7.24.00
The Record

7.21.00
Porno for Webphiles

7.20.00
Holy Land Grab!

7.19.00
Madame, You Are a Parallelogram

7.18.00
Oops...I Did It Again

7.18.00
Not So Pacific

7.17.00
FBI Hits Back at Trulock

7.17.00
“Racial Profiling” Meets National Security

7.14.00
D.C. Tries to Sack Little Rome

7.12.00
Bloody Missouri

7.12.00
You Go, Girl

7/24/00 6:55 p.m.
The Record
Cheney was conservative across the board.

By NR Staff

t now seems almost certain that Dick Cheney will be Bush's VP pick. To repeat the most talked about considerations — which are all aesthetic and personal — he's loyal, appears the statesman, and the governor likes him.

But let's remember: The man spent ten years as the only congressman from Wyoming, and he compiled an impressive voting record along the way. Cheney co-sponsored a bill banning the use of federal funds to procure an abortion, has expressed support for a Human Life Amendment, and received a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. He was also a reliably conservative vote on other social issues like assisted suicide. A solid vote for missile defense and aid to Nicaraguan contras, Cheney was most outspoken in his support of Reagan's military buildup. He served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence prior to his praiseworthy tenure as Secretary of Defense, which saw the end of the Cold War and the stunning Gulf War alliance.

Sometimes you can tell the make of a man by his enemies: Americans for Democratic Action, labor unions, Naderite consumer groups, environmentalists, and the ACLU don't find much to like in Cheney. Conservative groups tend to rate him highly, although the National Taxpayers Union didn't give him a rating better than 70% after 1981. Even so, NTU now says Cheney has a "stalwart fiscal reputation."

Cheney has a few extra accomplishments to tout. He became Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee after his first term in office, and his wife is thoughtful and accomplished: Lynne has served as director of the National Endowment for the Humanities and talking head on CNN's Crossfire. The couple co-authored Kings of the Hill: Power and Personality in the House of Representatives, a history of eight Speakers of the House. Perhaps Cheney would have liked to have been Number 9, but instead he may find himself one heartbeat away from the presidency.

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