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Bush Names Cheney as Running Mate

July 31, 2000

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush named former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his vice presidential running mate on July 25. Appearing with Cheney at an Austin rally, Texas Governor Bush described Cheney, 59, as a man of "integrity, judgement and experience." Bush had previously selected Cheney to lead his vice presidential search, but said that he had found the best candidate "sitting next to me. I picked him because he is without a doubt fully capable of being president of the United States and he will be a valuable partner in a Bush administration. As we worked together to evaluate the strengths of others, I saw first hand Dick Cheney's outstanding judgement."

Cheney ran Defense Department from 1989-1993 when the governor's father, George Bush, was president. He helped lead operation Desert Storm, the 1991 war that expelled Iraqi invasion forces from Kuwait. Cheney was for 10 years Wyoming's Congressman and also served two years as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford. Since leaving public office, Cheney has served as CEO of Halliburton, the world's largest oil-field services provider. Since Governor Bush has little experience in foreign policy, he is relying heavily on advisers such as Cheney to get elected. Bush is a somewhat vulnerable candidate because many still doubt if he has what it takes to be president. As columnist George Will put it, Bush's selection of Cheney appears to be an effort to give himself "seriousness by association," which may be more important to Bush than the usual ticket balancing considerations.

Cheney's former colleagues in the Bush White House praised his selection. Former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, called Cheney an "outstanding" candidate. Noting that Cheney had served in both Congress and the administration, Scowcroft pointed out that Cheney "knows both perspectives." Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised Cheney for his "depth of character," describing Bush as "good manager and a good leader, and he'll do what the president wants done."

Cheney's views on Israel and the Middle East have prompted concern in the pro-Israel community. Cheney is admired by some who worked with him, including Israel's U.S. ambassador David Ivry, who was director-general of the Israeli Defense Ministry during the Gulf War. "Ivry believes that Cheney is a friend of Israel who is committed to Israel's security," an Israeli spokesman said. However, according to the Jerusalem Post, former Israeli defense minister Moshe Arens has accused Cheney, as part of the Bush administration, of misleading Israel and leaving it unprotected and vulnerable to Iraqi missile attacks during the War.

Israel's supporters have also expressed concern that Cheney's relationship with the oil industry could shape his approach to the Middle East in a way that might hurt Israel. Cheney has called for the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iran and last month, at a World Petroleum Congress in Canada, declared his support for doing business with Iran. "I would hope we could find ways to improve [relations]," Cheney was quoted as saying. "One of the ways, I think, is to allow American firms to do the same thing that most other firms around the world are able to do now, and that is to be active in Iran." However, George W. Bush has declared his intention to take a tougher approach to Iran than President Clinton, who has made gestures of friendship to the Moslem government that seized the U.S. embassy in 1980 and held 61 American citizens hostage for over a year.

Cheney has supported arms sales to Israel's Arab neighbors. As a congressman from Wyoming, he voted in favor of the controversial 1981 AWACS sale to Saudi Arabia, which Israel opposed. In 1982, he declared his support for Palestinian self-rule, long before the US recognized the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Still, Republican supporters are convinced that the Bush-Cheney ticket will be good for Israel. They argue that Cheney's support for missile defense programs and a strong military outweighs policy differences on matters such as unilateral trade sanctions. Republican National Committee finance chair Mel Sembler, who took Cheney on a 1994 trip to Israel, says that the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin greatly admired Cheney: "You should have heard what Rabin had to say about Cheney... His love and affection for the man."

Cheney's health has also been a concern. He had a heart attack at age 37 and two more before his 48th birthday. In August 1988, he underwent quadruple-bypass surgery. However, he gave up his three-pack-a-day cigarette habit 22 years ago, and supervised the planning and execution of the Persian Gulf War without any health problems.

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