The DNC has launched a new Web site, TheNextCheney.com, as a way to link many of McCain's VP contenders to Dick Cheney. On the list:

Tim Pawlenty; Charlie Crist; Mitt Romney; John Thune; Carly Fiorina; Fred Smith (!); and Eric Cantor.

Obviously the DNC is being serious about this, if also a bit cheeky. Still, some of the "Cheney connections" are rather juvenile. For instance, did you know Fred Smith, FedEx CEO, "has a grasp on reality rivaled only by Bush and Cheney"? Clicking through we get a list of Smith's lobbying activities.

But it is interesting to see the DNC preemptively attacking McCain's veep before he or she has been named.

UPDATE: Having read through much of TheNextCheney.com, this post deserves an update. I strike my comment above that some of the "connections" are a bit juvenile. Actually, they're embarrassing.

Consider, again, Fred Smith. Under the headline "McCain's Judgment Is the One Thing You Can't Count On," we read:

Smith: "I Certainly Would Hope Senator McCain Would Have Better Judgment Than To Hire Me." In an interview on Charlie Rose Smith said, "Yeah, I did my service early on. And having said that, obviously if the president of the United States asks you to do something, you have to pay attention to it. But as I said a moment ago, I certainly would hope Senator McCain would have better judgment than to hire me. There are lots of other people that would be better qualified. ... Obviously, you know, there are a lot of family issues involved and business issues, but I certainly would respect the President of the United States asking me to do anything, of course." [Charlie Rose, 5/23/08]

Who is the DNC bashing here? Smith modestly says he's not qualified to be in government. The DNC translates that into Smith questioning McCain's judgment. Is that the gist of this?

Consider also this entry for Eric Cantor: "At Least One Person Likes Cantor for VP":

Cantor Posted Articles On His Own Campaign Blog Suggesting a McCain/Cantor Ticket. Cantor posted the following: "RTD Op/Ed: McCain -- Cantor? That's the Winning Ticket -- In case you missed it, Bob Rayner had some nice things to say about Eric Cantor today. 'As a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Cantor brings the clout and experience on economic and tax issues that many believe McCain lacks. He was a businessman before being elected to the House in 2000 and has been an eloquent spokesman for pro-growth policies ever since.' This Just In: Stuart Roy at The Hill's Pundits Blog agrees." [Eric Cantor for Congress blog post, 4/23/08]

So a congressman posts a favorable article about himself on his reelection blog and this gets into Cantor's "Cheney" rap sheet?

Note to DNC staffers: Not your best effort.