Whitman
stronger
Republican
candidate


Former Vice President Dick Cheney

The Orange County Register
May 16, 2010

I am proud to endorse Meg Whitman to be the next governor of California. Meg has the
conservative values, leadership skills and vision to reform state government and usher in an era of
strong economic growth and prosperity.

There is a lot at stake in this election. What happens in California has a direct bearing on the health
of the U.S. economy. America cannot afford to have its largest state teetering on the edge of
financial collapse. California needs a proven executive who has the mettle to stand up to the
entrenched special interests in Sacramento and cut spending.

Meg is a leader who will not shy away from confronting the public employee unions. She has put
pension reform at the center of her agenda. She is a firm believer in the power of tax cuts to
strengthen small businesses and create jobs. She knows that welfare must be a temporary hand-
up and not a way of life. She is committed to local control of education, and she has a strong and
practical approach to securing the border and addressing the problems associated with illegal
immigration.

Meg's conservatism is rooted in the optimism that people can achieve great things if government
doesn't stand in their way. As I have come to know her better, I have been reminded of another
great leader from California. As a young congressman from Wyoming in the 1980s, I was an
unabashed foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. I saw an inspirational leader lift the nation out of
the malaise left behind by Jimmy Carter's liberalism. I believe Meg Whitman can do for California
what Ronald Reagan did for America.

While I am always mindful of President Reagan's 11th Commandment, there are issues of
judgment that voters should consider before they cast their ballots in the Republican primary. I
admire the success that Steve Poizner has had in the private sector and believe his commitment to
public service is sincere. But I have concerns about whether he truly adheres to the conservative
principles of our party.

In 2000, when I first ran on the national ticket with President George W. Bush, Mr. Poizner
endorsed Vice President Al Gore. With the election hanging in the balance, he donated $10,000 to
the Gore-Lieberman Recount Committee in Florida. In 2004, during the Bush-Cheney reelection
campaign, Mr. Poizner, who was then a candidate for the state Assembly, opposed the tax cuts that
were the centerpiece of our economic recovery plan.
He also broke ranks with our party on national security and the "war on terror." Mr. Poizner
opposed the war in Iraq. To amplify his opposition to the national security policies of the Bush
administration, he invited Richard Clarke to campaign for him in California.

At the time, Mr. Clarke, a former staff member of the National Security Council, was making the
rounds on cable television to market a book that blamed the Bush administration for mismanaging
the terrorist threat and enabling the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation. There was a clear purpose
behind the Clarke campaign visit. Mr. Poizner was breaking from the Bush-Cheney ticket and our
policy goals because he thought it helped his political ambitions.

The intervening years have proven that the resolve of the Bush administration and the courage of
our soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan kept America safe at a perilous time in our
nation's history.

While I have doubts about the authenticity of the conservative voice that Mr. Poizner now speaks
in, there is no disputing that Meg Whitman is the Republican the Democrats fear the most in this
election. The unions and the Democratic donors invested in Attorney General Jerry Brown's success
have already started to run misleading ads attacking Meg Whitman. This is a clear admission on
their part that Meg is the toughest Republican candidate for governor. The Democrats know that
Meg can beat them in November, and, more importantly, they know she will put an end to the
failed status quo in Sacramento as governor.

I encourage my fellow Republicans to vote for Meg Whitman. She is a woman of courage, a leader
with conviction, a true fiscal conservative and champion of the values we hold dearest.

Paid
for
by
Meg
Whitman
for
Governor
2010


20813
Stevens
Creek
Blvd,
Suite
150

Cupertino,
CA
95014

www.megwhitman.com