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Other White House officials, sympathetic toward the Vice President yet cognizant of his shortcomings, emphasize that Quayle has not performed worse in the White House than he did during his unremarkable congressional career and that the blame for his selection must fall to Bush. In fact, to understand why Bush will not dump Quayle, it is helpful to consider why he chose him over better-qualified candidates in the first place. Like other presidential nominees, Bush looked not for the most capable potential successor but rather for the running mate who could help him win the White House by compensating for his own perceived weaknesses:
The most important of these was Bush's peculiar need to demonstrate independence in his first "presidential" decision. Resentful of news stories that depicted him as Ronald Reagan's lapdog and a tool of savvy campaign "handlers," Bush decided that he would choose his running mate in secret and that his pick would be dramatic and unexpected.
Bush also wanted a Vice President who would define the job as he had defined it under Reagan and would not upstage or challenge him. The choice of a running mate always poses a trade-off between finding a person competent to step in if the President becomes incapacitated and one who is self-effacing enough to stand uncomplainingly in the President's shadow. In choosing Quayle, Bush clearly gave more importance to the latter than to the former.
Bush hoped that Quayle, as a movement conservative, would energize or at least neutralize the G.O.P.'s right wing, which had always viewed Bush with suspicion. "A lot of the high-echelon members of this Administration are considered to be in the moderate camp," says Republican national chairman Clayton Yeutter, "so Vice President Quayle serves the President as a very effective liaison to the more conservative segment of the party."
Finally, Bush wished to reach out through the 44-year-old Quayle to a younger generation of voters. This last hope was dashed when Republican pollsters determined that voters in Quayle's age group resented him as someone born to wealth and privilege who had not paid his dues, yet had been elevated over worthier candidates.
In the President's mind, most of his reasons for tapping Quayle remain valid. But by clinging so stubbornly to a Vice President that few inside or ) outside the Administration believe is qualified -- or can ever become qualified -- to take his place, Bush is elevating his personal political interests above the national interest.
The President's refusal to reconsider dumping Quayle is all the more baffling because the Republican Party is blessed with a number of attractive alternatives in Bush's Cabinet, the Senate and statehouses around the nation. Selecting any of them would signal to the nation that the President is aware of the need to provide a potential successor who is capable not only of leading the country but also of inspiring public confidence.
In the following story, TIME profiles five prominent Republican officials who have the experience and stature required for the vice presidency. All would provide some balance to the 1992 ticket. All are well enough liked by Bush to work with him in the style he demands.