Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 16, 1994 TAG: 9401090138
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by PRESTON BRYANT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One of Washington's most senior journalists has been spending his time studying pols whose office, it has been said, doesn't amount to much more than "a bucket of warm spit."
In "Crapshoot," Jules Witcover reports on the lineage of the vice presidency _ from John Adams to Dan Quayle - and he doesn't hesitate to mix in a little commentary along the way.
He first offers something of a history of the vice presidency itself, recalling how in the earliest days of the republic the process to determine who would sit in the second seat could lead to political infighting unmatched by the worst witnessed in modern politics. It was shortly after the 1796 and 1800 electoral wranglings _ which ultimately led to Anti- Federalist Aaron Burr killing Federalist Alexander Hamilton in a duel _ that it became apparent some changes were needed in the process.
But most of "Crapshoot" is about 20th century vice presidents, and perhaps the most interesting accounts center on John Kennedy's choice of Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. JFK didn't particularly want LBJ, but recognized the benefits of both his political cunning and legislative clout; LBJ didn't want to play second chair to JFK, but was convinced his failure to accept the spot might result in a GOP victory.
In the midst of their rancorous negotiations over the ticket, Kennedy is reported to have made perhaps the most eerie commentary on the vice presidency: "I'm not going to die in office. So the vice presidency doesn't mean anything."
Events a thousand days later tragically proved the fallacy in JFK's alleged comment. That the vice presidency does indeed matter leads Witcover to question the current process of selecting a vice president, just as others questioned it almost 200 years ago.
How can the electorate exact a check on vice-presidential choices? Should presidential nominees submit a list of potential running mates to convention delegates for approval? How can presidential nominees be reprimanded for making "irresponsible" choices? Should congress play a role at all?
For the most part, "Crapshoot" offers straightforward accounts of politicians generally unrecognized for their importance. However, Witcover comes close to compromising his otherwise objective accounts by occasionally yielding to the urge to editorialize against easy targets, such as the ever-popular Dan Quayle.
Other than the times where bandwagon criticism detracts from his intended point, Witcover offers a pretty good civics lesson on the office of the vice presidency.
Preston Bryant is an aide to Del. Vance Wilkins, R-Amherst.
by CNB