Cheney backs end of 'don't ask, don't tell' policy

Why does anyone care what Cheney has to say anymore? His administration is over. That's the whole point of termed offices. When you're out of office, it's over. Someone else gets a turn to have an opinion and steer for awhile.

Dick Cheney needs to retire to a quiet life in the American countryside, spending his remaning days trying not to shoot anybody else in the face.

 

He's still an influential figure in American Politics.

Just as most other former presidents and vice presidents were in the past. In effect, Cheney was one of the most famous VP's. I continuously forget Joe Biden is the current VP, and Al Gore is famous for more than just his VPness.

 

Probably because they don't allow Joe Biden to talk anymore.

But yeah, it's the same shizz with Bill Clinton. Clinton's still one of the most influential politicians (if you can still consider him one) out there.

 

Former president's & former VPs can still have a treendous amount of political influence on policy, some still visit the White House & speak with the president, so it's not unreasonable to assume that former US POTUS & VPOTUS can have the ear of the sitting president & even influence his policy decisions. So sometimes when a guy like Cheney speaks up it's not just him being a blowhard & trying to remain in the public eye, it's his opinion on policy, an opinion which can sometimes shape policy. And sometimes people like that make pretty good political analyists, since there aren't that many living POTUS & VPOTUS' around, so they will have a more unique perspective on what goes on in Washington, since they have been in that position themselves & can offer that insight as to how some decisions on policy are made. Although sometimes, I agree, you just get the odd person who just feels the need to stand up & say 'I agree' or 'I disagree' just as a way of trying to remain in the public consciousness, which can be annoying & pretty useless. I didn't like Cheney, but hey, if the guy's a Republican & he's standing up & saying he agrees with a positve change in favour of LGBT issues, then why not just let him say it publicly? It's going to get media attention since he was the VP, plus it may just swing a couple other backward, right-wing politicans towards supporting, or at least being less assoholic towards, LGBT people...

 

I guess I just disagree with the influence of politicians extending past the natural life expectancy of their term, because I feel like they add white noise that distorts the message of the current administration.

I mean, I don't disagree with his position in this case (if it is genuinely held and is not a plea for public sympathy) but I still think he's a reprehensible person in general.

 

What I want to know (largely in the rhetorical sense, because I'm pretty sure I do know) is where was Cheney when Bush was spewing his anti-gay rhetoric?

 

I'd like to know how big of a bribe he received to say that, and from whom.

 

he has a daughter who is gay, and so he actually has a perspective most big name republicans do not have/refuse to allow themselves to have. he also supports gay marriage, but is morally, commonsense, and constitutionally wrong that people rights should ever be a 'state matter'. equal rights is a federal matter, because otherwise, the states who deny equal rights are denying core values of what american stands for.

 

I'm pretty sure Cheney is legitimately pro-gay. He has a lesbian daughter, after all, and appears fully supportive. But like a lot of elites, he acted while in power as if there should be one set of rules that applied to him and his kith and kin, and another for the ordinary people. As long as his daughter was doing fine, he was perfectly content to throw ordinary gay people under the bus. Gay rights for the elite, not the proles. We see a similar deal with abortion, where the elite are happy to criminalize it since their daughters can be flown out-of-country or -state to receive abortions.

 

Granted that was a long time ago, but I think I remember him being asked about gay marriage during the VP presidential debate and him being really awkward with his answer.

That said, there was an article recently that came out about Bush's anti-gay marriage stance being purely political(to win the '04 election). While, he may legitimately be opposed to gay marriage, he never would of made it into an issue. Definitely would of been interesting to know if Cheney opposed that course of action or if he went along with it. Either way though, the their 'political' opposition to gay marriage had very real effects.

Couldn't imagine what it would of been like to be Liz during that cycle.

 

Cheney was hiding in the closet, so to speak, with all the rest of the people, not just Republicans or evangelicals, who actually don't feel hatred or discrimination against LGBT people. They exist, but because they're afraid to say anything, they're just as much in the closet out of fear as some of us are...

 

liz isnt the gay one... liz is darth cheney jr. I think Mary was his daughter who is out, proud, and living happily with her partner.

 

This isn't surprising at all.