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| Vice
President Dick Cheney and President Bush on Feb.
22 (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) |
| |
Vice President Dick Cheney
is expected to retire within a year.
Senior GOP sources envision
the retirement of Mr. Cheney in 2007, months after the
congressional elections. The sources said Mr. Cheney
would be persuaded to step down as he becomes an
increasing political liability to President Bush.
The sources reported a
growing rift between the president and vice president as
well as their staffs. They cited Mr. Cheney's failure to
immediately tell the president of the accidental
shooting of the vice president's hunting colleague
earlier this month. The White House didn't learn of the
incident until 18 hours later.
Mr. Cheney's next crisis
could take place by the end of the year, the sources
said. They said the White House was expecting Mr. Cheney
to defend himself against charges from his former chief
of staff, Lewis Libby, that the vice president ordered
him to relay classified information. Such a charge could
lead to a congressional investigation and even
impeachment proceedings.
"Nothing will happen until
after the congressional elections," a GOP source said.
"After that, there will be significant changes in the
administration and Cheney will probably be part of
that."
Already, senators expect
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate
whether Mr. Cheney authorized Mr. Libby to divulge
classified material. Mr. Libby has told a grand jury
that unnamed "superiors" directed him to relay the
content of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq in
July 2003.
"I don't think anybody
should be releasing classified information, period,
whether in the Congress, executive branch or some
underling in some bureaucracy," said Sen. George Allen,
Virginia Republican.
The sources said the
accidental shooting highlighted the lack of
communications between Bush and Cheney staffers. They
said at one point, the president held what was termed a
private conversation with Mr. Cheney regarding the Feb.
11 incident. Hours later, Mr. Cheney, who kept away from
reporters, explained the incident in an interview with
Fox News on Feb. 15.
"Nobody on the president's
staff could get to Cheney, let alone tell him what to
do," the source said. "At that point, the president
picked up the phone and suggested that Cheney get his
story out fast."
The sources said Mr. Cheney,
65, has been struggling with the departure of his
closest aides. In addition to Mr. Libby, Mr. Cheney's
media adviser, Steve Schmidt, has left to manage the
re-election campaign of California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Mr. Bush, the sources said,
has rejected the advice from circles close to his
father, the former president, to dismiss Mr. Cheney.
They say Mr. Bush has long regarded Mr. Cheney as the
experienced hand in national security, as well as being
trusted by the conservative wing of the Republican
Party.
"The Libby case is far more
lethal than the hunting accident," another GOP source
said. "If the heat gets too much, Cheney might say his
health requires him to leave office. Whatever happens,
the president will make sure it's handled delicately." |
