Bush win or loss, GOP is up for grabs (Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder) [View All]

Bush win or loss, GOP is up for grabs

By Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder

Here's what should make the Republican convention next week especially intriguing: Whether President Bush wins or loses in November, the GOP leadership in four years is up for grabs.

Reason: Vice President Dick Cheney, 63 and with serious heart problems, is not a presidential possibility in '08.

In modern political history, the veep always has become the next nominee for each party when the president served more than one term. Bill Clinton's VP Al Gore four years ago. Ronald Reagan's VP George H.W. Bush 16 years ago. Lyndon Johnson's VP Hubert Humphrey 36 years ago. Dwight Eisenhower's VP Richard Nixon 44 years ago.

If Bush wins re-election, his "compassionate conservative" followers likely will power the party in '08. But if he loses, look for a fight from some who still sometimes are called "Rockefeller Republicans."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-08-26-gop-2008_x.htm