In Dallas on a September night, Vice-President JD Vance stepped before a Republican convention crowd already chanting his name and spent an hour demonstrating that the art of political succession is less about replacing a leader than becoming his most faithful mirror. With practiced grievance, theatrical fury, and carefully calibrated rhetoric, Vance signaled his ambitions for 2028 while never once appearing to reach for the crown — a balance that has defined the careful dance of heirs throughout political history. The crowd's enthusiasm, and a poll placing him at 43% among likely Republican p