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Draft Dick Cheney: A committee is born

by Mark Silva

Here's a conversation starter: "Draft Dick Cheney.''

An admirer of the former vice president filed papers today in Washington for a committee with a goal of getting Cheney to run for president in 2012.

"The 2012 race for the Republican nomination for president will be about much more then who will be the party's standard bearer against Barack Obama,'' says organizer Christopher Barron. "The race is about the heart and soul of the GOP.''

Barron calls Cheney, the former congressman and Defense Secretary in the first Bush administratiion who arguably was the most powerful vice president of all, who played a central role in the war strategies and national security initiatives of the second Bush admnistraton, who served two terms as vice president and served three other presidents in his time, the only member of the GOP "with the experience, political courage and unwavering commitment to the values that made our party strong.''

Barron, a Washington-based campaign consultant and lawyer, has toiled for a part of that party that hasn't easily won recognition from its leaders. Founder of CapSouth Consulting, he served as the national political director for the Log Cabin Republicans, "where he directed the organization's federal lobbying efforts and media relations.'' He is a frequent columnist and commentator.

There would seem to be support in some quarters for a Cheney bid, notes Barron, quoting Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard as saying: "Of course, everyone's first choice for president in 2012 is Dick Cheney.''

Cheney has been outspoken in his criticism of the Obama administration, most recently accusing the president of "dithering'' in his decision about deployment of new forces in Afghanistana decision which the president plans to announce next week.

But then Cheney's own daughter Liz, who has been doing a lot of public speaking in her father's defense during this post-v.p. season of his discontent, allows that a candidacy at this stage in her father's lifehe has suffered repeated heart attacksis a tough sell. She told FOX's Neil Cavuto: "I have to tell you, he's my candidate. But I have yet to get him on board with the concept.''

"The Obama administration is playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with the safety of Americans at home and abroad," Barron maintains. "He has refused to stand up to the tyrannical Iranian regime of Ahmadinejad, refused to listen to our military leaders on the ground in Afghanistan, and is bringing the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to New York for a dangerous show trial."

Barron's group says it will work on building "grassroots support'' for a Cheney campaign in 2012. They've already got a Cheney T-shirt.

They've been going at this Draft Cheney idea on Facebook, too.

Maybe Cheney will start Twittering soon.