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PoliticsOL.com Editorial - Week of July 1, 2001
Cheney's Health a Non-Issue
In the 1962 movie, Advise & Consent, a concerned, kept out-of-the-loop Vice President (played by Lew Ayres) says to the Senate Majority Leader, "Mind if I ask a question the Vice President shouldn't ask?"
But, today, everyone discussing the health of the Vice President.
This isn't the talk of concerned friends or family, but rather a media-driven gossipy frenzy about whether Dick Cheney can complete his first term. Some of it is ratings-driven, some of it's pure politics -- as if meant to discredit President George W. Bush's ability to govern the country should Cheney decide to resign.
What nonsense! Irregular and sometimes rapid heart rhythm affects over two million Americans. Many of those with the condition have much more physically-demanding or stressful jobs than the Vice President. Most also don't have hundreds of staff members at their disposal, personal chaffers, top-notch physicians, great health insurance coverage and the ability to take off early from work whenever they might feel like it.
In fact, the only constitutional duty Cheney has is to preside over the Senate - and that's mostly ceremonial. Legislation makes the Vice President a member of the National Security Council and Cheney is, of course, first in the line of succession to the presidency. But, that's about it.
Now, it can be argued that perhaps Cheney is a workaholic who has taken upon too much work for himself, regardless of his heart condition. He does not need to head every important task force Bush creates -- that's what the Cabinet is for.
But, if a perfect state of health were required for the presidency and vice presidency, this country would have disqualified many of its most able leaders in the past 200 years, including James Madison (seizures), Abraham Lincoln (heart disease), Franklin Roosevelt (polio) and Lyndon Johnson (heart disease), to name but only a few.
Furthermore, there is no constitutional mechanism to remove a vice president from office other than impeachment or his/her own resignation. Nor should there be.
Dick Cheney is an example to the tens of millions of Americans who suffer from various health conditions that they need not be forced into retirement or stay cooped up in their homes 24/7 just because some narrow-minded people think they should.
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This isn't the talk of concerned friends or family, but rather a media-driven gossipy frenzy about whether 