ATHENS, N.Y., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Democrats believe the corporate confidence crisis gives them the chips they need to finally turn the country against President George W. Bush -- using no less a personage than Vice President Dick Cheney to do it.
But they may have another think coming. The Dems base their hopes on five years Cheney spent in private industry in the between 1995 and 2000.
After leaving government service in 1992, Cheney became the chief executive officer of Halliburton Co., an oil field services multi-national corporation. At first, his business experience was a political strength. The voters were increasingly drawn to political leaders with a business background, seeing it as a strength.
Now that Halliburton is one of the companies involved in the corporate confidence crisis, that assessment has changed. Its accounting practices dating back to the time when Cheney was CEO are under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Democrats are trying to make the Halliburton connection a serious liability for the Republicans.
It may well be a liability, if and when Cheney is proven to have acted in an unethical or illegal manner -- something many concede is a big "if." But it will be a stunning turn of events for someone who was universally considered a major asset to the GOP when he joined Bush on the ticket. He is the first former cabinet secretary to be tapped for a major party ticket since 1940, when FDR ran with Henry Wallace. He is an American elder statesman, a "Wise Man" whose kind has not been seen in a generation or more of American politics. He projects gravitas and competence, major political assets still, even as the current scandal unfolds.
With that in mind, Christian Josi, vice president of the Washington crisis communications firm Nichols-Dezenhall says, "Simply put, Cheney needs to be Cheney. He inspires confidence in most Americans and is great at making people feel like everything's going to be OK, and, at this moment, the administration needs this desperately."
Cheney's support among the voters remains high. A CBS News poll of 832 adults from early August gave Cheney a 56 percent job approval figure. Yet some, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe prominent among them, who say the Halliburton issue has driven Cheney underground.
The CBS poll found 61 percent of all respondents "Trust Bush to do the right thing" on corporate corruption. A majority of those surveyed trust the members of the Bush administration, Cheney included, on the same issue.
Before his Aug. 7 speech in San Francisco, Cheney had been out of the media spotlight for close to three months. Democrats say this is because he was ducking the press to avoid questions about Halliburton.
Republicans say the vice president has said all he can and will say about Halliburton, lest he be accused of trying to exert undue pressure and influence on the investigation -- something Washington veterans agree will occur the moment he says anything more.
"The vice president can do nothing that even gives the appearance of interfering or influencing the investigation," Bob Walker, a former member of Congress who served in the House with Cheney for a many years and is now a prominent Washington lobbyist says.
"The Bush administration's opponents are in something close to a frenzy trying to find an ethical issue to use against the White House. The vice president seems to be comfortable that his conduct will prove to be totally acceptable and is prepared to do nothing that will give critics a chance to shout 'Cover-up,'" he says.
Mike Collins, a public relations consultant who has served in a number of senior political communications positions in Washington, agrees.
"If Cheney said anything about Halliburton, he'd be accused of trying to influence the case," Collins says. "By the same token, if he announced a cure for cancer, they'd ask him about Halliburton."
Walker and Collins agree that the case has tremendous political overtones and is a potential minefield for the GOP, leading many to speculate as to what, if anything Cheney should do to further address the Halliburton question.
Collins says Cheney is "Doing what he should, going out to Olean, N.Y., to talk to the Olean Times-Herald about the local Congressman. (Cheney) also raised $500,000 in one night for (Florida GOP Rep.) Clay Shaw during a power outage -- and if that's what happens during a blackout, I say, 'Hail to the blackout!'"
Josi also says the vice president should keep doing what he is doing in this time of perceived political crisis. "He needs to go about his business, hit the campaign trail for GOP candidates, and hold his head high. He explained the (Halliburton) situation well and his articulated reason for not discussing the subject in any depth works," as a crisis management tactic.
He says Cheney has nothing to gain by hiding. "In fact, that approach hurts him personally and hurts the administration," Josi says.
Some communications professionals advise that the vice president needs to be more forthcoming, recommending that the vice president communicate a desire to see a thorough investigation take place. The Signature agency's Kay Daly believes Cheney is "only discussing the mechanics of influence" and that he should do more.
Most Americans, she says, "Will forgive almost anything -- even a perceived wrong-doing -- if the person in the hot seat assumes full responsibility, a desire to determine the truth and a drive to implement a solution."
Former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan believes Cheney's recent hiatus from the spotlight has been a good thing for him.
"It strikes me as wise that he's stepped back and away from the scene. But sooner or later Halliburton will be looked into, and at that time he must be very cooperative and forthcoming and pro-active." She says he will still be held in high esteem by most Americans at the end of the day.
Noonan cautions potential pitfalls do exist.
"The one thing Cheney can't do is foot drag and refuse to testify or impede the investigation in any way. That will make him look Clintonian -- and that would rob him of much," she says.
She advises the vice president to give a "frank and non-defensive speech" at some time in the near future "about how the culture of scandal forces people in office to turn away from their work to reveal all, but how there's little to be done about it."
Whether the Halliburton issue is a jackpot for the Democrats or the wrong draw on the way to an inside straight is not yet known. Either way, there are some who believe the politics of the thing will always be in the way.
"The case is looking more and more political and less and less substantive as the factual data gets established," Walker says, suggesting the Democrats will try to let the allegations of scandalous business practices ride into the fall election regardless of the outcome of the SEC investigation.
