Harder he bails, the more he sinks

Early last Saturday evening, at the end of a week none too happyfor George W. Bush, his operatives placed calls to NBC, CBS and ABC.Dick Cheney was made available for all three Sunday morning networktalk shows. Each scheduled the Republican vice presidentialcandidate, but what transpired revealed surprising problems insidethe Bush campaign.

Via satellite from Jackson Hole, Wyo., Cheney looked like somebodywho had spent 12 years-four running the Pentagon, eight as a bigbusiness CEO-giving orders rather than asking for votes. He muffedtough questions about prescription drugs (which he was not expectedto know much about) and defense readiness (which he knows a lotabout). …