The Price of the Romney-Cheney Bromance

By Jackie Koszczuk // May 21, 2012 | 7:55 p.m.

No doubt Mitt Romney hopes that former Vice President Dick Cheney can do for him what former President Bill Clinton is doing for his opponent - lend his political celebrity to the cause of attracting high-dollar donations for his presidential campaign.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Cheney and his wife, Lynne, will host a fundraiser for Romney on July 12 at the couple's home in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where top contributors will dine with Romney and Cheney. "Jackson Hole is a beautiful summer destination, and this will be a memorable event," a Romney finance team member wrote in an e-mail, according to the Journal. "We hope that you and your friends will be able to join us."

The budding Cheney-Romney bromance allows Romney to tap the fundraising network Cheney built during his eight years in the Bush administration. But the strategy comes with some risk. By tying himself to Cheney, he ties himself at least tangentially to the unpopular former President George W. Bush. And Romney has made it abundantly clear he considers Bush damaged political goods.