House GOP Prefers Limbaugh To Dick

Dick Cheney came out from whichever rock he had crawled under a few weeks ago to blast President Obama for, in his opinion, making us all less safe. A couple of days ago President Obama took his own shot at Cheney damn near accusing him of war crimes. Now as we all know Dick Cheney is pretty damned unpopular with the populous. So its not altogether surprising that some House Republicans are none too pleased that he has come out criticizing President Obama at a time when they are trying to rebuild their party and not alienate voters in anticipation of the midterm elections next year.

Rep. John Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) said, “He became so unpopular while he was in the White House that it would probably be better for us politically if he wouldn’t be so public...But he has the right to speak out since he’s a private citizen.”

Another House Republican lawmaker who requested anonymity said he wasn’t surprised that Cheney has strongly criticized Obama early in his term, but argued that it’s not helping the GOP cause.

The legislator said Cheney, whose approval ratings were lower than President Bush’s during the last Congress, didn’t think through the political implications of going after Obama.

Cheney did “House Republicans no favors,” the lawmaker said, adding, “I could never understand him anyway.”

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Potential Illinois Senate hopeful Rep. Mark Kirk (R) told The Hill that Cheney would better shape his legacy by writing a book.


“Tending a legacy is best done in a memoir,” Kirk said. “I would just encourage everybody who has left office to follow the tradition of the Founding Fathers — to write your memoirs, but to refrain from [criticizing].”


Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), who is running for governor, suggested that past leaders should not be seeking the spotlight at a time when the party is rebuilding and redefining itself, after “hitting bottom” in the devastating losses last November.

Now as I said before its not all that surprising that they distanced themselves from Dick Cheney for political reasons. But it is surprising that they felt no need to do the same with Rush Limbaugh who arguably is as unpopular or even more unpopular than Dick Cheney with the majority of Americans. Now just as with Limbaugh they didn't really denounce what Cheney said, but they did say in clear terms that they didn't feel he was doing them any favors. The question becomes do they really believe that Limbaugh on the other hand IS doing them any favors? I mean Cheney's words come off as mild when you compare them to some of the things Limbaugh has said since President Obama took office. This just proves once again who is seen as a leader in the Republican party and who, interestingly enough, isn't.