Republican presidential newcomer Fred Thompson snagged a key former Bush administration official to serve as his campaign co-chair and an adviser on foreign policy, Elizabeth Cheney, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Cheney previously worked at the State Department as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, serving as the No. 2 official responsible for American policy in the Middle East.

More importantly, she was a key adviser during the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns to President George W. Bush and her father. She served in other roles during the campaign, including aiding the vice president with debate preparation.

Thompson also named another member of his leadership team to serve as another co-chairman — former Virginia Sen. George Allen, who lost a bruising battle for his Senate seat last year. Allen’s loss followed a gaffe in which he used the word “macaca” to refer to a Democratic activist of Indian descent who was trailing his campaign. Macaca is sometimes used as a racial slur and means an African monkey.

Former Sen. Howard Baker, a former Tennessee senator like Thompson, was named honorary chairman of his campaign and Spencer Abraham, former energy secretary under Bush, was named as a third co-chairman.

“These distinguished individuals bring wise counsel and invaluable experience to my campaign leadership team, and they will play a critical role in helping spread my consistent conservative message across America,” Thompson said in a statement.

– Photo credit: Brian Snyder (Elizabeth Cheney, left, in Cairo in 2005.)