Revisiting Cheney's endorsement (a very convoluted conspiracy theory!)

I note that Candidate Obama was quick to seize on Cheney's last-minute endorsement of Sen. McCain, producing a very effective TV spot based on the endorsement within 24 hours.

I note further than Cheney is politically astute, and therefore would almost certainly have anticipated Candidate Obama's use of the endorsement.

In those final few days, the race seemed to be tightening. Perhaps Cheney feared a McCain come-from-behind victory, and was doing his level best to ensure that Obama won.

But why?

Whichever Candidate ended up the President-elect, he would face a huge mess - W's mess. Perhaps Cheney feared that a McCain administration would be unable or unwilling to clean up the mess - perhaps would even make the mess worse (given McCain's emphasis on balancing the budget, it is possible he'd have worsened the economic crisis!). This failure would practically guarantee the demise of the Republican brand in 2012.

Cheney's solution: get Obama elected! Now it'll be President Obama and the Dems held accountable for not cleaning up W's mess by 2012! - creating an opening for a Republican resurgence!

This is, of course, entirely speculative... but it fits the facts quite neatly. (Why, after all, did Cheney endorse McCain the Saturday before the election???)

Have a nice day.