Dick Cheney's frosty relationship with fellow Bush cabinet member Colin Powell was a well-reported aspect of the past administration. On Sunday, however, the former Vice President took a very public dig at the one-time Secretary of State, saying he wasn't even sure if Powell was still a Republican.
Asked whether he would side with Powell over Rush Limbaugh about the future of the GOP (moderation vs. doubling down on core principles), Cheney sided definitively with the brash talk radio host.
"If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh," he said. "My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican."
Slightly taken aback, host Bob Schieffer asked Cheney whether he truly thought Powell was "not a Republican."
"I just noted he endorsed the Democratic candidate for president this time, Barack Obama," the former VP replied. "I assumed that that is some indication of his loyalty and his interest."
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Powell's endorsement of Obama has been a real irritant for many members of the GOP, despite the fact that the former Secretary of State is far from the only high-profile Republican to have supported the new president. While Cheney defined the move as a product of Powell's changing politics; Limbaugh has insisted the endorsement was race-based.