Despite the best efforts of RINOs like Ridge and Powell...

... Dick Cheney is impressing those who can think:

The more former Vice President Dick Cheney criticizes the Obama administration for drastically changing the national security policies of the Bush administration, the more popular Cheney seems to become among some Americans. 

Surprising to some. Even annoying. Or worse.

But a little-noticed new CNN/Opinion Research poll released the other day shows Cheney's favorable ratings have jumped by more than a quarter since last winter.

And this May poll of 1,010 adults was taken before his widely viewed speech to the American Enterprise Institute that further assaulted President Obama's policies for threatening U.S. national security.

And before Ridge and Powell teamed up this weekend to diss both Cheney and Limbaugh:

Amid much ballyhoo, Colin Powell, former Secretary of State in the Bush administration, went on "Meet the Press" last October and endorsed Barack Obama for President.

His move was no real surprise and had been anticipated for at least a year but the timing and manner of it seemed designed to wreak the maximum political damage to his old friend John McCain.

So why does Powell now seem to think he has the right or credibility to lecture Republicans on how their party should be run? Just as he did not just go quietly into the polling booth and vote for Obama, Powell is not working discreetly behind the behind the scenes at party gatherings to press his case.

No, he did his business on a Sunday television talk show, CBS's Face the Nation, today - watch it here.

...

Another Republican moderate was on television today - Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security chief, who appeared on John King's State of the Union. Transcript here.

As expected, Ridge duly laid into Cheney and Limbaugh. Then, when he was asked whether he would support the Republican nominee in the Pennsylvania Senate race if it were (as is highly likely) Pat Toomey he pointedly declined to do so.

After Ridge said that he had a "secret ballot"and was "going to wait to see if the people that I know whom I might support decide to make the difficult decision to run" King - as usual - posed exactly the right follow-up.

"Why should any Republicans listen to you if you won't commit to voting for the Republican nominee?" King asked. 

Ridge responded: "Well, it begins on the message and the messenger. You know, I'm a strong, strong, Republican, but I'd be - I've never, ever, ever voted straight Republican ticket in my life and I never will."

There you have it... Ridge and Powell, Republicans who vote for Democrats, lecturing us all on what the Republicans need to become.

It's a little like having Republicans take advice from MSNBC.

Please.  Ridge and Powell need to STFU.

Period.

Comments

[Locutisprime]

There are many things that I am looking forward to next year. Not the least of which is seeing Arlen Spector defeated by a true republican.

I also hope to see Powell and Ridge and the others like Olympia Snow marginalized and outed as the democrat moles that they really are.

There is no room in a truly conservative America republican party for these moderate socialist interlopers anyway.

And the sooner the party rids itself of them the better IMO.
Cheney is the only person right now speaking truth to reality. Not even Newt has him beat in that corner.

[Rick]

Limbaugh and Cheney are in essence inseparable on these issues...

[Locutisprime]

Probably true Rick, but some people tend to forget, that Rush Limbaugh is just a highly paid entertainer. Cheney isn't. And there's the difference.

Liberals love it when some celebrity or entertainer sticks his/her two cents worth in. Regardless of how inept and ignorant they may be.

Conservatives tend to take their leads from true conservatives and statesmen caliber people, and far too many are listening to pundits.

It's just like today when Rush was speaking to the Obama choice for Supreme Court. Limbaugh was saying that we don't need an activist judge, what we need are judges who can interpret the constitution.

Hello! Full stop! No hell we don't! What we need are judges who can apply the constitution, not those who will interpret it. Interpreting it is why and how we have arrived at the present sad state of affairs. But there was Rush parroting the popularized misconception and doubtlessly there are several million people who heard that today and agreed with him.

I wish Rush would shut up and let the true conservatives of the party lead the people.

[Rick]

I am a conservative today because of Rush Limbaugh... yes, he entertains... but I like to be entertained... I think him to be an entertaining conservative, effectively laying down and exemplifying the kind of conservatism I identify with... not the stodgy, over-intellectualized conservatism I find puts me to sleep.

And Dick Cheney seems to be as enamored with Rush as I am... which I think speaks volumes...