Vice Presidents Usually Disappoint After Calamity Strikes

It’s a joke that encapsulates much of the common wisdom of vice presidents. First, the most important thing about vice presidents (despite the modest growth in their influence in the U.S.) is that they may suddenly become president. Second, it is a reminder that presidents select vice presidents who won’t be a threat. The second point undermines the first; it is little surprise that most vice presidents flounder when the spotlight turns to them.

There’s an old Egyptian joke that took on special resonance during the Arab Spring, when then-President Hosni Mubarak finally appointed a vice president after nearly three decades in office. “When [Gamal Abdel] Nasser became president, he wanted a vice president who was dumber than he was, so as not to cause him trouble or pose a threat to his power, so he chose [Anwar] Sadat. When Sadat became president, he, too, wanted a vice president dumber than he was and picked Mubarak. Mubarak waited three decades to pick a vice president because he, too, was waiting to find in Egypt someone dumber than himself…”

There’s an old Egyptian joke that took on special resonance during the Arab Spring, when then-President Hosni Mubarak finally appointed a vice president after nearly three decades in office. “When [Gamal Abdel] Nasser became president, he wanted a vice president who was dumber than he was, so as no