I really have no opinion of Cheney one way or the other, as he was heard from very little in the last eight years. However, I would have liked to have seen how many among the 1,000 or so respondents could name 9 other Vice Presidents. I suppose if you’re comparing all Vice Presidents ever to hold the office you should at least know who the choices are, perhaps even 25% of them……Could that have hurt the number of qualified respondents? Slightly?
It could be argued that Cheney is most well-known because he is the worst ever. In many ways, he wielded more real power and influence than any Vice President in history which, in his case, is precisely the problem. Vice Presidents are traditionally ribbon-cutters and demographics deliverers, not influential policymakers. When that happens — and the policies in question (torture, Gitmo, Iraq, etc) are so closely entwined with what’s unpopular about the current administration, and the guy appears surly and jagged, AND he shot some dude one time — you’re going to get poll results like this. Deservingly so.
Anyway, 1 in 5 isn’t so bad. It could be a lot, lot worse.
