Should I be worried about this?

Revelations from Barton Gellman's new book on Shotgun Dick:

Cheney and his staffers, especially legal counsel David Addington, were obsessed with the possibility of a "decapitating attack on Washington"—that is, what would happen if the president were to die.

Page 158: Addington didn't like the idea that the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate are included in the order of succession. An unnamed Cheney admirer told Gellman that the vice president and his staff had "plans" for an alternate succession, "and their plans were going to be by fiat."

Ah. Ahem. Well.

On top of this it's pointed out once again that Cheney was selected by Bush to choose his VP candidate back in 2000 - and Cheney chose himself.

Page 23: David J. Gribbin, an old friend of Cheney's who was on the initial vetting committee, told Gellman: "I don't know who vetted Cheney or what process they used. It was not something I was involved in or that anybody ever told me. At some point there was a decision that all these names were going to be set aside, and they were going to select Cheney. It was a shock to me."

Now we're facing the prospect of, basically, a health-challenged Cheney equivalent being elected President and his unvetted Bush-esqe VP being next in succession. Will Cheney be leaving his recommendations for his "alternate succession" with them? What else might he be leaving for them?

Are they actually hoping McCain drops dead in office so Caribou Barbie can take over?

Note to self: buy more tinfoil.