Bill Clinton: Dick Cheney Could Use 'Target Practice'

On Wednesday, former president Bill Clinton was musing aloud on the topic of why Dick Cheney has decided to try and become the face of the Republican party, when he made the following quip:

"I do hope he gets some target practice before he goes out again."

The dig was, of course, a reference to Cheney's 2006 quail hunting mishap, when he accidentally shot 78-year-old attorney Harry Whittington in the face. To string out this metaphor a bit further, The Washington Post leads today's edition asking why Cheney just doesn't stop shooting altogether, given the PR damage he seems to be inflicting on fellow Republicans:

His running argument with the new administration has spawned a noisy side debate all its own: By leading the criticism, is Cheney doing more harm than good to the causes he has taken up and to the political well-being of his party?

As I mentioned yesterday, some within his own party are being more blunt than Bill Clinton, simply telling Cheney to "shut up." But not every member of the GOP wants Cheney to lower his gun so fast. Even though Cheney left office with a 13% approval rating, they applaud his efforts. Oddly, most Democrats heartily agree. They could not be happier to have one of the least popular public figures become the new/old face of the Republican machine. Keep firing, Mr. Cheney!

If only 21% of Americans now self-identify as Republicans, and even many of those are uncomfortable having Dick Cheney play the role of party mouthpiece, then Cheney's supporters represent a very vocal minority indeed. These folks aren't interested in re-branding. They liked things the way they were. Clinton neatly summed up why Cheney's attacks don't seem to be gaining much political traction:

Seeming to refer to the Bush administration, Clinton said, "It's over."

For the sake of his party, however, Clinton might have considered keeping that bit of breaking news to himself.


David at Paradigms Lost
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