Cheney takes offense to mention of daughter

[Guest JMT]

everything aside, i think it was pretty inappropriate as well.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Dick Cheney and his wife say they are angry at John Kerry for invoking their lesbian daughter during the final presidential debate. Kerry says he was just trying to say something nice about how the Cheneys have dealt with the issue and meant no offense.

Temperatures have risen sharply since the vice presidential debate, just last week, when Democrat Sen. John Edwards mentioned Mary Cheney and the Republican vice president thanked him for his "kind words."

This time, a back-and-forth ensued that had the vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, accusing Sen. Kerry of a "cheap and tawdry political trick" and Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Kerry's running mate, suggesting Mrs. Cheney was ashamed of her daughter.

Debating President Bush Wednesday night, Kerry referred to Mary Cheney when asked whether homosexuality is a choice.

"We're all God's children," he said. "And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it's not a choice."

Bush said he didn't know if it was a choice or not. But no one was talking about that on Thursday.

Kerry's defenders said he was well within bounds, particularly given that Cheney has also talked about his daughter when discussing gay issues.

But both the vice president and his wife went after Kerry with strong words.

"You saw a man who will do and say anything to get elected," Cheney told a rally in Fort Myers, Fla. "And I am not just speaking as a father here, although I am a pretty angry father."

He told a local TV station: "I thought it was totally inappropriate."

Mrs. Cheney was even sharper as she denounced Kerry after a debate party in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis, Pa., Wednesday night.

"This is not a good man," she said. "Of course, I am speaking as a mom, and a pretty indignant mom. This is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick."

The communications director for Bush-Cheney, Nicolle Devenish, said Kerry miscalculated the impact of his remarks and now is "backpedaling from what is a crass, below-the-belt political strategy to attack the vice president's daughter."

Kerry responded Thursday that he did not mean to offend anyone.

"I love my daughters. They love their daughter. I was trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with the issue," he said in a statement.

Edwards defended his running mate, saying the subject was clearly fair game. "Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, had themselves brought it up," he said on MSNBC.

Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, was harsher, suggesting that while Mrs. Cheney has been "a wonderful advocate" for her daughter, she also might be ashamed of her.

"She's overreacted to this and treated it as if it's shameful to have this discussion. I think that's a very sad state of affairs," she told ABC radio. "I think that it indicates a certain amount of shame with respect to her daughter's sexual preferences."

Some prominent politicians who have struggled with the issue said Thursday that Kerry's comments were well within bounds. "I think what John Kerry said was very kind," said Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., whose daughter is a lesbian.

Former Republican Rep. Steve Gunderson, who is gay, said: "It's trying to put a human face and make clear the issue of one's sexual orientation does not honor partisan lines."

Sen. John McCain, traveling with Bush Thursday, didn't buy it.

"Maybe Sen. Kerry didn't appreciate the sensitivity" of the subject, McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters on Air Force One. "Whether intended or not, it was very inappropriate."

[Guest slamminshaun]

It was a double cheap shot designed to shake up Cheney's right-wing base. The candidates kids should not be thrown into the mix. A very cold and calculating cheap shot.

[Guest pod]

She munches box, big deal.

[Guest endymion]

I agree that they mention it way too often and way too overtly.

"I would just like to congratulate Mr Cheney for his support of his GAY DAUGHTER one more time..."

[Guest siuol_leahcim]

it would be more offensive if cheney did not bring it out to the open before anyone else did. he set the precedent and everyone is just cashing in on it.

[Guest obby]

It was a double cheap shot designed to shake up Cheney's right-wing base. The candidates kids should not be thrown into the mix. A very cold and calculating cheap shot.

Agree !!!!!!

and this coming from a candidate that is supposed to defend gay rights.

Now they know what to really expect.

[Guest saintjohn]

SCHIEFFER: Both of you are opposed to gay marriage, but to understand how you've come to that conclusion I want to ask you a more basic question. Do you believe homosexuality is a choice?

KERRY: We're all God's children, Bob, and I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter -- who is a lesbian -- she would tell you that she's being who she was; she's being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it's not a choice.

so, instead of simply answering, "no, it's not a choice," kerry chose to reference mary cheney - someone he doesn't know - and presume to read her mind on the subject. wtf?

this is a presidential election, right? i'm not particularly interested in mary cheney's opinion. i also not interested in john kerry's assumptions about mary cheney's opinion. i'm interested in john kerry's opinion.

if kerry wanted to quote an authority on the subject, he should've done so. he could've also mentioned his own gay friends (doesn't he have any?) and colleagues (like barney frank). instead, he decided his campaign needed to bring up dick cheney's daughter. again. the advisor that encouraged this strategy should be fired.

[Guest LeVeL]

Yeah I believe it a big cheap shot by Kerry to use Cheneys daughter. He is using his daughter for political reasons which is really bad.

[bornslippy22]

welcome to politics kids...

[Guest siuol_leahcim]

Yeah I believe it a big cheap shot by Kerry to use Cheneys daughter. He is using his daughter for political reasons which is really bad.

cheney is defending her publicly for political reasons.

[BobbyTrendy]

Mrs. Cheney was even sharper as she denounced Kerry after a debate party in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis, Pa., Wednesday night.

I used to go to the Red,White & Blue Thrift store in Corapolis when i lived in Moon Township, PA.. lol

Very cute, quaint town.

[Guest JMT]

it would be more offensive if cheney did not bring it out to the open before anyone else did. he set the precedent and everyone is just cashing in on it.

yeah but its HIS daughter, not anyone elses to name drop for something personal, on a nation stage.

[Guest guyman1966]

cheney's opinion. i'm interested in john kerry's opinion.

but they change by the day. His opinion is whatever you want it to be.

[Guest siuol_leahcim]

it would be more offensive if cheney did not bring it out to the open before anyone else did. he set the precedent and everyone is just cashing in on it.

yeah but its HIS daughter, not anyone elses to name drop for something personal, on a nation stage.

you're right; it is his daughter.but the manner that he and his wife are condemning it in front of huge crowds with the aim to draw votes is equally low. i'm not justifying either side for this, but the only one that is innocent here is the daughter and it seems neither side is really considerate of her.

[Guest obby]

cheney's opinion. i'm interested in john kerry's opinion.

but they change by the day. His opinion is whatever you want it to be.

http://media1.streamtoyou.com/rnc/100104v1.wmv

???

[Guest]

I think it's ridiculous....

1) Dick Cheney himself was the first one to mention his daugher is a lesbian.

2) John Edwards mentioned her also in their debate, and Cheney thanked him for the kind words.

3) Now Mama and Papa Cheney are "outraged"...acting like Kerry outed his daughter out of the closet or something...

Give me a break....lets not forget this is politics. If he never wanted his daugher involved, he should of simply left her out of the campaign....but he didn't. Cheney used his own daughter for political reasons...and now Kerry has too. Big deal..lets get over it.

[Guest slamminshaun]

What political motives could Cheney possibly have to bring up his daughter? I thought his conservative base was a bunch of homo-phobes. It also outlines his different beliefs from the President on the possibility of a constitutional amendment.

I believe the only reason Cheney talked about it was in response to questions regarding to her rumored homosexuality (rumored at the time that is) . He acknowledged her homosexulality a long time ago, but I hadn't heard him voluntarily bring it up on the campaign trail. At least not what I've heard. So to bring this up out of nowhere in the middle of a debate most certainly caught him off-guard. Edwards' words were disguised as kind. I seem to recall Cheney thanking him for the words and moving along immediately with 30 seconds more that he could've spoken. That was the ONE time of the evening, where Cheney did not use up all of his speaking time. He was definitely not amused with Edwards' comments and moved along quickly to the next question. I'm not sure Cheney had a chance for that to really settle with him until after the cameras turned off, and the pressures of the debate were over. I think the point is that they brought it up again in a debate that Cheney was not even apart of. To do it twice was way over the top, and not designed to be comforting words as it was disguised to be the first time. Its quite simply an effort to try to embarrass the Vice President on TV and is disrespectful to him and his daughter. His daughter, herself, has spoken against this fiasco.