autograph to go with it. Awesome. I met up with Bryan and exchanged email addresses to get the pictures. Then went up to the Disney Store to get a few Chanukah gifts for Caitlin, and then went home and had a brief lunch and went to bed. I had been practically on my feet for over 7 hours and was exhausted. I later sent an email requesting an interview to SarahPac that night. Of course I got an automatic message saying that due to the volume of email, it may take awhile to get a reply, so we will see. Now I have written about the whole thing.

There you have it folks. Pictures from Bryan Herschbach and Chris Mogel are above and I am thankful to them for them. I hope you readers will write some comments about this blog, and continue to support Vice-Precedence as we move forward, slowly yes-but forward still to making our film. Please become Fans on Facebook, go to YouTube and rate our videos and post comments on both pages. We really appreciate it. Thanks.

In response to those of you who find this a little too admiring of Governor Palin-let me state this for the record: Sarah Palin MADE HISTORY. That is undeniable truth.

I was impressed by her charisma=not her policies. I am impressed that she can get that many people to buy her book and support her. Just want to say clearly-I'm NOT a supporter of her for higher office or most of her political beliefs-some of the people there who I overheard said abhorrent things that I very much disagreed with-but I was there to observe and report and tried to stay balanced and not confrontational-though in retrospect-I wish I had asked the guy who called Biden an idiot what he thought of Dan Quayle-he was the same guy-if he thinks Biden is an idiot-I wonder what he thinks of Quayle.

I don't admire all of Gov. Palins political beliefs, but I do admire the fact that she has faced a lot of heavy criticism-some fair, some not, and that she has come out swinging. I went to the signing as research and for the experience-and I can truly say, it was all worth it. Also, she was polite-and in this day and age, I admire that in anyone. Thanks for reading.

Matt Saxe

Palins Book Tour Continues-Cheney Grandchild Born

Hey Vice-Precedence Fans!

Yesterday morning former VP Cheney became a grandfather once again as his daughter Mary and her partner of 18 years Heather Poe welcomed their new daughter-Sarah Lynne Cheney was born at 8:17 a.m., weighing 6lbs., 14 oz. at Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC. Mary was the birth mother of this child. So "Congratulations" to Mr. Cheney and his family!


In other news, the Sarah Palin book tour for "Going Rogue" is going strong. People camped out overnight to get her autograph at the Barnes and Noble at the Woodland Mall in Kentwood, Michigan. Thousands of people were there cheering, waving flags, wearing Palin hats and shirts, singing along to her theme songs-"Only in America" (which the McCain-Palin ticket used in the campaign) and "Red High Heels" by Kelly Pickler, where the chorus goes:

"I'll bet you want me back now don't you, don't you? I'm about to show you just how missin' me feels. In my red high heels."

Pretty strong message she's sending there eh?

All of them chanting "Sarah! Sarah!" When they saw the CNN truck pull up with Andrea Mitchell and crew, many people booed furiously-but quickly got back into the spirit of the event cheering for their idol.

Palin briefly addressed the crowd saying: "Thank you so much for showing up so that you can read my words unfiltered by the media,"

People who stood and camped out in line overnight for hours got about 5 seconds of face time with their new patron saint when she signed their books. In interviews with British newspaper The Guardian, fans of Palin had the following comments:

"She's about truth, integrity and working for the people. People just have to let her be who she is. That's what she is about," said Robin Case, 44, who is now caring for her in-laws full-time after losing her job in the auto industry, a similar situation for many people in Michigan which has been hit extremely hard in this economic crisis. People like Mrs. Case are sincerely worried about their futures-they see Palin as one of them

"I am here because Sarah Palin gives me hope," said Michael Cesar.

"I didn't vote for him (Obama). But I don't dislike him. He's got a great family," said Mandi Sutton, 19, who is about to join the military.

As for Gov. Palin? "There is no other person in the world I would rather meet. I just love her," Sutton said.

Today thousands more Americans showed up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Noblesville, Indiana, and more are expected tomorrow in Cincinnati and Columbus. Here is the latest message from former Gov. Palin on her Facebook page:

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in every stop on the tour, but I'm especially looking forward to meeting our brave men and women in uniform at Fort Hood. I'm joining the efforts of many others by donating my royalties from the book sales during our stop at Fort Hood to the families of the victims whose lives have been forever changed by the tragic events of November 5th. I am humbled to be able to join the larger effort called "Community Response to 11/5," which was established by the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the US Army (AUSA). You can read more about their great efforts here:

http://www.forthoodausa.org/.

As I mentioned last week, I'm going back on Twitter, so you can follow our path on SarahPalinUSA. Below are dates, times, and locations of the venues that I'll be referencing. Some other stops are still to be determined. Please contact each venue for more information. I'll see you soon!

- Sarah Palin

These people who are flocking to see Sarah Palin and read her book don't care that Tina Fey made Palin a laughing-stock to the liberal left, they don't care that Stephen Colbert called her book "a steaming pile of shit" on his show last night-or that he also hollowed it out to store his Eggo waffles in during the current Eggo shortage. They consider her one of them-a "Pro-American" who sees the U.S.A. sliding into socialism under President Obama. A lot of people on the left consider Palin a joke-but to millions of Americans-she represents what Obama did years ago-hope for the future. It would be wrong to dismiss her, as her influence is strong and she will be around for quite awhile. Also, I will say this-I applaud what she said about supporting the people at Ft. Hood-good for her for spreading the word on that.

Stay tuned for more VP Blog readers. Thanks for your support.
Matt Saxe

Palin on OPRAH TODAY! Cheney/Palin 2012?

REMINDER Vice-Precedence Fans: Sarah Palins interview on OPRAH is today! Set your Tivos' or leave work early, you don't want to miss this highly anticipated interview.

Also, Liz Cheney was on FOX NEWS SUNDAY yesterday with Chris Wallace and Bill Kristol, Juan Williams and other pundits-the topic of discussion was the non-story of Obama's bowing to the Emperor of Japan. Apparently conservatives are saying that this is a sign of weakness. Since when is following proper protocol a sign of weakness? Does President Obama bowing to the Emperor mean we retroactively lost World War II? No of course not. I don't want to go off on a jeremiad here-but this is a sign of conservatives nitpicking at any little thing the President does to try and make him look weak-when all he was doing was following proper protocol. Having good manners is a good thing in my opinion folks-not a sign of weakness. Its just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Chris Wallace showed the clip and said that the internet was "abuzz" with chatter about it, he then commented about how when VP Cheney visited Japan, he did not bow to the Emperor. However back then, both liberals and conservatives didn't wonder if Cheney's failure to bow was a breach of protocol that offended the Emperor and the Japanese people and created an international incident effecting policy and diplomacy. No one commented on it at all-though maybe they should have, since bowing is what you are supposed to do as a sign of respect and tradition going back thousands of years, and Cheney didn't follow that tradition. Wallaces observation led to the following exchange:

Liz Cheney: "You could ... look at the comparison and think, Cheney 2012,"

Chris Wallace: "Really? How far do you want to go with that?"

Bill Kristol: "Let Liz make news ... Cheney/Palin,"

Wallace: "Or Palin/Cheney -- don't be sexist."

Liz Cheney: “Whatever Republican takes the mantle of our party in 2012 they’re going to have to be able to address these incredibly grave challenges we’re facing as a nation,”

Hmmm. Anyway, don't forget folks-Sarah Palin today on Oprah, and "Going Rogue" hits bookstores tomorrow! Thanks for your support and let us know what you think!

Matt Saxe

Palin! On Oprah! Levi in Playgirl! Going Rogue is Coming and Vice-Precedence will be there!

Hey Vice-Precedence blog readers!

Wow! With Sarah Palins book "Going Rogue" coming out on November 17th and already #1 on both Barnes & Noble and Amazon and her book tour already planned, the publicity blitz is on!

To be honest, I'm kind of impressed that in just 4 months, Palin and her co-author (some would say ghost-writer, but that may not be accurate) Lynn Vincent have written the Number One book in the country.

Palin has already taped her appearance on "Oprah" to air on Monday November 16th-the day before her book hits the shelves. Palin posted this on her Facebook page after the interview:

Willow, Piper, and I are in Chicago and just wanted to let you know that I had a great conversation with Oprah today. We taped the show for Monday, November 16th, and enjoyed it so much that we went way over on time. The rest will air on Oprah.com. Oprah was very hospitable and gracious, and her audience was full of warm, energized and (no doubt) curious viewers.

In her interview with Winfrey, Palin responds to a question about Levi Johnston, the father of her grandchild, who has since the split with Palin's daughter Bristol has said some interesting and harsh things about the Palins (I wrote about his interview with GQ in an earlier blog-check it out), and recently posed nude for Playgirl.

"Will he be invited to Thanksgiving dinner?" Oprah inquired.

"You know, that's a great question," Palin said, adding, "I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good. It really can. We don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time. We're not really into the drama. We don't really like that. We're more productive. We have other things to concentrate on."

Which is a very interesting answer considering that back on October 27th Johnston said on CBS's The Early Show that she referred to her infant son Trig, who became a living symbol of the former Alaska governors pro-life beliefs, and has Down syndrome, as "retarded."

He also implied that he has some seriously damaging dirt that could put a nasty scar on the public image of the mother of his former squeeze, and his childs grandmother, saying:
"You know, I mean, if I really wanted to hurt her, I could very easily. But there's – I'm not gonna do it."

At the time, former Gov. Palin responded sharply with the following:

"We have purposefully ignored the mean spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family," Palin says in a statement. "We, like many, are appalled at the inflammatory statements being made or implied. Trig is our 'blessed little angel' who knows it and is lovingly called that every day of his life."

She also was extremely harsh on Johnstons Playgirl pictorial saying his credibility is in question:
"Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies," she says. "Those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention."

Speaking of that pictorial, Johnston worked out and dieted extremely hard for the shoot. According to his trainer Marvin Jones in PEOPLE Magazine, Johnston has a diet secret-moose meat that he hunts himself.

"Moose meat is very good for you, high in protein and very lean, and he's an avid hunter, so he has his own."

Johnston worked out three hours a day in the gym, six days a week, followed by cardio training and then a rest in the sauna, said Jones.

"I'm not trying to give him a body builder's look. He's going to be more toned and more defined," says Jones.

"I'd like to see him with rounder and more muscular shoulders, with a fuller chest. We're going to firm his abs up, [and give him a] smaller waist."

Jones says Johnston was committed to the training sessions, which even caused Johnston get sick during his second week of working out. Still, Johnston was determined to be in great shape for the shoot.

"I know that's something he wants to do and we're having fun training," says Jones, who is training him in Anchorage, Alaska. "We're looking forward to revealing all his hard work!"

So from practically calling Levi a whore to inviting him to Thanksgiving on Oprah-one wonders how Gov. Palin actually feels about Levi.

Oprah also asked former Gov. Palin about the infamous Katie Couric interview that convinced many uncommitted voters and a lot of Americans that Palin was unqualified for the Vice-Presidency.

"Do you think that was a seminal, defining moment for you, that interview?" Winfrey asks.

"I did not," Palin responds. "And neither did the campaign. In fact, that is why Segment 2 and 3 and 4 and maybe 5 were scheduled. The campaign said, right on. Good. You're showing your independence."

Meanwhile it was released in USA TODAY that Palin will be coming here to MN. where I currently live! She will be here on Monday Dec. 7th, at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in the world-famous Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. I will be in attendance. However, I'm afraid that I won't be able to get a picture of myself with her, or interview her, or anything. The Palin publicity team has released an intense set of rules for the book signings. Here is the official list as shown on The Sarah Palin Blog:

Palin will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in The Mall of America, beginning at noon. You need a wristband to get in line to get your book autographed.

Wristbands will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 7 a.m. that day. You must be present in order to get a wristband.

You must present your Barnes & Noble or Barnes and Noble.com receipt for “Going Rogue” in order to get a wristband.

Maximum of two copies of “Going Rogue” per person will be signed.

A parent or guardian must accompany all minors.

No posed photos.

No personalization of books.

No large bags will be allowed through the signing line.

Cell phones and cameras will have to be turned off and put away before customers approach the signing table.

Whew! It may be possible to get her to sign my copy of the Sarah Palin comic book. So we will see. I plan on ordering my copy of "Going Rogue" ASAP. I can't believe the things I have to do to for this film. I do it all for you viewers and readers. So your support is appreciated!

As more information comes, we will be here to report it to you! Thanks for your support and keep viewing all the "Vice-Precedence" material on YouTube and here! Rate them, post comments, let us know what you like here on the blog-feel free to read older posts and respond to them. Spread the word to more people! We're grateful to you-our fans! One final note-Happy 6th Birthday to my daughter Caitlin Justine Saxe! Talk to you soon!

Sweet Treats from the Cheneys

Hey Vice-Precedence Readers! I hope you are all having a great Friday and have fun plans for Halloween this weekend. Also, don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour on Sat. Night for an extra hour of Halloween debauchery.

Well, in Cheney news, the Vice-President was a little alarmed by a "tirade" on the show Morning Joe by one of the hosts, Mika Brzezisnski about him. Brezezisnski (God thats a complicated name to type) was commenting on Cheney's speech at the Center for Security Policy that he made on winning their "Keeper of the Flame" Award, that I wrote about in my last blog on Tuesday, where he accused President Obama of "dithering" in Afghanistan:

BRZEZINSKI: You really think is was a good idea for the former vice-president, who was one of the architects of the war we are still in, because they didn't finish it up correctly...you really think it was good of him to say the President is dithering, and you really think that our White House right now, the administration, shouldn't fire back at the former vice president for these ridiculous low blows?


Apparently the Cheney's thought Brezezisnski was "a little cranky" that morning with those comments, so the next day they sent a delivery of gourmet cupcakes to the set. Nice huh? Who knew the Cheneys were in on that whole cupcake trend thats' been going on over the last few years?


In other Cheney news, the former VP has also decided to give a "treat" to one of the candidates in the race for Governor of Texas. He has decided to endorse Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for the Republican nomination for Governor of Texas in her campaign against current governor Rick Perry. Cheney will officially endorse Hutchison at a Houston fundraiser on Nov. 17, Hutchisons' campaign confirmed Wednesday.

“Kay Bailey Hutchison is pleased to have Vice President Cheney’s endorsement,” said Hutchison spokeswoman Jennifer Baker. “He knows she’s a conservative who walks the walk, not just talks the talk."

Political scientist Adam Schiffer of TCU-Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX. said Cheney’s support should help Hutchison “chip off that core Republican primary constituency” that Perry has been concentrating on to help win re-election.

“Cheney is an extremely polarizing figure, overall very unpopular, but he’s very popular among this small subset that is the most likely to turn out in a normal gubernatorial primary,” Schiffer said about this election-which is truly dividing the Texas Republican Party.

Meanwhile, Mark Miner of the Perry campaign brushed off Cheney's endorsement by calling Cheney part of the “Washington establishment”.

“The Washington establishment likes to stick together,” Miner is quoted as saying. Perry and his campaign have been trying to portray Hutchison as a Washington insider who is out of touch with how "real Texans" live and work and think.

I guess thats why Perry went out and got his own endorsement from a definite Washington outsider- Sarah Palin! I guess Perry got Palins endorsement because he thinks Alaskans know how Texans think better than a Senator from Texas.

One wonders how this election will effect the GOP in this reddest of Red States (except for Austin-of course) and whose endorsement will help or hurt more-Cheney's or Palin's. What do you think Vice-Precedence readers? Let us know, become a Fan of us on Facebook and Thanks for reading! Have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Whose Book Will Rule and Veeps for Halloween

It seems in todays culture that everyone writes a book. As we have reported on this blog, former President Bush, former Vice-President Dick Cheney, and former VP candidate Sarah Palin are all writing books. While there is still no title for Cheney's book, we know former Gov. Palins book will be called "Going Rogue". Now the question becomes-of these three upcoming Republican biographies-whose will sell the most?

Its an interesting question-in that sales may show who is more popular, and that it may reflect which way the GOP is going ideologically. I don't think its sexist to say that a LOT of women are going to want to read Palin's book. That alone may put her above the sales of both Bush and Cheney, but at the same time, a lot of women may want to read Bush and Cheney's books too.

Readers all hope that these books will answer questions that people want to know. Such as:

"What were their emotions on 9/11?"

"How did you deal with all the stress and attention?"

"What are your beliefs on the complicated issues that currently divide the country?"

and about a million others. Which book are you most interested in reading? Let us know.

Also, with Halloween coming up, you know that there'll be some costumes out there about political figures, and I found the one at the top of the blog-available for $59.99 advertised with the following:

Deadeye Dick-Our Dick Cheney costume features a Dick Cheney mask, full hunting jumpsuit with wire hoop, top vest, target and cap. The costume also comes with an automatic membership in the Deadeye Dick Gun Club. Anyway, you know how the song goes, "Save A Quail, Shoot A Lawyer", or something like that.

Also, of course there's lots of Sarah Palin costumes out there too-including instructions on how to dress as Palin for under $100-For you who are interested-it involves a brown wig or your own brown hair put up in either a ponytail or with a banana clip, lots and lots of bronzer, glossy muave lipstick, a power suit with no pantyhose (gotta show off those hunting in snowshoes stems), dangly earrings, and of course-some simple drugstore rectangular frame glasses (red is a good choice) and VOILA!

For those of you into using Halloween as an excuse to "slut it up" as the kids say these days, who may want to put an ironic twist on it, there is of course the "Sexy Sarah Palin Costume". Which basically consists of you putting your hair up in the ponytail or clip in that Palin style, squeezing into your hottest bikini, putting on your best stiletto heels, grabbing yours or your husbands/boyfriends or kids best hunting rifle, throwing a sash saying "Mrs. Alaska" or "Hockey Mom" over yourself, and of course don't forget the glasses. For hints you can see the pic above. I'm betting you Republican guys who are reading this blog (you are out there right?) are drooling about now.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned here for all the latest news on the Veeps!

Matt Saxe

Bush on Biden

A former Bush 43 speech writer was interviewed recently in GQ. With the kind of humor you wouldn't expect from someone who worked in that administration, he paints an oddly human picture of Bush, with a certain irreverence aimed at letting us see the former President's funny side. He weighs in on Palin and Biden (you can find the section, if brief, about Biden, here) with some unexpected ribbing (unexpected at least in him taking shots at Palin), and it's an interesting read.

Not a lot else in the VP world at the moment, but the article is worth checking out, though it's also worth thinking about how easy it is to be so rapt by an article written by a guy claiming to have the inside scoop and showing us this human side of Bush, when he was one of the elite few who got to help lie to us every day. Sure, he came in late in Bush's term, so he was part of damage control, most likely. But I don't trust the words of a speech writer or a publicist, especially when they claim to "finally be telling the truth" (not his words, just the jist of these sorts of essays).

Cynical? No. Just careful. I'd rather read Cheney's book, even if it is co-written (he never writes alone, famously writing alongside his wife before becoming VP). At least he'll say what he means, and I'll be pretty sure he isn't putting me on.

Good night, and good vice-presidenting.

Jason C. Klamm

Biden Swears in, Palin Swears Revenge

As you may know, the Veep is currently in Iraq, making the rounds to prove to us just how safe it is to live there. If you have body armor. Some body armor. And a cadre of Secret Service Agents. Oh, and guns, that's right, guns.

Still, Biden made the rounds, so to speak, greeted by the forces in Iraq, and then made a special trip to see his son, Beau, who, despite being Attorney General of Delaware, also finds the time to serve as a Captain with the Delaware National Guard. He also took the time during his sojourn abroad to give some fighting men and women what they've been holding out for, besides the whole "not dying" thing. The Vice President, sporting a khaki suit and combat boots, looking somewhat like a desert pimp, spent some of July 4 helping 237 members of the Armed Forces become American citizens. They were sworn in in Al Faw Palace, previously occupied by one Saddam Hussein, to which Biden said "That S.O.B is rolling in his grave right now." Classy, Joe. Then again "that's good 'ol Joe for ya'!" And, really, I can't go about saying Saddam wasn't an SOB, just... I might do it with some class. But still with a khaki suit and combat boots.

Meanwhile, as Matt so diligently reported, Sarah Palin, Biden's former "competitor" for the Number Two spot, has resigned her Governorship effective the end of July. Sort of?

CNN, who rudely interrupted the controversy-embroiled Governor on an impromptu fishing trip, caught her with her pants up - her waders, that is! - and her fists raised, reporting this morning that Palin told them "I am not a quitter; I am a fighter." Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

As CNN and Fox News both reported, Palin didn't rule out a run for the Presidency in 2012. Son... of a bitch.

I don't hate the lady. In one of the pieces I've written for the book, I describe my own early distaste for her that was then peppered with some understanding at the reasons people were calling her stupid, like "not knowing what the VP does." Let's be honest - the VP doesn't have to do much at all, so in essence, it was a valid question. But these latest developments beg the question - she pulled down McCain's campaign, so how does she think she can have one all her own?

If the media is as powerful and vindictive as she'd like us to believe, calling the accusations against her "bull crap" (classy, Sarah), how does she plan on winning us over? Her idea of being a politician is to just play straight-up corn-fed, slap your baby and kiss your back. She's about 70 years behind in understanding what it actually means to be a politician. If she wants back in the game, she's going to have to play hard ball. And if she does, I see a bunch of Anti-Hillary democrats changing their minds just to keep Palin off the ticket.

Which ticket, though, remains to be seen. She's reportedly been trashing both Obama and the Republican party quite heavily, a move that indicates she's either clinging to the "Maverick Republican" image of John McCain, or she's moving on. Could there be a third-party run? Despite her record, her popularity could easily get whatever third party she chose instant media coverage, sending the media tripping over itself to "see what this whole third-party thing is all about," leading it to - cue the collective orgasm of Libertarians everywhere - eventually giving someone like Ron Paul some air time.

Whatever she decides to do, I think you should know this when you think toward 2012. There are people, like Thomas Van Flein (Palin's lawyer), who think things like this (as quoted on CNN):

"In my opinion, she was the national campaign for Republicans last fall," Van Flein said. "I know John McCain was the candidate, but the decision was really about Sarah Palin and could she take on Obama. That was a lot of weight on her shoulders to carry that campaign, and they almost pulled it off."

Ouch.

- Jason Klamm
(see my own presidential campaign site, for 2020 [& 2016] here, to give you an idea of what can happen when media completely informs someone's idea of what it is to be a politician)

SHOCKER-Sarah Palin Resigns as Governor of Alaska! Link to video of resignation HERE!

Hey Vice-Precedence Blog Readers! Stunning news that I just HAD to let you know.

Former VP Candidate, current Gov. of Alaska, Hockey-Mom, and lightning rod for controversy Sarah Palin announced at an 11AM press conference today that she will not only not seek a second term as Governor, but also that she will resign as Governor of Alaska! Effective at the end of the month! The Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be sworn in on July 26, 2009.

In a very emotional speech, Palin said her decision came after much “prayer and consideration.” She did not want to waste time on “political blood sport” and cited public criticism of her actions and her family since the 2008 campaign.

There have recently been a lot of stories criticizing Gov. Palin and her family in the news. Besides the controversy with David Letterman that became a national debate, there has been the interview with Levi Johnston in GQ where he stated that the Palins weren't always very good to him-even though he's the father of their grandchild, that Todd offered to buy him a snow-machine if he stopped seeing Bristol, and how people are reluctant to hire him for a job because they feared they might incur the wrath of the Governor. Also, members of the McCain campaign team were very harsh on Palin in other interviews and Vanity Fair's Todd S. Purdum also wrote a massive article on Palin with this incredible quote:

"Palin is unlike any other national figure in modern American life—neither Anna Nicole Smith nor Margaret Chase Smith but a phenomenon all her own. The clouds of tabloid conflict and controversy that swirl around her and her extended clan—the surprise pregnancies, the two-bit blood feuds, the tawdry in-laws and common-law kin caught selling drugs or poaching game—give her family a singular status in the rogues’ gallery of political relatives. By comparison, Billy Carter, Donald Nixon, and Roger Clinton seem like avatars of circumspection. Palin’s life has sometimes played out like an unholy amalgam of Desperate Housewives and Northern Exposure."

Wow.

Palins' entire emotional resignation speech is on her official government website. I'm including links to it and to Purdums' story and video of the resignation speech here!

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908

http://gov.state.ak.us/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/sarah-palin-resigns-as-al_b_225515.html


What does it all mean? Will Palin get her house in order and make a run for the Presidency in 2012? Is her career in politics over for good? Stay Tuned here at the Vice-Precedence Blog and Have a Happy 4th of July! Thanks for reading!