Locals cheer Cheney as Bush’s running mate

Alex Coolman

News of George W. Bush’s decision to tap Dick Cheney as his running

mate drew praise Tuesday from Republicans, including Rep. Christopher Cox

(R-Newport Beach), who had been considered a possible candidate for the

spot.

“It’s a very exciting selection, not only because it brings vast

international experience to the ticket, but also because Dick Cheney is a

friend of Orange County,” said Orange County Republican Party chairman

Tom Fuentes.

The former defense secretary for the candidate’s father, George H.

Bush, “knows what Orange County is about,” Fuentes said. “He has a warm

and cordial relationship with the party leadership here.”

Cox said he was “very pleased” by the decision, which he said had the

potential to reinvigorate the Republican presence in Washington.

“If we have the first Republican government in Washington since the

1952 election,” he said, “I will have a new job.”

That job, he said, would simply be to legislate in a way that had not

been possible under a Democratic administration.

“[There will be] vast new opportunities as a member of the leadership

of the House,” Cox said. “Right now, there is a very limited range of

legislation that we know we can get signed into law.”

Fuentes said he thought the future might hold more ambitious prospects

for Cox if Bush were to carry the election.

“There’s a natural for attorney general in this administration, or

another cabinet position,” Fuentes said. “Likewise, Chris could well be

the speaker of the house if he desires someday.”

Cox declined to speculate on such possibilities, calling the cabinet

jobs “an enormous lottery.”