Hill GOP to Cheney -- go away already

OK, enough of this crap from our side. We've spent the better part of four months ripping into each other over who's fault it was we got shellacked in the '08 elections. Like it or not, it's all of our faults, and to a point, none of our fault. Like it or not, the GOP brought this on themselves, and when I say that I'm referring to the monkeys that we elected, not the party electorate, in general. Our elected reps in the House and Senate frittered away their majorities by abandoning the conservative roots established back in the 1980s. And when we get linguine-spined reps that would rather play the go-along, get-along game, the electorate won't be there when they need them the most.

Enter Dick Cheney. Now, condemn us if you want, but we love Cheney. We think he was perfect for the ticket in 2000 even though we'd have rather had him at the top of the ticket. But he was the perfect person to work with President Bush because he took on a whole new role as vice president. John Nance Garner once said, "The vice-presidency isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss." Well, Cheney changed that idea in being the one who attacked the president's critics despite the fact Bush would've rather just let things slide.

He has been rather vocal about Barry's presidency thus far, and leave it to the GOP to shoot themselves in the foot over his criticism:

Congressional Republicans are telling Dick Cheney to go back to his undisclosed location and leave them alone to rebuild the Republican Party without his input.

Displeased with the former vice-president's recent media appearances, Republican lawmakers say he's hurting GOP efforts to reinvent itself after back-to-back electoral drubbings.

The veep, who showed a penchant for secrecy during eight years in the White House,has popped up in media interviews to defend the Bush-Cheney record while suggesting that the country is not as safe under President Obama.

Rep. John Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) said, “He became so unpopular while he was in the White House that it would probably be better for us politically if he wouldn’t be so public...But he has the right to speak out since he’s a private citizen.”

Another House Republican lawmaker who requested anonymity said he wasn’t surprised that Cheney has strongly criticized Obama early in his term, but argued that it’s not helping the GOP cause.

The legislator said Cheney, whose approval ratings were lower than President Bush’s during the last Congress, didn’t think through the political implications of going after Obama.

Cheney did “House Republicans no favors,” the lawmaker said, adding, “I could never understand him anyway.”

Um, Cheney didn't go out and campaign for Republicans in 2008, so I fail to get the "he did us no favors" BS. Got news for Mr. Anonymous: You didn't do yourselves any favors. It's the Congressional GOP who thought they could play the Democrat-lite game, and still win despite the fact that conservatism won at the ballot box where it was offered. Hello, Prop. 8, anyone?

We'd rather see Cheney out there everyday, especially on matters of national security, when it comes to Barry's agenda. Cheney was the conservative on the ticket while Bush was a moderate Republican. Take note of that. I distinguished the difference between the two. Bush was a good president, but he wasn't conservative. He was a big-government conservative (oxymoron, yes) who thought he could lead the nation that way, and everything would be fine. Cheney didn't think along those lines.

The GOP doesn't need to "re-brand" itself. It needs to return to the ideals that won it electoral victories in the past. That goes to all the old talking points any conservative can rattle off in a heartbeat. But it also includes new ideas. We win in the arena of ideas while the Left flounders like a fish out of water. Their answer to everything is "let the government do it." Our answer is let the rugged individualism of the citizenry handle things the government isn't enumerated to control.

That's one of the things Cheney has tried to push. The government isn't the answer to all our problems, and he's warning people about the expanse of government. I know, I know the Left will claim the Bush/Cheney administration seized it's fair share of control, but it wasn't the way the Left would rather do it. In war, the executive has near limitless power, and that was where that "expanse" of power was, for the most part. It wasn't in a federal desire to seize failing firms or in imposing draconian global warming BS regulations on businesses. Their expansion was to literally protect this nation from a bunch of bloodthirsty thugs that are dead set to do us harm. And on security matters, Cheney is right -- Barry is making us less safe.

Here's my advice to Congressional Republicans -- shut up about Cheney and do your bloody jobs. You guys are already on thin ice with the voters, and we're coming out in force to get rid of those that are as helpful as a broken arm. To those who want to embrace Bush's big-government conservatism, your days are numbered, and a target is on your back in the primaries coming up. Forget about Cheney. Do your job if you'd like to keep that job.

Publius II