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American Morning

As Vice President Cheney Returns to White House, Gossip Surrounds Administration's Future

Aired July 02, 2001 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Dick Cheney is putting in a full day at his White House office today, meeting with the president, and also a series of radio interviews on the docket. Mr. Cheney got to work at promptly 7:45 this morning; that's his usual in- time. Cameras barely caught him going in the northwest gate -- it's tough to keep up with this guy -- as he headed for the West Wing.

The vice president had a device implanted in his chest on Saturday to help regulate his heart.

Heart trouble for the vice president may carry political complications for the president.

Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider, who is in Washington.

Bill, good morning.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

KAGAN: Looking at the situation with Vice President Cheney, first of all, what does it mean for the vice president's power base as it's now set up in Washington?

SCHNEIDER: Well, first of all, let's say that there is no reason to believe that Dick Cheney is unable to serve. He was at work this morning. His doctors say that he's able to fulfill his duties, and the president has given us all reassurances in that respect.

But gossip is gossip, Washington is Washington, and there's a lot of discussion: Will Cheney be able to remain on the ticket in 2004, after he's had three episodes in the first eight months since the November election, in which he's been in the hospital, even for brief periods of time. That creates a lot of concern. So there is, I think, talk going on in political circles. It's quiet right now,. But the question is the being raised, will he stay on the ticket in the 2004? Will President Bush need to replace him?

He served two important purposes for President Bush, which may not be as important in 2004. One, he helped shore up Bush's conservative base. The base seems to be very solid right now. And two, he provided a lot of experience in national affairs and in Washington, which Bush did not have as governor of Texas. After four years as president, Bush will have that kind of experience.

KAGAN: Of course, we wish the vice president many years of good health, but let's take it to 2004. What if it is up to President Bush to make that decision? Does it put him in a tough position, in terms of loyalty, which is something that's so important to him?

SCHNEIDER: Well, you've got to be careful. You can't always assume the loyalty of the conservative base in the Republican Party, because they're always looking for signs of betrayal. I'd say if there is any kind of consensus going on in political circles, it's the view that the smartest thing Bush might do would be to replace Cheney, at some point, with Colin Powell, his secretary of state. He would be a dynamite choice and would change the appeal of the ticket, would open up the ticket to African-American supporters. It would be a very exciting choice.

Conservatives don't entirely trust Powell, and once, when he was considering running for president, they said they would oppose him. That's why some people are saying it might be smart, if Cheney is not going to remain on the ticket, to step aside before 2004, say in 2003 or sometime before the election. Then President Bush could appoint a different vice president to replace him -- say, Powell. He'd have to be confirmed by both houses of Congress, but that would not be a problem for Colin Powell.

KAGAN: That's looking way off into the future. As we said, we do wish Mr. Cheney many good years of health.

Let's talk about a challenge problem right now that the president's had to face, and has done so in the last month, and that is how people view how he handles the environment. He has made a concerted effort to show up in places like Sequoia National Park and the Everglades, in Florida, to give the feeling that he is a pro- environment kind of president.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. I call it the greening of the president, because he realized, and his political strategists realized, that the environmental issue is of great vulnerability for this president. He offended a lot of Americans, and so did Dick Cheney, with their statements about the environment and their support for the energy industry and for putting production over conservation as a major national goal.

Most Americans don't really believe there is a shortage to begin with. They believe that the market is being manipulated by the energy companies. The reason Bush is vulnerable is specific to him, not simply that people think he's a conservative. Of course, he's a conservative. It's the fact that he's green in a different sense. He collected a lot of the money industry. Both he and Dick Cheney come out of energy industry. So the perception out there when the president announced his policy was his priorities are not the public's priorities -- not protecting the environment, but serving the interests of the energy industry, which has given him a lot of money.

So the president has been very, very, very vigorous in the last few weeks, trying to prove his environmental credentials by going to the Everglades and Yellowstone, and other places, because that right now is his most serious political vulnerability.

KAGAN: Bill Schneider, in Washington, thank you.

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