Liz Cheney brought out an unexpected guest during her afternoon speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference: her dad.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney stunned the audience by briefly taking the stage to rousing applause and a chorus of “Run, Dick, Run!” chants. A sparse room quickly filled with enthusiastic conference-goers.

“Your welcome is almost enough to make me want to run for office,” Cheney said as the applause wound down. “But I’m not going to do it.”

Cheney said it’s time for the older generation of conservatives to step aside and make way for the younger generation.

“I think the developments we’ve seen over the last six months were enormously encouraging,” he said, naming Republican victories in elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts as hopeful signs that the GOP can be successful in this year’s midterm elections. GOP candidates succeeded last fall in wresting gubernatorial seats from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey; Republican Scott Brown scored an upset victory in the Massachusetts Senate special election last month and gave Senate Republicans enough votes to sustain a filibuster.

Cheney said that though it won’t be him, someone will challenge — and beat — President Barack Obama in 2012.

“I think Barack Obama is going to be a one-term president,” he said. “I’ll do anything I can, but most importantly, I want to encourage that younger generation.”