How important is the Vice President?

The VP is sometimes referred to as the heartbeat job, since the holder of the office is first in line to take over as President should the incumbent die. For some it is quite frightening to think that someone as inexperienced and apparently ignorant as Sarah Palin could assume this role. But John Border in the New York Times also seeks to examine how the office has been transformed in recent decades.

Broder writes:

‘The vice presidency, a constitutional afterthought and for most of its history little more than a V.I.P. parking spot, has evolved tremendously since Nelson A. Rockefeller derided its occupant — for a brief unhappy time, himself — as “standby equipment.”

Three decades after Mr. Rockefeller departed the office, Dick Cheney has transformed it into a veritable fourth branch of government. Mr. Cheney pursued his agenda across a broad range of policy, including the war in Iraq, treatment of suspected terrorists, domestic surveillance, energy and the environment. His authority at times seemed to eclipse that of President Bush.

Scholars and officials who study the office say that, in light of the power of recent vice presidents and the centralization of power in the White House, it is not enough to ask if a candidate for the office is qualified to be president. Voters must assess if he or she can handle being vice president.’

Read the rest of the article here