Still his familiarity with the parlous state of American financial firms--especially those with ties to the subprime crisis--would have been attractive to Wachovia's board, as would his contacts inside the Washington Beltway.

FORBES: Wachovia Steels Itself For Uncertain Future

Cheney is generally viewed as Halliburton's "Mr. Outside" to Lesar's "Mr. Inside, " with Cheney using his international contacts to drum up new business while Lesar focuses on running the company.

FORBES: Mr. Outside saves the day