Back in April, the New York Sun ran one of the year’s more ridiculous editorials, calling on Dick Cheney to put aside his feelings and run for the GOP presidential nomination. The Sun called it a “fine idea,” arguing, “[Cheney] could help settle some of the arguments about the Bush years in favor of Mr. Bush. A White House aiming to get Mr. Cheney elected could also avoid some of the hazards that befall lame-ducks — drift, brain drain, irrelevance. Such a campaign might lift Mr. Cheney ’s own standing in the polls.” (To clarify, the Sun did not appear to be kidding.)

Yesterday, the same newspaper returned to the same subject — and came to the same conclusion.

[Stephen Hayes’ “Cheney”] quotes Senator McCain as saying, “Dick doesn’t like campaigning.” Nothing in the Hayes book suggests that Mr. Cheney is about to do it — except for that the vice president spent nearly 30 hours cooperating with the author and apparently gave the okay for many of his friends and colleagues to grant similar access. The Richard Cheney described in this book isn’t vain enough to do that simply for his reputation in history. My own guess — okay, hope — is that Mr. Cheney has taken a look at the Republican presidential field and sees an opening.

If Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans start receiving copies of “Cheney” in their mailboxes, Mr. Cheney’s popularity may yet begin to climb.

The Sun draws this conclusion after noting that Cheney, according to the Washington Post’s polling expert, is “less popular than Michael Jackson after he was tried for child abuse and O.J. Simpson after he was tried for murder.” Cheney is also “less popular with Americans than Joseph Stalin is with Russians.”

If Dems ask really nicely, and promise to campaign with one arm tied behind our backs, would the Republicans nominate Cheney? Please?