When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he faced a widespread public perception that he was callow and inexperienced, even though he was 54 years old and the governor of Texas. That’s not an unheard-of situation in presidential politics; the solution is for the less-experienced candidate to pick an older and more experienced running mate to give the ticket some gravitas. That is what Bush did.

Dick Cheney, fit the bill, and more. Cheney, who died Monday at age 84, probably knew more about the workings of the U.S. government than any man active in politics at the time. He had been the youngest White House chief of staff ever, for President Gerald Ford. Then he served ten years in the House, representing his home state of Wyoming. Then he was tapped by President George H.W. Bush to s

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