Mary Cheney for president

A poll suggests Americans would be happier to elect a lesbian than a member of Bush's Cabinet.

Published December 15, 2006 3:16PM (EST)

If anyone out there still thinks that Dick Cheney ought to run for president, here's a bit of advice: Think about his daughter instead. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, Americans say they'd be more wary about electing a president who served in George W. Bush's Cabinet than they would be about voting a gay man or a lesbian into office.

The poll brings good news for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: More than 80 percent of the respondents said they'd be either "enthusiastic" or "comfortable" in voting for a presidential candidate who's a woman or an African-American. The news for Mitt Romney? Not so good. Only 38 percent of the poll's respondents said they'd be "enthusiastic" or "comfortable" in voting for a presidential candidate who's a Mormon -- the same number who said they'd be OK with voting for a member of Bush's Cabinet.


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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