Palin wins over Bush, Cheney

President Bush hailed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s executive experience, saying it would serve her well if she becomes the next vice president.

“She’s had executive experience and that’s what it takes to be a capable person here in Washington, D.C., in the executive branch,” Bush said in an interview to be aired this morning on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends.”

He added that Palin seemed “a very dynamic, capable, smart woman.”

Interviewed on the White House lawn after the last T-ball game of his administration, Bush said he did not feel left out of the race. Then he added, “You know, sometimes I long to be out there campaigning, but everything comes to an end.”

Earlier, Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters in Rome that he “loved” Palin’s speech to the Republican National Convention, especially the line about the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is the lipstick.

Asked if Palin could handle the vice presidency, Cheney -- possibly the most powerful vice president in history -- said: “Everybody brings a different set of experiences to the office, and also has a different kind of understanding with whoever the president is. Each administration is different. And there’s no reason why Sarah Palin can’t be a successful vice president in a McCain administration.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was more circumspect. In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Rice ducked questions about the Alaska governor’s experience in foreign affairs.

“These are decisions that Sen. McCain has made,” she said. “I have great confidence in him.”

-- Johanna Neuman