Cheney looked like he was seriously winded this morning.

[grasswire]

Did you see it?

Cheney and Mrs. entered the convention and walked up a flight of steps to their seats. He almost immediately sat down. The camera comes in for some close shots, and I could see Cheney desperately sucking in air through the sides of his mouth like someone does when they don't want to appear winded. A moment later, he's introduced and he stands for a moment and then sits down. Lynn was still standing, clapping her head off for a while longer.

[livetohike]

1. Heat and humidity are not good for heart patients

The bought off media probably slipped up by showing this one. He must have problems like this all the time considering his health history.

[whalerider55]

10. must be...

the weight of all those impending indictments...

not giuliani; i don't think he'll play well outside of NY.
not McCain- he can run in '06 anyway, and why be tied to an adminstration that is Karl Rove's litterbox... Mac's to indy

maybe patacki...
but me, my guess would be a lation or a woman- Liddy dole, or that retiring congeresswoman out in Seattle.

rove knows the old dog isn't hunting like it used to, and that they won't be able to get this thing close enuff to steal, so they'll have to actually win it... and need to shake up the race big time.

then again, i've been wrong before

whalerider55

[nickinSTL]

2. well...

I didn't see it...stuck at work and no cable at home anyway, but...

Think they're going to pull Cheney at the convention, due to heart trouble? Replace him with...Giuliani/McCain/Miller/whoever they think will help them?

I know this has been discussed ad nauseam, and I'd pretty much figured they wouldn't, but showing Cheney having trouble breathing...might be a forerunner to dumping him.

[soothsayer]

3. Did you see that convoy that arrived just beforehand, including an

ambulance?

Minutes after that, ol' crashcart's on the convention floor! LOL

Most people take limos.

[katmondoo]

28. Cheney's Convoy

I saw him at the Yacht Club in Disney World ( this was before 911)With him were all these weird looking people in BLACK suits and dark glasses indoors (the not so secret service people) and an ambulance parked outside the entrance. They never knew there was an anti Busher in the area,ME.

[newyawker99]

30. Hi katmondoo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[benburch]

4. He is not at all a well man.

Having a built-in crash cart can only keep you alive so long. Sounds to me like his is having a bout of congestive heart failure as well. That is what will likely bring him the acquaintance of the Grim Reaper.

[grasswire]

7. I was thinking CHF, too

He looks puffy and pale. Retaining fluids, I'd bet. Soon they'll be putting him on one of those popemobiles.

[iconoclastic cat]

11. Perhaps God is tickling Cheney's aorta.

[whalerider55]

15. huh?

you assume he has one?

whalerider55

[Qutzupalotl]

29. A god or an aorta? n/t

[RubyDuby in GA]

27. I'm sure it's congestive heart failure

My dad has the same thing. He has the defib implanted as well.
Although, el padre likes to say that his is for his real heart and Cheney's is to make it look like he has one.

I try to be magnanimous about things when people are ill, but really - the damage this man has done to our country, I do hope he has days like my father does, and lots of them.

[seabeyond]

5. wouldnt that be something if cheney had to get out of race

because of his heart.

hm

lol lolh

[GCP]

8. Not so good if it means they can put someone else in as a replacement

Like Giuliani or McCain. A lot of people might decide they could go with that as a ticket.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

18. Must have seen the Powell polls

Colin Powell is the only thing that could possibly save Bush now.
McCain too.

[MoonRiver]

6. Not a good sign.

He may be posing as a seriously ill person in preparation for withdrawing from the * ticket. This would be the perfect time with Rudy there in NYC ready to take up the chalice. Would also give the talking heads an excuse to focus exclusively on Team * right up to the election, or selection, whatever the case may be.

[benburch]

9. You may be right.

I've wondered if they had a convention surprise ready for some time now.

[iconoclastic cat]

13. Wait a minute,

how exactly could they plan a heart attack for Cheney as a surprise?

[benburch]

21. It does not need to be a REAL heart attack, silly...

How would ANY of us know if they just invented it?

[Poiuyt]

16. What if he has a heart attack during his speech?

Remember the movie "Dave?" Kevin Klein passed out while speaking before Congress. What a way for the Republicans to get sympathy.

[dsewell]

17. I don't agree.

For Cheney to withdraw at this point would create huge controversy and no end of conspiracy theories among the conspiracy-minded on both sides. And there's no question that if Cheney were to have a serious health problem during the convention, even just a two-minute fainting spell caught on camera, it would be a PR disaster for the Republicans. Remember GWB's rejoinder to the Edwards nomination: "Dick Cheney can be president." If the Republicans' evaluation of Dick Cheney's health were to turn out to be as poor as their estimate of WMDs in Iraq, it would be the most highly visible misstep yet of their administration.

[whalerider55]

22. disagree with your disagreement

cheney is a drag on the ticket- he is a lightning rod for investigations and indictments nationally and internationally. the right wingnuts love him, but if he has to be "replaced" because of his health, do you think they won't still vote for bush knowing the supreme court and the senate and the house are in play?

they have nowhere else to go...
whalerider55

[livetohike]

19. They need some kind of excitement

What else do they have? No surprises there - the same tired, old rhetoric. No up and coming shining stars. Boring.

[mac56]

12. Nothing would surprise me from this lot.

Remember Kevin Kline "dying" at the podium in "Dave"?

[Poiuyt]

20. Damn, you beat me

I have to learn to type faster!

:)

[WI_DEM]

14. oh-oh it's beginning

he will have a sudden "heart seizure" and reluctantly decide to step aside to allow either McCain or Rudy to join the ticket as VP.
:)

[7th_Sephiroth]

23. cheney will never "step Aside"

he is wanted in 3 countries for his dealings with halliburton and screwing the people of france, russia and i think the germans

[MoonRiver]

24. Probably will be Rudy in a desperate ploy to take New York.

Unfortunately, for them, if Cheney resigns and Rudy accepts at the convention, it will be blatantly obvious this was a well-orchestrated event. Nobody will buy Cheney's excuse.

[mac56]

25. Not to mention Rudy will never sell to the religious right.

Cozy with gays, questionable divorce, screwing a subordinate and then naming her as Parks Commissioner.

[MoonRiver]

26. Yep. Puke rightwing religious nuts have nowhere else to go,

but Rove can hope to pick up some moderates with Rudy.

[oasis]

31. Get well Dick. Please

[Bernardo de La Paz]

32. If they do switch Cheney at the last minute, then the Dem meme is ...

If they do switch Cheney at the last minute, then the Dem meme should be that GWB was reckless to stick with Cheney as such a known health risk. Lack of exective ability. Cruel to push a man beyond what was needed. Scared to let go of his hand.

[Myrina]

33. Vampires always have a hard time during daylight hours ....

He's probably not accustomed to being out of his box.


:evilgrin:

[bigtree]

34. He's setting up his exit

On the other side Bush is setting up McCain's sacrificial acceptance of the open VP slot.

This has been a recurring premonition of mine.

[AgadorSparticus]

35. the loyalty neurotics of the right are not going to dump cheney.

especially when they just had all these people sign the ridiculous loyalty oaths. besides that, what about the donations? it was for bush/cheney.

i don't think they are going to be dumping cheney for "health" reasons. it would open a whole bag of worms for them like the fact that they compromised the security of this country because they sat on cheney's ill bill of health for so long? and NO WONDER things are in such turmoil, the VP has been too sick to take care of business. i'm sure they wouldn't want to go there.

they're keeping snarl. or rather, i think snarl is keeping them. president cheney is not about to let punk ass drop him from the roster.

[hippiegranny]

36. setting the stage

for his departure "due to health reasons" so mccain can be the running mate. I cannot think of any other explanation for that bizarre hugging incident between mccain and bush.

[grasswire]

37. Bob Novak...

...said today that Bush was hugging and kissing McCain to keep McCain from turning on him. He said it several times.

[Malva Zebrina]

38. Pics

Does not look good--a little dusky in the lips too. I betcha that defib kicked in.

[allalone]

39. he's a walking dead man

He's got some kind of implant that stimulates his heart to keep beating.