Enter Saint Jack
A new v.p. possibility, from W. himself.
By NR's Editors
ov.
Bush touched base with NR last week to discuss his plans for the race ahead,
and wound up good-naturedly engaging in speculation about possible vice-presidential
picks. Bush ran through most of the commonly mentioned contenders, but dropped
two new names, one of which could be a serious dark-horse candidate. W.
said how much he liked Missouri Sen. John Aschcroft who, if he were available,
would be a v.p. pick who would “anchor the base.”
But Ashcroft, of course, is committed to his own re-election race. But, perhaps with Missouri on his mind, Bush also mentioned former Senator Jack Danforth as a “good man” worthy of consideration.
The media loves Danforth, but he is pro-life and won some goodwill on the right with his stalwart defense of Clarence Thomas (although conservatives by no means consider him one of their own). He has to be placed in the same category of v.p. possibility as Dick Cheney, a party elder with some gravitas, although not the most electrifying campaigner. One problem for Danforth is his current position of overseeing the Waco investigation, a thankless job that one way or the other is sure to win him vociferous detractors. If it doesn’t, maybe he does deserve his moniker “Saint Jack.”