Replacing Cheney

I should note that I believed that the GOP would replace Cheney on the Republican ticket for 2004. I was wrong then, but he might still be replaced. His current health problems are a continual liabilty for the administration, and for that reason alone he might step aside. However, there is also the idea of choosing a new VP who can run against Hillary in '08. The act of replacing Cheney would actually create some problems, in that if they do pick a new VP, he or she will have a huge advantage when it comes to the '08 primaries. So the White House would be forced to pick someone who has a good chance of winning on their own. But if they do choose a new VP, they may alienate Republicans who planned on running in '08 themselves. Picking someone as a "caretaker VP" also has problems of its own, as it creates the chance that a VP elevated to President somehow would essentially be a lame duck. Potentially disasterous with the world situation as it is. With these new understandings in mind I can understand why the Administration has been reluctant to replace Cheney.