Cheney beats back 2012 efforts
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/29/art.cheneyexit0529.gi.jpg caption="Dick Cheney says he has no interest in running for president."]Washington (CNN) - Dick Cheney's throwing cold water on a new group's effort to try and convince the former vice president to seek the Republican presidential nomination in the next race for the White House.
"Draft Dick Cheney 2012" officially launched on Friday and unveiled a new Web site. The group hopes to follow up the on-line launch with a more formal structure, which they say will include building a database and reaching out through social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
So what does Cheney think of the push to motivate him to seek the White House?
"Why would I want to do that?" he replied. "It's been a hell of a tour. I've loved it. I have no aspirations for further office," Cheney said in an interview with Politico.
Prior to his two terms as vice president, Cheney also served as Secretary of Defense under the first President Bush, a congressman from Wyoming for six terms, and chief of staff to President Gerald Ford.
Cheney told Politico that what he considers the likely midterm congressional losses for the Democrats next year "point in the direction of a very competitive situation in 2012, a very respectable shot for the Republicans of taking back the presidency."
In the interview, which Politico published early Tuesday, Cheney said it's "far too soon to be handicapping" which Republicans may run in 2012, but added that "we've got a lot of folks, I'm sure, who will want to pursue it. I haven't committed and don't expect to anytime soon."
As for a potential White House bid by Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and last year's GOP vice presidential nominee, Cheney said he likes her personally, calling her "charming [and] engaging."
"She's got as much right to be out there as anybody else. Will she be a candidate at some point? How would she do as a candidate? Those are all questions that only time will tell," Cheney said.
- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
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Heh! Yeah, GOPers are always saying they value military service yet 'ol Cheney got 5 deferments from avoiding serving in Vietnam. Goes to show the Republican motto: Do what we say; don't do what we do.
Draft Cheney to serve in Iraq. His primary role should be to clear the roads of all the IED's!
Yes the dictatorship is over..... but not forgotten...
It will be hard to run in 2012 when he will be or should be in jail by then.
CNN why do you keep given this guy and Palin so much time?
Why not give our troops the time instead?
Thank God he's not running!
Indeed, why would he want to do that? Having failed spectacularly, he would rather sit on the sidelines and criticize his successors.
seriously? there are people who are actually trying to get him to run? he wasn't even welcome at the RNC last year...
Dear God help us if he runs and (gulp) wins.
Throwing cold water on the effort to draft him for 2012???? What a joke. The real cold water was that only one of 800+ people queried named Cheney as the voice of the Republican party!! After all of his public relations interviews and his snipes at Obama - ONE PERSON!
Dick Chaney is one of the most evil men alive and is directly responsible for much of the travesty that was the "W" years. Why would anyone want this man in office?
LOL...the left and moderates hate this guy more than the right hates Obama!!! Go for it Dick!
Of course Cheney doesnt have any interest in becoming President. It would be REALLY hard to run a Shadow Government with unlimited power by being in the public eye possibly every moment of the day
Oh to bad. I wanted a gurantee for Obama for another 4 years. This guy is Satan.
It's a good thing that he does not want to run. Dick- the five time deferrment-Cheney needs to stay in the same undisclosed location that he did during the last 8 years along with his big mouth daughter, Liz. He is a disgrace and definitely someone who would cause massive voters to the polls against the Republicans. I really hope he attempts to run for President, along with Palin!!!!!!
So this "Draft Cheney" group must have like 3 members at most in total.
After all, how many decent, ethical, quality people would actually consider voting for a man that the vast majority of the American populace considers so evil and immoral?
I'd love it if he got the GOP nomination. That would mean I could start celebrating Obama's re-election today!
OH NO, PLEASE RUN! Take the GOP nomination, Please, Please, Please!!!!!!
Hey you can even pal around with Palin!!!!!! doesn't that sound sexy?
Ignore the recent GOP poll which asked 1000 Republicans who carries their values and you only got 1, yes "ONE" vote.
And please keep talking about and attacking President Obama, it helps so much!!!!!!!!
Please, Please, Please......................
If Cheney ran in 2012, that will be a blatant smack in the face of the people. We want the war criminal behind bars.
WHY would anyone want someone like Cheney in the White House? Wasn't 8 years of his mismanagement enough of a disaster for this country?
Don't worry repugs. The sith always comes in twos... There is an apprentice somewhere...
Yes, and breaking the laws of our nation and committing war crimes for 8 years is enough anyway.
Which means that he is having Rove work behind the scenes for him to get it all going. Funny though how he couldn't even come to the convention in 2008.....
The very concept of this man in any kind of office makes Canada look better every day. If America would ever take complete leave of its senses and re-elect this creature, we would deserve the doom we asked for.
A Cheney candidacy would be death for the Republican party. Besides, he lacks the character and backbone to take on a presidential run. Cowards need not apply. It is too difficult an ordeal.
Don't want him, if he's our president in 2012. We will be in World War 3.
Good, the American people don't want you to run for office anyway DIck – only a handful of fringe people do.