Will Kaine push for war powers reform? (Opinion) The Sanders wing of the Democratic Party isn't reassured: Kaine's too soft on Wall Street and too friendly to trade deals, they gripe. Still, on a key issue they're supposed to care about -- Congress's constitutional powers over war and peace -- Kaine has shown more fire than Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or any other progressive paladin. When it comes to President Barack Obama's undeclared war against ISIS, the normally mild-mannered senator can sound borderline uncollegial. He calls his congressional colleagues "cowardly and shameful" for refusing to hold a vote and take a stand on the wars we fight. At a Cato Institute event last August, timed for the one-year anniversary of the military campaign against ISIS, Kaine put it plainly: "this is an illegal war." Kaine supports military action against ISIS, but insists that the president had no constitutional power to launch the war without getting authorization from Congress first. The president's legal rationalizations are "ridiculous" and "weird," he says. Since the start of the war, nearly two years ago, Kaine has worked doggedly to put the war on a legal footing by getting Congress to pass an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF). That strategy has its dangers: any authorization that could pass at this point might only end up expanding the president's war powers even further, given GOP complaints that, on ISIS, the "Imperial President" hasn't been imperial enough. But Kaine appears attuned to the larger issue: that the 2001 AUMF, passed three days after 9/11 to target al Qaeda and the Taliban, "is being interpreted as a blank check to allow war without geographic limitation, without temporal limitation." Administration officials, he told the audience at Cato, "have blithely said that they thought that the war authorized by the September 14, 2001 authorization would easily go on another 25 or 30 years." "This is unacceptable," Senator Kaine argues, "and we should be having a debate to significantly narrow that authorization" as well. Does that mean we're likely to get meaningful war powers reform if the Clinton-Kaine ticket wins in November? Unfortunately, recent history gives us good reason to temper our hopes. When it comes to executive power, presidents prioritize maximum flexibility; and vice presidents exist to serve the administration's priorities. The result is that most administrations leave the "most powerful office in the world" more powerful than they found it. The Obama-Biden ticket is an object lesson in how that happens. On the campaign trail, both members of the eventual Obama-Biden ticket pledged to respect constitutional limits on presidential warmaking. "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation," then-Senator Obama told reporter Charlie Savage in December 2007. "Our Founding Fathers vested in Congress, not the President, the power to initiate war," echoed then-Senator Joe Biden; Biden even told a cheering crowd in Iowa that he would literally impeach Bush "if he [took] the nation to war against Iran without congressional approval." But since taking office in January 2009, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism said last yearthat the Obama-Biden team had racked up about nine times as many drone attacks as Bush-Cheney, bombed no fewer than seven countries, and launched two undeclared wars in the Middle East -- all with legal authority ranging from extremely tenuous to nonexistent. For what it's worth -- apparently not much -- in her 2008 campaign, Clinton also insisted that "the Constitution requires Congress to authorize war." As Secretary of State, though, she reportedly urged the president to join the bombing in Libya, Congress be damned. Over her quarter-century in public life, it seems as though she has rarely met a "war of choice" she didn't like. Politics is the art of compromise, and nobody needs to compromise more than a would-be president's junior partner. Since getting the nod, Kaine's already had to fall in line with Clinton's current, skeptical position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. If he's forced to publicly walk back his view that the war against ISIS is "illegal," that will be a clear sign that the best he'll be able to do as vice president is weigh in internally against Clinton's well-documented tendency to do "stupid [stuff]" with American military might. On the other hand, Kaine's record reflects greater devotion to war powers reform then Obama, Biden, and Clinton's campaign trail lip service for constitutional limits. Last month, with his name in play as a potential vice presidential candidate, Kaine was still fighting on the floor of the Senate to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF and limit future presidents' power to wage endless war. Here's hoping that on this issue, he's not the "safe choice" he otherwise seems. - CNN

Will Kaine push for war powers reform?

Gene Healy

Updated 1126 GMT (1926 HKT) July 27, 2016

Adams was the nation's first vice president, serving under George Washington for two terms. A revolutionary hero, he once said "the vice presidency is the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." Washington rarely consulted Adams, but as president of the Senate, Adams cast a historic 31 tie-breaking votes. He was elected President in 1796.
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1. John Adams (1789-1797) – Adams was the nation's first vice president, serving under George Washington for two terms. A revolutionary hero, he once said "the vice presidency is the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." Washington rarely consulted Adams, but as president of the Senate, Adams cast a historic 31 tie-breaking votes. He was elected President in 1796.
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Primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson became the second vice president in 1796 after he lost the Electoral College vote to John Adams by the slimmest of margins (71-68). During Adams' Federalist administration, Jefferson and James Madison tried to rally opposition, especially to the Alien and Sedition Acts. Jefferson was elected President in 1800, when this portrait was made by Rembrandt Peale, and he later founded the University of Virginia.
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2. Thomas Jefferson (1797-1801) – Primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson became the second vice president in 1796 after he lost the Electoral College vote to John Adams by the slimmest of margins (71-68). During Adams' Federalist administration, Jefferson and James Madison tried to rally opposition, especially to the Alien and Sedition Acts. Jefferson was elected President in 1800, when this portrait was made by Rembrandt Peale, and he later founded the University of Virginia.
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With Aaron Burr, there's BLMM and ALMM (before and after Lin-Manuel Miranda). Miranda's musical "Hamilton" made famous Burr's infamous act -- killing former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel. But Burr brought to the vice presidency a long career as a revolutionary and lawyer, and deep influence in the state of New York. After killing Hamilton (and his own career), Burr traveled in the American West and Europe, eventually returning to the United States to live under his mother's maiden name of Edwards.
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3. Aaron Burr (1801-1805) – With Aaron Burr, there's BLMM and ALMM (before and after Lin-Manuel Miranda). Miranda's musical "Hamilton" made famous Burr's infamous act -- killing former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel. But Burr brought to the vice presidency a long career as a revolutionary and lawyer, and deep influence in the state of New York. After killing Hamilton (and his own career), Burr traveled in the American West and Europe, eventually returning to the United States to live under his mother's maiden name of Edwards.
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Clinton, the first governor of New York, served as vice president to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He was famous even before he shared a name with the more <a href="http://api.ning.com/files/Ibueig77C7oU4sWEPqQzHuV7sg-MKVJtb9synD8tzkKE-WZTnDujCiBTFEpaEyHNJc20i3sLUbz0CqabZsjAS9PNanU2n5aV/GeorgeClinton1.jpg" target="_blank">well-known funk musician.</a> In 1812, he became the first vice president to die in office (heart attack).
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4. George Clinton (1805-1812) – Clinton, the first governor of New York, served as vice president to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He was famous even before he shared a name with the more well-known funk musician. In 1812, he became the first vice president to die in office (heart attack).
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Gerry replaced George Clinton as James Madison's vice president in 1813, and, like Clinton, he died before he could complete his term. A signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, he is best known for the word "gerrymandering," the process by which electoral districts are drawn to aid the party in power. During his second term as Massachusetts governor, the legislature approved new state Senate districts -- hence the name.
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5. Elbridge Gerry (1813-1814) – Gerry replaced George Clinton as James Madison's vice president in 1813, and, like Clinton, he died before he could complete his term. A signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, he is best known for the word "gerrymandering," the process by which electoral districts are drawn to aid the party in power. During his second term as Massachusetts governor, the legislature approved new state Senate districts -- hence the name.
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As governor of New York during the War of 1812, Tompkins reorganized the state militia. In 1814, he declined an appointment as secretary of state before becoming James Monroe's running mate in 1816 and 1820. While still in office in 1820, he unsuccessfully challenged DeWitt Clinton in the New York gubernatorial race. He died three months after leaving the vice presidency.
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6. Daniel Tompkins (1817-1825) – As governor of New York during the War of 1812, Tompkins reorganized the state militia. In 1814, he declined an appointment as secretary of state before becoming James Monroe's running mate in 1816 and 1820. While still in office in 1820, he unsuccessfully challenged DeWitt Clinton in the New York gubernatorial race. He died three months after leaving the vice presidency.
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Best known today as a Southern statesman, political theorist and proponent of slavery, Calhoun served as vice president under John Quincy Adams and stayed in the job for Andrew Jackson. He'd previously been secretary of war and was later secretary of state under John Tyler and James K. Polk. He was also, along with Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, known as one of the "Great Triumvirate" statesmen.
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7. John Calhoun (1825-1832) – Best known today as a Southern statesman, political theorist and proponent of slavery, Calhoun served as vice president under John Quincy Adams and stayed in the job for Andrew Jackson. He'd previously been secretary of war and was later secretary of state under John Tyler and James K. Polk. He was also, along with Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, known as one of the "Great Triumvirate" statesmen.
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Van Buren, a native of New York and the first vice president born in the United States, served as both vice president and secretary of state to Andrew Jackson before becoming President himself in 1837.
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8. Martin Van Buren (1833-1837) – Van Buren, a native of New York and the first vice president born in the United States, served as both vice president and secretary of state to Andrew Jackson before becoming President himself in 1837.
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Johnson served under William Henry Harrison and was rumored to have killed Shawnee chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. He was publicly and privately vilified for his interracial romance with Julia Chinn, a slave Johnson treated as his wife. As vice president to Martin Van Buren, Johnson was such a liability that when Van Buren ran for re-election in 1840 -- unsuccessfully -- he did so with no running mate.
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9. Richard Mentor Johnson (1837-1841) – Johnson served under William Henry Harrison and was rumored to have killed Shawnee chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. He was publicly and privately vilified for his interracial romance with Julia Chinn, a slave Johnson treated as his wife. As vice president to Martin Van Buren, Johnson was such a liability that when Van Buren ran for re-election in 1840 -- unsuccessfully -- he did so with no running mate.
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The sidekick in the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," Tyler was vice president for just a matter of weeks before the death of President William Henry Harrison. Critics of his subsequent presidency called him "His Accidency."
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10. John Tyler (1841) – The sidekick in the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," Tyler was vice president for just a matter of weeks before the death of President William Henry Harrison. Critics of his subsequent presidency called him "His Accidency."
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In addition to being James K. Polk's vice president, Dallas was mayor of Philadelphia and governor of Pennsylvania. A longtime rival of James Buchanan, Dallas was a savvy operator in the Senate as vice president. And when he couldn't position himself as a presidential contender in 1852, he served as Franklin Pierce's minister to the Court of St. James.
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11. George Mifflin Dallas (1845-1849) – In addition to being James K. Polk's vice president, Dallas was mayor of Philadelphia and governor of Pennsylvania. A longtime rival of James Buchanan, Dallas was a savvy operator in the Senate as vice president. And when he couldn't position himself as a presidential contender in 1852, he served as Franklin Pierce's minister to the Court of St. James.
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The Whigs nominated a pro-slavery Virginian, Zachary Taylor, for President in 1848. But adding anti-slavery moderate Fillmore to the ticket mollified the wing of the party opposed to the slave trade. Following Taylor's death, Fillmore served as President during the "Crisis of 1850." His support for the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 resulted in his losing the 1852 Whig nomination to Winfield Scott. Fillmore was also the founder and first chancellor of the University of Buffalo.
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12. Millard Fillmore (1849-1850) – The Whigs nominated a pro-slavery Virginian, Zachary Taylor, for President in 1848. But adding anti-slavery moderate Fillmore to the ticket mollified the wing of the party opposed to the slave trade. Following Taylor's death, Fillmore served as President during the "Crisis of 1850." His support for the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 resulted in his losing the 1852 Whig nomination to Winfield Scott. Fillmore was also the founder and first chancellor of the University of Buffalo.
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King was the only vice president from the state of Alabama, and he held the office for only three weeks before he died. He had served in Congress and as a minister to France, and in 1853 he was was president pro tempore of the Senate. As such, he became vice president after vice president Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor.
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13. William R. King (1853) – King was the only vice president from the state of Alabama, and he held the office for only three weeks before he died. He had served in Congress and as a minister to France, and in 1853 he was was president pro tempore of the Senate. As such, he became vice president after vice president Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor.
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Breckenridge served in both houses of Congress and was elected vice president under James Buchanan. At 36 years old, he was the youngest ever to serve in that role. He returned to the Senate after Buchanan's single term, but he was expelled after joining the Confederacy (for which he served as secretary of war). He is the only vice president ever to be indicted for treason.
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14. John C. Breckenridge (1857-1861) – Breckenridge served in both houses of Congress and was elected vice president under James Buchanan. At 36 years old, he was the youngest ever to serve in that role. He returned to the Senate after Buchanan's single term, but he was expelled after joining the Confederacy (for which he served as secretary of war). He is the only vice president ever to be indicted for treason.
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The first vice president of the Republican Party, Hamlin served as Abraham Lincoln's vice president during the Civil War. They did not meet until after the election. He had also been a senator and governor of Maine. When Lincoln ran for re-election, he was already focused on the need for Southern Reconstruction, so he selected Tennessean Andrew Johnson as a running mate instead of Hamlin.
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15. Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865) – The first vice president of the Republican Party, Hamlin served as Abraham Lincoln's vice president during the Civil War. They did not meet until after the election. He had also been a senator and governor of Maine. When Lincoln ran for re-election, he was already focused on the need for Southern Reconstruction, so he selected Tennessean Andrew Johnson as a running mate instead of Hamlin.
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Johnson was a War Democrat chosen by Republican Abraham Lincoln as part of his National Union ticket in 1864. After Lincoln's assassination in 1865, Johnson became President. He served until 1869, surviving an impeachment conviction by a single vote in the Senate.
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16. Andrew Johnson (1865) – Johnson was a War Democrat chosen by Republican Abraham Lincoln as part of his National Union ticket in 1864. After Lincoln's assassination in 1865, Johnson became President. He served until 1869, surviving an impeachment conviction by a single vote in the Senate.
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Colfax, along with John Nance Garner, is one of two Americans to serve as both Speaker of the House and vice president. As speaker, Colfax voted for passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, in 1865. When he and Ulysses S. Grant were elected in 1868, they were the youngest ticket elected in the 19th century. Henry Wilson beat out Colfax for the vice-presidential nomination for Grant's second term.
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17. Schyuler Colfax (1869-1873) – Colfax, along with John Nance Garner, is one of two Americans to serve as both Speaker of the House and vice president. As speaker, Colfax voted for passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, in 1865. When he and Ulysses S. Grant were elected in 1868, they were the youngest ticket elected in the 19th century. Henry Wilson beat out Colfax for the vice-presidential nomination for Grant's second term.
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Massachusetts native Wilson was anti-slavery and a Radical Republican after the Civil War -- he introduced the bill that would abolish slavery in the nation's capital in 1861. Grant's second vice president, Wilson suffered from ill health and died of a stroke before completing his term.
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18. Henry Wilson (1873-1875) – Massachusetts native Wilson was anti-slavery and a Radical Republican after the Civil War -- he introduced the bill that would abolish slavery in the nation's capital in 1861. Grant's second vice president, Wilson suffered from ill health and died of a stroke before completing his term.
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A New York lawyer and proponent of racial equality, Wheeler was elected to Congress five times. He was known for his honesty, returning a pay raise in 1873 that Congress voted for itself. The Republican convention nominated him as Rutherford B. Hayes' running mate in 1876 to balance the ticket. Hayes reportedly wrote to his wife: "I am ashamed to say: Who is Wheeler?" They later became friends.
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19. William A. Wheeler (1877-1881) – A New York lawyer and proponent of racial equality, Wheeler was elected to Congress five times. He was known for his honesty, returning a pay raise in 1873 that Congress voted for itself. The Republican convention nominated him as Rutherford B. Hayes' running mate in 1876 to balance the ticket. Hayes reportedly wrote to his wife: "I am ashamed to say: Who is Wheeler?" They later became friends.
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Arthur practiced law in New York City, and in 1871 President Grant named him Collector of the Port of New York, a post from which he doled out patronage jobs for the Republican party machine. He was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket topped by James A. Garfield, who died 200 days into his term after an assassination attempt. Arthur took the oath of office the next day.
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20. Chester A. Arthur (1881) – Arthur practiced law in New York City, and in 1871 President Grant named him Collector of the Port of New York, a post from which he doled out patronage jobs for the Republican party machine. He was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket topped by James A. Garfield, who died 200 days into his term after an assassination attempt. Arthur took the oath of office the next day.
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An Indianan, Hendricks served in the House of Representatives and the Senate, where he voted against the 13th, 14th and 15th Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution. Later, on his third try, he was elected governor of Indiana. He ran twice for vice president, and after winning in 1885 he served nearly eight months before dying in his sleep.
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21. Thomas A. Hendricks (1885) – An Indianan, Hendricks served in the House of Representatives and the Senate, where he voted against the 13th, 14th and 15th Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution. Later, on his third try, he was elected governor of Indiana. He ran twice for vice president, and after winning in 1885 he served nearly eight months before dying in his sleep.
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First elected as a congressman from New York in 1879, Morton declined James A. Garfield's offer of the vice presidency, serving instead as minister to France. When construction of the Statue of Liberty began in 1881, he drove the first rivet into the big toe of the statue's left foot. Elected as vice president to Benjamin Harrison, Morton was criticized for failing to help break a Democratic filibuster of a bill that would force the South to recognize black men's voting rights.
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22. Levi P. Morton (1889-1893) – First elected as a congressman from New York in 1879, Morton declined James A. Garfield's offer of the vice presidency, serving instead as minister to France. When construction of the Statue of Liberty began in 1881, he drove the first rivet into the big toe of the statue's left foot. Elected as vice president to Benjamin Harrison, Morton was criticized for failing to help break a Democratic filibuster of a bill that would force the South to recognize black men's voting rights.
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Democrat Stevenson served in Congress and then as the first assistant postmaster general under President Grover Cleveland -- a job that allowed him to fire thousands of Republican postmasters across the country and replace them with Democrats. He joined Cleveland on the ticket in 1892, and as vice president he opposed the Lodge Bill, which aimed to enfranchise southern blacks. His son served as Illinois secretary of state. His grandson and namesake was Illinois governor and ran twice for president in the 1950s. His great-grandson, Adlai Ewing Stevenson III, was a U.S. senator.
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23. Adlai E. Stevenson (1893-1897) – Democrat Stevenson served in Congress and then as the first assistant postmaster general under President Grover Cleveland -- a job that allowed him to fire thousands of Republican postmasters across the country and replace them with Democrats. He joined Cleveland on the ticket in 1892, and as vice president he opposed the Lodge Bill, which aimed to enfranchise southern blacks. His son served as Illinois secretary of state. His grandson and namesake was Illinois governor and ran twice for president in the 1950s. His great-grandson, Adlai Ewing Stevenson III, was a U.S. senator.
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A well-educated schoolteacher ushered into politics by his father-in-law (the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey), Hobart rose swiftly to win a state Senate seat. On the strength of his success in corporate leadership, he was tapped to run on a ticket with William McKinley, whom he'd never met. Hobart's tenure was marked by an expansion of vice-presidential power. He died of heart problems before his term was out.
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24. Garret Hobart (1897-1899) – A well-educated schoolteacher ushered into politics by his father-in-law (the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey), Hobart rose swiftly to win a state Senate seat. On the strength of his success in corporate leadership, he was tapped to run on a ticket with William McKinley, whom he'd never met. Hobart's tenure was marked by an expansion of vice-presidential power. He died of heart problems before his term was out.
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"I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than vice president," Roosevelt said. The former New York governor, seen at right with President William McKinley, ended up serving just six months as vice president, assuming the presidency after McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt was the youngest President in America's history. He would become known as a trust buster and conservationist, setting aside more than 200 million acres across the country as public lands for national forests and wildlife refuges.
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25. Theodore Roosevelt (1901) – "I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than vice president," Roosevelt said. The former New York governor, seen at right with President William McKinley, ended up serving just six months as vice president, assuming the presidency after McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt was the youngest President in America's history. He would become known as a trust buster and conservationist, setting aside more than 200 million acres across the country as public lands for national forests and wildlife refuges.
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Fairbanks grew up in a log cabin, worked briefly as a reporter, but prospered as a lawyer representing railroad interests. A friend of President William McKinley, Fairbanks was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was picked to be Theodore Roosevelt's running mate, but Roosevelt gave him a minimal role and stood in the way of his presidential ambitions. The Nation magazine wrote of Fairbanks, "No public speaker can more quickly drive an audience to despair." Fairbanks, Alaska, was named for him after he served on a Senate commission on Alaska affairs.
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26. Charles W. Fairbanks (1905-1909) – Fairbanks grew up in a log cabin, worked briefly as a reporter, but prospered as a lawyer representing railroad interests. A friend of President William McKinley, Fairbanks was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was picked to be Theodore Roosevelt's running mate, but Roosevelt gave him a minimal role and stood in the way of his presidential ambitions. The Nation magazine wrote of Fairbanks, "No public speaker can more quickly drive an audience to despair." Fairbanks, Alaska, was named for him after he served on a Senate commission on Alaska affairs.
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Sherman had been an influential member of the House, earning the nickname "Sunny Jim" for his friendly demeanor. But Sherman refused when President William Howard Taft asked him to be a conduit to the powerful Speaker Joseph Cannon: "You will have to act on your own account. I am to be vice president and acting as a messenger boy is not part of the duties." Sherman served most of his term but fell ill with Bright's disease and died just before the election in 1912.
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27. James S. Sherman (1909-1912) – Sherman had been an influential member of the House, earning the nickname "Sunny Jim" for his friendly demeanor. But Sherman refused when President William Howard Taft asked him to be a conduit to the powerful Speaker Joseph Cannon: "You will have to act on your own account. I am to be vice president and acting as a messenger boy is not part of the duties." Sherman served most of his term but fell ill with Bright's disease and died just before the election in 1912.
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Marshall was vice president for two terms under President Woodrow Wilson. Previously governor of Indiana, Marshall assumed office a little more than a year before the outbreak of World War I.
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28. Thomas R. Marshall (1913-1921) – Marshall was vice president for two terms under President Woodrow Wilson. Previously governor of Indiana, Marshall assumed office a little more than a year before the outbreak of World War I.
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Coolidge reportedly learned of President Warren Harding's death in the middle of the night; was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace; and went back to bed. His road to the vice presidency started in Massachusetts, where he was a legislator and then governor, drawing the approval of Republicans after he broke a Boston police strike.
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29. Calvin Coolidge (1921-1923) – Coolidge reportedly learned of President Warren Harding's death in the middle of the night; was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace; and went back to bed. His road to the vice presidency started in Massachusetts, where he was a legislator and then governor, drawing the approval of Republicans after he broke a Boston police strike.
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A lawyer and financial whiz, Dawes was put in charge of supply procurement for American troops in Europe during World War I. When called to testify in 1921 before a congressional investigation on war expenditures, he <a href="http://millercenter.org/president/essays/dawes-1923-vicepresident" target="_blank">railed so colorfully </a>that his testimony became a Government Printing Office best-seller. Dawes won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for orchestrating a fix to Germany's failing economy. His tenure with President Calvin Coolidge was frosty.
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30. Charles G. Dawes (1925-1929) – A lawyer and financial whiz, Dawes was put in charge of supply procurement for American troops in Europe during World War I. When called to testify in 1921 before a congressional investigation on war expenditures, he railed so colorfully that his testimony became a Government Printing Office best-seller. Dawes won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for orchestrating a fix to Germany's failing economy. His tenure with President Calvin Coolidge was frosty.
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The first vice president of Native American heritage, Curtis served in the House and Senate, where he was Republican whip, instrumental in helping to prevent Woodrow Wilson from entering the United States into the League of Nations. He lost his bid for the presidential nomination to Herbert Hoover, who tapped him as his running mate.
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31. Charles Curtis (1929-1933) – The first vice president of Native American heritage, Curtis served in the House and Senate, where he was Republican whip, instrumental in helping to prevent Woodrow Wilson from entering the United States into the League of Nations. He lost his bid for the presidential nomination to Herbert Hoover, who tapped him as his running mate.
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Garner, known as "Cactus Jack," was Speaker of the House before becoming Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president in 1933. He's best known for saying, "The vice presidency isn't worth a bucket of warm piss." He also called the office "the worst damn fool mistake I ever made." When Garner turned 95 on November 22, 1963, he got a call with birthday wishes from President John F. Kennedy -- a few hours before Kennedy's assassination in Dallas.
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32. John Nance Garner (1933-1941) – Garner, known as "Cactus Jack," was Speaker of the House before becoming Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president in 1933. He's best known for saying, "The vice presidency isn't worth a bucket of warm piss." He also called the office "the worst damn fool mistake I ever made." When Garner turned 95 on November 22, 1963, he got a call with birthday wishes from President John F. Kennedy -- a few hours before Kennedy's assassination in Dallas.
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Wallace was Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president between his stints as agriculture secretary in the 1930s and commerce secretary at the end of World War II. He was a vocal proponent of New Deal liberalism and famously spoke out for civil rights during the Detroit race riot of 1943. In 1944, Wallace became the first sitting vice president to visit the Soviet Union. In part because of his progressive tendencies, Roosevelt transitioned Wallace to be commerce secretary and ran for re-election in 1944 with Harry Truman as his running mate. Wallace later became the editor of The New Republic, in whose pages he opposed Truman's foreign policy as President. In 1948, Wallace ran unsuccessfully for President as the Progressive Party candidate.
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33. Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945) – Wallace was Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president between his stints as agriculture secretary in the 1930s and commerce secretary at the end of World War II. He was a vocal proponent of New Deal liberalism and famously spoke out for civil rights during the Detroit race riot of 1943. In 1944, Wallace became the first sitting vice president to visit the Soviet Union. In part because of his progressive tendencies, Roosevelt transitioned Wallace to be commerce secretary and ran for re-election in 1944 with Harry Truman as his running mate. Wallace later became the editor of The New Republic, in whose pages he opposed Truman's foreign policy as President. In 1948, Wallace ran unsuccessfully for President as the Progressive Party candidate.
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Truman, by some accounts, beat out Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas for the vice-president spot in what Roosevelt and his advisers knew would likely be FDR's final term. Truman was vice president for 82 days. He and Roosevelt met alone only twice before the latter's death in April 1945.
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34. Harry S. Truman (1945) – Truman, by some accounts, beat out Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas for the vice-president spot in what Roosevelt and his advisers knew would likely be FDR's final term. Truman was vice president for 82 days. He and Roosevelt met alone only twice before the latter's death in April 1945.
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The story goes that Barkley's grandson came up with the word "veep" -- supposedly he suggested this alternative to the more cumbersome vice president. Formerly a U.S. senator from Kentucky, Barkley was a popular orator and known storyteller who also managed to woo and marry a widow half his age during his tenure as second in command to Harry S. Truman.
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35. Alben W. Barkley (1949-1953) – The story goes that Barkley's grandson came up with the word "veep" -- supposedly he suggested this alternative to the more cumbersome vice president. Formerly a U.S. senator from Kentucky, Barkley was a popular orator and known storyteller who also managed to woo and marry a widow half his age during his tenure as second in command to Harry S. Truman.
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The man whose name would become synonymous with presidential scandal seemed an ideal running mate for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. He was an up-and-coming anti-communist senator and former congressman from California, but corruption allegations threatened his position on the GOP ticket until he defended himself in his famous <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/eisenhower-checkers/" target="_blank">"Checkers" speech</a> on TV. Denying he had taken money from supporters for his personal use, Nixon insisted the only gift he had received was a cocker spaniel named Checkers, and he refused to give the dog back because his daughters loved the animal. The public responded to the speech, and Eisenhower kept Nixon as his running mate.
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36. Richard M. Nixon (1953-1961) – The man whose name would become synonymous with presidential scandal seemed an ideal running mate for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. He was an up-and-coming anti-communist senator and former congressman from California, but corruption allegations threatened his position on the GOP ticket until he defended himself in his famous "Checkers" speech on TV. Denying he had taken money from supporters for his personal use, Nixon insisted the only gift he had received was a cocker spaniel named Checkers, and he refused to give the dog back because his daughters loved the animal. The public responded to the speech, and Eisenhower kept Nixon as his running mate.
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Dubbed "Master of the Senate" by his biographer Robert Caro, Johnson served as whip, minority leader and majority leader. The Texan was John F. Kennedy's vice president when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963. As President, Johnson was best known as the architect of "Great Society" programs to expand the government safety net and promote racial equality, but his presidency became mired in the nation's growing involvement in the Vietnam War. Johnson's vice presidency was notable for tensions with the Kennedys and his efforts to maximize his influence.
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37. Lyndon B. Johnson (1961-1963) – Dubbed "Master of the Senate" by his biographer Robert Caro, Johnson served as whip, minority leader and majority leader. The Texan was John F. Kennedy's vice president when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963. As President, Johnson was best known as the architect of "Great Society" programs to expand the government safety net and promote racial equality, but his presidency became mired in the nation's growing involvement in the Vietnam War. Johnson's vice presidency was notable for tensions with the Kennedys and his efforts to maximize his influence.
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A strong progressive, Humphrey was elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota in 1948 and was the Democratic majority whip in the early 1960s before joining Lyndon Johnson's 1964 presidential ticket. The lead author of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Humphrey ran unsuccessfully for President in 1968 against Richard Nixon.
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38. Hubert Humphrey (1965-1969) – A strong progressive, Humphrey was elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota in 1948 and was the Democratic majority whip in the early 1960s before joining Lyndon Johnson's 1964 presidential ticket. The lead author of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Humphrey ran unsuccessfully for President in 1968 against Richard Nixon.
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Richard Nixon's first vice president joined him on the ticket in both 1968 and 1972 and was described as his "hatchet man" on the Vietnam War. Agnew was the first Greek-American to be governor of Maryland and U.S. vice president. During his second term, he became only the second vice president to resign his office after facing criminal charges of extortion, tax fraud, bribery and conspiracy.
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39. Spiro Agnew (1969-1973) – Richard Nixon's first vice president joined him on the ticket in both 1968 and 1972 and was described as his "hatchet man" on the Vietnam War. Agnew was the first Greek-American to be governor of Maryland and U.S. vice president. During his second term, he became only the second vice president to resign his office after facing criminal charges of extortion, tax fraud, bribery and conspiracy.
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Ford was a college football star, longtime congressman, husband of a feminist activist, and the first sitting president to be lampooned on "Saturday Night Live" (by Chevy Chase). He is best known for assuming the presidency and pardoning Richard Nixon following Nixon's resignation in 1974 over the Watergate scandal. Ford's vice presidency was also birthed by scandal: His predecessor, Spiro Agnew, resigned in the face of charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
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40. Gerald Ford (1973-1974) – Ford was a college football star, longtime congressman, husband of a feminist activist, and the first sitting president to be lampooned on "Saturday Night Live" (by Chevy Chase). He is best known for assuming the presidency and pardoning Richard Nixon following Nixon's resignation in 1974 over the Watergate scandal. Ford's vice presidency was also birthed by scandal: His predecessor, Spiro Agnew, resigned in the face of charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
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Born into a family made famous and rich by Standard Oil, Rockefeller ran family businesses and was a philanthropist before pursuing public service in positions under the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations. As New York governor, he focused on issues of education, housing, transportation and <a href="http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888864,00.html" target="_blank">crime, including drug laws.</a> He ran for President in 1964 and 1968, and after Gerald Ford was elevated to the presidency by Richard Nixon's resignation, he was named vice president. Two years later, he was dropped from the re-election ticket in favor of Bob Dole.
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41. Nelson Rockefeller (1974-1977) – Born into a family made famous and rich by Standard Oil, Rockefeller ran family businesses and was a philanthropist before pursuing public service in positions under the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations. As New York governor, he focused on issues of education, housing, transportation and crime, including drug laws. He ran for President in 1964 and 1968, and after Gerald Ford was elevated to the presidency by Richard Nixon's resignation, he was named vice president. Two years later, he was dropped from the re-election ticket in favor of Bob Dole.
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Mondale was a U.S. senator from Minnesota when he joined Jimmy Carter's ticket in 1976. After a turbulent four years with a struggling economy and global turmoil, Carter and Mondale lost their re-election bid to Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Mondale ran unsuccessfully for President in 1984, nominating Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate -- the first woman to be a vice-presidential candidate for a major party. They campaigned for a nuclear freeze, the Equal Rights Amendment, an increase in taxes and a reduction in the national debt.
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42. Walter Mondale (1977-1981) – Mondale was a U.S. senator from Minnesota when he joined Jimmy Carter's ticket in 1976. After a turbulent four years with a struggling economy and global turmoil, Carter and Mondale lost their re-election bid to Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Mondale ran unsuccessfully for President in 1984, nominating Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate -- the first woman to be a vice-presidential candidate for a major party. They campaigned for a nuclear freeze, the Equal Rights Amendment, an increase in taxes and a reduction in the national debt.
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Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president after serving as CIA director, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and congressman from Texas.<strong> </strong>He became the first vice president to serve as acting President in 1985 while Reagan had colon surgery.
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43. George H.W. Bush (1981-1989) – Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president after serving as CIA director, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and congressman from Texas. He became the first vice president to serve as acting President in 1985 while Reagan had colon surgery.
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Quayle, a former congressman and senator from Indiana, was a relative unknown when George H.W. Bush picked him as his vice president in 1988 (leading to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen's famous quip about Quayle's lack of experience -- "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"). He gained notoriety soon enough for criticizing the portrayal of family on the popular TV show "Murphy Brown." (Its protagonist, played by Candice Bergen, was a single mother.)
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44. Dan Quayle (1989-1993) – Quayle, a former congressman and senator from Indiana, was a relative unknown when George H.W. Bush picked him as his vice president in 1988 (leading to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen's famous quip about Quayle's lack of experience -- "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"). He gained notoriety soon enough for criticizing the portrayal of family on the popular TV show "Murphy Brown." (Its protagonist, played by Candice Bergen, was a single mother.)
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The most recent vice president from the South, Tennessean Al Gore grew up in Washington when his father, Al Gore Sr., was in the Senate. Following military service in Vietnam and a stint in journalism, Gore followed in his father's footsteps to Congress, serving in both the House and the Senate before becoming Bill Clinton's running mate in 1992. Known for losing one of the most contentious presidential elections in modern history in 2000, Gore is now a prominent environmental activist.
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45. Al Gore (1993-2001) – The most recent vice president from the South, Tennessean Al Gore grew up in Washington when his father, Al Gore Sr., was in the Senate. Following military service in Vietnam and a stint in journalism, Gore followed in his father's footsteps to Congress, serving in both the House and the Senate before becoming Bill Clinton's running mate in 1992. Known for losing one of the most contentious presidential elections in modern history in 2000, Gore is now a prominent environmental activist.
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A jack-of-all-trades in government service, Cheney served as House minority whip, secretary of defense and White House chief of staff before becoming George W. Bush's vice president.<strong> </strong>His advocacy for the Iraq War is well-known, as is the ill-fated hunting accident in which he shot and wounded a friend. Less well-known? His dog was once banned from Camp David after scrapping with the presidential pet, Barney.
Photos: Vice presidents of the United States
46. Dick Cheney (2001-2009) – A jack-of-all-trades in government service, Cheney served as House minority whip, secretary of defense and White House chief of staff before becoming George W. Bush's vice president. His advocacy for the Iraq War is well-known, as is the ill-fated hunting accident in which he shot and wounded a friend. Less well-known? His dog was once banned from Camp David after scrapping with the presidential pet, Barney.
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A presidential candidate himself in 1988 and 2008, Biden is best known as the longest-serving senator from his home state of Delaware and for continuing to serve after losing most of his family in a tragic auto accident. He was chairman of both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees, where he opposed the 1991 Gulf War, championed the Violence Against Women Act and chaired the contentious confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. As vice president, he is known as a passionate policy contrarian and maker of public gaffes.
Photos: Vice presidents of the United States
47. Joe Biden (2009-2017) – A presidential candidate himself in 1988 and 2008, Biden is best known as the longest-serving senator from his home state of Delaware and for continuing to serve after losing most of his family in a tragic auto accident. He was chairman of both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees, where he opposed the 1991 Gulf War, championed the Violence Against Women Act and chaired the contentious confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. As vice president, he is known as a passionate policy contrarian and maker of public gaffes.
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Republican Mike Pence became the 48th Vice President in 2017. Pence formerly served as governor of Indiana, and he was a congressman from 2001-2013.
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48. Mike Pence (2017-present) – Republican Mike Pence became the 48th Vice President in 2017. Pence formerly served as governor of Indiana, and he was a congressman from 2001-2013.
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Story highlights

  • Tim Kaine, the junior senator from Virginia, was selected by Hillary Clinton as her running mate
  • Gene Healy: Kaine's record reflects greater devotion to war powers reform then Obama

Gene Healy is a vice president at the Cato Institute and author of "The Cult of the Presidency." The views expressed are his own.

(CNN)Hillary Clinton put an end to the vice presidential speculation Friday, picking the congenitally congenial Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) as her running mate. The junior senator from Virginia isn't known for generating passionate intensity: "I am boring," he recently admitted on Meet the Press. But after the sturm und drang of the GOP Convention, Clinton's betting a lot of voters will find "boring" reassuring.

The Sanders wing of the Democratic Party isn't reassured: Kaine's too soft on Wall Street and too friendly to trade deals, they gripe. Still, on a key issue they're supposed to care about -- Congress's constitutional powers over war and peace -- Kaine has shown more fire than Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or any other progressive paladin.
    Gene Healy
    Gene Healy
    When it comes to President Barack Obama's undeclared war against ISIS, the normally mild-mannered senator can sound borderline uncollegial. He calls his congressional colleagues "cowardly and shameful" for refusing to hold a vote and take a stand on the wars we fight. At a Cato Institute event last August, timed for the one-year anniversary of the military campaign against ISIS, Kaine put it plainly: "this is an illegal war."
      Kaine supports military action against ISIS, but insists that the President had no constitutional power to launch the war without getting authorization from Congress first. The President's legal rationalizations are "ridiculous" and "weird," he says. Since the start of the war, nearly two years ago, Kaine has worked doggedly to put the war on a legal footing by getting Congress to pass an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF).
      That strategy has its dangers: any authorization that could pass at this point might only end up expanding the President's war powers even further, given GOP complaints that, on ISIS, the "Imperial President" hasn't been imperial enough.
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      But Kaine appears attuned to the larger issue: that the 2001 AUMF, passed three days after 9/11 to target al Qaeda and the Taliban, "is being interpreted as a blank check to allow war without geographic limitation, without temporal limitation."
        Administration officials, he told the audience at Cato, "have blithely said that they thought that the war authorized by the September 14, 2001 authorization would easily go on another 25 or 30 years."
        "This is unacceptable," Senator Kaine argues, "and we should be having a debate to significantly narrow that authorization" as well.
        CNN Opinion commentators on the DNC

        Does that mean we're likely to get meaningful war powers reform if the Clinton-Kaine ticket wins in November? Unfortunately, recent history gives us good reason to temper our hopes. When it comes to executive power, Presidents prioritize maximum flexibility; and vice presidents exist to serve the administration's priorities. The result is that most administrations leave the "most powerful office in the world" more powerful than they found it. The Obama-Biden ticket is an object lesson in how that happens.
        On the campaign trail, both members of the eventual Obama-Biden ticket pledged to respect constitutional limits on Presidential warmaking. "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation," then-Senator Obama told reporter Charlie Savage in December 2007. "Our Founding Fathers vested in Congress, not the President, the power to initiate war," echoed then-Senator Joe Biden; Biden even told a cheering crowd in Iowa that he would literally impeach Bush "if he [took] the nation to war against Iran without congressional approval."
        The Bureau of Investigative Journalism said last year that the Obama-Biden team had racked up about nine times as many drone attacks as Bush-Cheney, since taking office in 2009, bombed no fewer than seven countries, and launched two undeclared wars in the Middle East -- all with legal authority ranging from extremely tenuous to nonexistent.
        For what it's worth -- apparently not much -- in her 2008 campaign, Clinton also insisted that "the Constitution requires Congress to authorize war." As Secretary of State, though, she reportedly urged the President to join the bombing in Libya. Congress be damned. Over her quarter-century in public life, it seems as though she has rarely met a "war of choice" she didn't like.
        America the weak?
        America the weak?
        Politics is the art of compromise, and nobody needs to compromise more than a would-be President's junior partner. Since getting the nod, Kaine's already had to fall in line with Clinton's current, skeptical position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. If he's forced to publicly walk back his view that the war against ISIS is "illegal," that will be a clear sign that the best he'll be able to do as Vice President is weigh in internally against Clinton's well-documented tendency to do "stupid [stuff]" with American military might.
          On the other hand, Kaine's record reflects greater devotion to war powers reform than Obama, Biden, and Clinton's campaign trail lip service for constitutional limits. Last month, with his name in play as a potential Vice Presidential candidate, Kaine was still fighting in the Senate to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF and limit future Presidents' power to wage endless war.
          Here's hoping that on this issue, he's not the "safe choice" he otherwise seems.