It's chickenshit, and the amendment is a stupid, destructive, pointless idea - at least Cheney had the balls to say he isn't for it. He has a lesbian daughter, you know?

HAD the balls. During the campaign, he FLIPFLOPPED and changed his public opinion to match the squatter's. If I were Mary Cheney, I would disown him.

Supporting/clarifying data from the wrong wing:

When asked by moderator Gwen Ifill of the Public Broadcasting System about the marriage amendment issue, Cheney reiterated a view expressed four years ago that people should be free "to choose any arrangement they want" but states should be the level of government at which relationships are authorized or not. "States have regulated marriage, if you will," he said. "That would be my preference."

Recently, however, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has directed the state legislature "to allow gay marriage," Cheney said. "And the fact is that the president felt that it was important to make it clear that that's the wrong way to go, as far as he's concerned. Now, he sets policy for this administration, and I support the president."

Vice President Dick Cheney says he is backing President George W. Bush's call for a federal amendment to ban homosexual marriage, even though Cheney has opposed such calls in the past.

During the 2000 campaign and again last month, Cheney said he felt the issue of whether or not to legalize same-sex marriages should be left to the states. However, in an interview with MSNBC, Cheney recently said Bush has taken a "clear position" on the issue, and he supports the president."

Nat, I can't argue with any of that, but at least at the debate he made a point of saying he personally had a different view from the president, although his job was to support the administration's position. AT least he said that, something he didn't have to do. I give him some credit, anyway.

Given that I find his own view disgusting, unamerican, and immoral, I can't give him any credit. Bully for him, he mentioned it -- and then said he would stand by the Shrub. If he had any backbone he would have resigned after his "boss" pimped legislation that would harm his child. But of course, Cheney supports DOMA, which hurts his child.

I'm getting horrid chills just thinking about that sneering so-and-so.

Eric:

What's more important: what a person says or what they actually do?

You are asking the wrong person, P6. Eric can't even bring himself to enforce the rules he made for this site when his friends break them. His 'wiggle out of this' machinations would put Dick Cheney to shame.

"I find his own view disgusting, unamerican"

Haven't you emigrated from "Amerikkka" yet, ND?

"Eric can't even bring himself to enforce the rules he made for this site"

I agree. Why haven't you been banned yet?

Mac, your ability to ignore the ripe irony of many of your statements is rather breathtaking.

Nat and P6, I am not comfortable being in the position of "defending" the administration in any regard on the subject of gay marriage - my own position is the exact opposite of theirs, as I have stated many times.

However, to answer the question, words ARE actions in a political sense, and the fact that Cheney did voice his own personal disagreement with the administration's view does have the real effect of indicating that the administration is not a monolith, that memebers of it DO have varying opinions on matters of policy, and that he felt it was important enough to mention. I will defend Cheney on this no further, but I do think this variation from the party line bears mentioning.

I never intended the discussion to be about Cheney. Didn't mention him at all.

I was talking about how chickenshit it is to do exactly what you accuse your opponent of. Even were I not already convinced to distrust President Bush this is pretty objective support.

And frankly, I wonder why no one on the right is disturbed by it.

Even if I assume a golden heart on his part, the best understanding I can get from his actions is he's constantly pursuing something other than he says he is. And I distrust those who constantly hide their intent.

as I said in #1, it IS chickenshit nad political pandering

Cheye had the balls to say, but not the moral courage to oppose it.

that's the vice part of Vice President