Speaking of vice-presidents as butts of jokes - here are a few segments from an article written for the Washington Post by Joe Queenen.

More than any vice-president in recent memory, Dan Quayle thoroughly understood the nature of the office he holds.

The vice-president of the United States is not the heir apparent, the capable understudy or the backup quarterback. The vice-president of the United States is the designated national chucklehead, whose role is to provide the rest of us with a steady supply of guffaws and belly laughs.

Clearly, Al Gore is tempermentally incapable of fulfilling the vital role of official, national chowderhead. But, could he change? Is it possible that once he descends to the vice-presidency, he will lower himself to the indignity of the office, to sink to the occassion? This would not be without precedent - the names Gerald Ford and Hubert Humphrey come to mind.

Yet, in all likelihood, this will not occur. The pious, straight-arrow, patrician Gore simply doesn't have what it takes to function effectively as an official court jester.

For the past four years, Quayle has steadfastly, nay enthusiastically, functioned as the national whoopie cushion, as an indespensable safety valve allowing the republic to blow off steam.

Al Gore is a nice man, a serious man, a thoughtful man, an intelligent man. But, he is no Dan Quayle. As the saying goes, "Don't send a man to do a boy's job."