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FOR ALL WORDS
Years of Flames v2.0
"For all words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these: It might have been."
- Excerpted from "Maud Muller," by John Greenleaf
"Why did I drop Vice President Quayle? I'll tell you honestly: He was a liability to the campaign. Back in '88, I had thought he would make an excellent vice president. And, per advice from Karl Rove and other Republican leaders, I realized I was wrong, and that we needed a new vice president. In the few months leading up to the RNC, I reviewed other running mates with party leaders, to see who would fit the job best."
- Former President George Bush, interviewed 1998
"I met with President Bush in mid-July to discuss the 1992 campaign. The first thing he told me about it was that he had decided to drop Dan Quayle. I had advised him before to do so; Quayle would only bring the campaign down. We threw around a lot of names, some serious and some not. We talked about Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, Bob Michel, Newt Gingrich, Colin Powell, and of course, Dick Cheney. My first suggestion was Bob Dole - a Senate Minority Leader who had ambitions for the presidency in 1996. The president admitted that Dole was his favorite for 1996, and would make a good vice president; however, he also said that he wanted him to stay in the Senate, where he was needed. Michel and Gingrich were discarded immediately, and for obvious reasons. President Bush disliked Gingrich for his ultra-conservatism; and if Michel was elected vice president, Gingrich would obviously become House Minority Leader in '93 and ("God forbid," as he said) Speaker if the GOP took the House in' 94. So that left Jack Kemp, Colin Powell, and Dick Cheney. We talked about all three for a while, but I believe that he had his mind made up already. At the end of the meeting, President Bush informed me that he was going to offer the vice presidency to Colin Powell."
- A Dirty Game: The Autobiography of Karl Rove, Karl Rove, 2010
Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Luther Powell
OVAL OFFICE MEETING TRANSCRIPT, 7/21/92
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Hi, Colin.
CHAIRMAN COLIN POWELL: Hello, Mr. President. What is it you would like to talk about?
BUSH: Well, as you undoubtedly know, I'm in the middle of a presidential campaign right now.
POWELL: The news won't let me stop hearing about it.
BUSH: (laughs) Yes, well, you also know that the convention is coming up. Now, I'm going to let you in on a secret, alright? I'm not going to keep the vice president on the ticket.
POWELL: Yes, sir.
BUSH: Right now, I'm looking for a new vice president. Colin, I think you would be great for the job - you're patriotic, you're in the military, and both Democrats and Republicans like you. I mean, you've been considered a possible running mate for Bill Clinton!
POWELL: I -
BUSH: I have no doubt that you can be elected vice president. And if you want, Colin, you can run for president in 1996 - you would win, and you would have my endorsement. Whaddaya say, Colin - wanna be vice president?
POWELL: Mr. President, I am very grateful for the offer. It makes a military man feel proud to be considered for this job. But I'm gonna decline it.
BUSH: Why's that, if I may ask?
POWELL: Sir, I mean no disrespect to you; you are a good man who I will support, and I will vote for you. But I'm just not interested in elective politics.
BUSH: That's alright, Colin. What do you plan for the future, by the way?
POWELL: I'll stay in the military, and if I leave, I'll play it by year.
BUSH: OK, Colin. Thanks for your time.
POWELL: It's a pleasure, Mr. President.
(End of Transcript)
"After Colin Powell turned down the offer, I decided to offer it to Dick Cheney."
- My Life, George Bush, 1995
"I am here to announce to you all that, after much consideration, I have decided not to keep Vice President Quayle as my running mate this year. I believe we need a different person in that job, and the man I have chosen has agreed to run with me on the Republican ticket in 1992. That man, ladies and gentlemen, is Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney."
- President George Bush announcing his 1992 running mate, Aug. 2 1992
President Bush choosing Dick Cheney as his running mate, Aug. 2 1992
Presidential Ballot at RNC '92 - Aug. 17 1992
George Bush - 2170 Pat Buchanan - 15
"The Republican National Convention has nominated President George Bush for President of the United States."
Vice Presidential Ballot at RNC '92 - Aug. 17 1992
Dick Cheney - 2155 Dan Quayle (inc.) - 30
"The Republican National Convention has nominated Defense Secretary Richard Cheney for Vice President of the United States."
President George Bush, 1992 Republican nominee for president
Secretary of Defense Richard "Dick" Cheney, Republican nominee for vice president 1992
"I believe the Republican National Convention went pretty well, except for one thing: Pat Buchanan's speech. It didn't help us at all in the polls; all he did was alienate many moderate Republicans. Still, after the first convention poll, I believed that we would have a chance at winning after all."
- A Dirty Game: The Autobiography of Karl Rove, Karl Rove, 2010
CNN Poll - Aug. 21 1992 If the election were held today, who would you vote for?