George Bush Almost Asked Clint Eastwood To Be His Vice-President

Back in 1988, when future president George H.W. Bush was trailing Democrat Michael Dukakis badly in the polls, his campaign strategists considered asking Clint Eastwood — mayor of Carmel, California at the time — to be his running mate, according to audio tapes unearthed by ABC.

“When we were way behind. Honestly, [Eastwood] was suggested in not an altogether unserious – Well, he was a mayor. He was a Republican mayor,” former Bush campaign chairman and Secretary of State James Baker said.

“Anyway, it was shot down pretty quick. But we were looking at an 18-point deficit,” Baker said, suggesting the campaign was looking for a boost from its VP choice. Bush, who also considered Sen. Dan Quayle, R-Ind.; Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.; Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo.; and Rep. Jack Kemp, R-N.Y., ultimately settled on Quayle.

Sadly though, I doubt Eastwood could have passed the Republican party’s conservative vetting process once his fondness for Pokemon and his tolerance for gay marriage were discovered. Too bad — the guy is a real leader of men, obviously.