Recently, former Vice President Dick Cheney appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation to defend Bush administration interrogation techniques early in the war on terror, methods critics call “torture.” But the torture began at the conclusion of the interview when moderator Bob Schieffer asked Cheney whether he preferred conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh or former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Cheney responded, “Well, if I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I’d go with Rush Limbaugh…my take on it was Colin had already left the party…he endorsed the Democratic Candidate for president this time, Barack Obama.” Schieffer ended, “Mr. Vice President, you promised some news, I think we probably made a little.”
Cheney’s campaign to defend Bush tactics will continue, but his days of picking party members should stop. He simply gave the wrong answer. Republicans cannot afford to lose the respected Colin Powell—soldier, general, diplomat. One week later, Powell showed up on Schieffer’s set and corrected the notion that he had left the party. “Mr. Cheney was misinformed. I am still a Republican.”
Most respected pundits and GOP strategists have commented with hindsight that Cheney should have praised both Rush and Powell for their different qualities and dodged the false choice. Party operatives realize this is no time to alienate anyone—even an influential moderate like Powell who crossed the aisle last fall—if they want to return as a meaningful alternative to the dominating Democrats.
Powell suggested last Sunday that the Republican Party needs military-style ‘after-action review,’ reflection. “After a battle or after a training exercise,” Powell explained, “you say, what’s going right? What’s going wrong?” Cheney might quickly respond, “What went wrong is our party’s most revered African American leader defected and endorsed the other guy.” That’s fine in a post-election campaign war room, but not on national television. At this point, Dick, you cut your losses and hope the general returns and brings the Powell brand of Republicans—those strong on national defense and those who promote personal self-reliance—with him. Anyone with a sense of the nation’s pulse knows Cheney and Karl Rove (the only other GOP voice that takes Rush over Powell) are not effective recruiting tools for independents like Powell. And, with GOP membership at an all-time low—21% in some polls—you can’t afford to lose one who temporarily crossed party lines last November.