There are any number of ways to interpret Dick Cheney’s new-found respect for “freedom.”
Vice President Dick Cheney, whose younger daughter is a lesbian, said Tuesday that he believed that decisions about same-sex marriages should be left to the states, contending that “freedom means freedom for everyone.”
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“Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue that our family is very familiar with,” Cheney said Tuesday. “With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People … ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.
“The question that comes up with respect to the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government…. Historically, that’s been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that basic fundamental decision in terms of defining what constitutes a marriage,” he said.
So, what prompted this off-message remark? Frankly, I haven’t a clue, but intriguing rumors abound.
Several of you wrote in to suggest that this is a precursor to bouncing Cheney from the ticket. I highly doubt that. The election is in just 10 weeks. Cheney’s not going anywhere.
Still others see this as a way for the Bush campaign to have it both ways. Bush tells the right he hates gays and wants a constitutional amendment, while Cheney tells centrists and swing voters who hate culture-war fights that he’s a moderating force in the administration. Sort of a good cop, bad cop routine.
This makes some sense, except the roles have clearly been given to the wrong actors. If the campaign really wanted to reach out to independents with a moderate message on social issues, Dick Cheney — fire-breathing conservative, dishonest ideologue, nasty partisan, rigid chickenhawk — would be the last person they’d choose to deliver that message.
I really don’t know what prompted Cheney’s surprise comments, but I know three things:
One, Bush’s position on the gay marriage issue is so wrong, even his own vice president wants to distance himself from it.
Two, Cheney’s remarks can and should be used by every Dem in a tough race this year who has an opponent trying to make gay marriage an issue. “I’m no far-left liberal,” the Dem can say, “I happen to agree with Dick Cheney.”
And three, Cheney has pulled off a rare and hard-to-execute flip-flop-flip.
Cheney four years ago:
“The fact of the matter is we live in a free society, and freedom means freedom for everybody. We shouldn’t be able to choose and say you get to live free and you don’t. That means people should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. It’s no one’s business in terms of regulating behavior in that regard.”
Cheney seven months ago:
Vice President Dick Cheney says he will support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, a reversal of his stand during the 2000 presidential campaign.
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Now, Cheney says he will support President Bush if the president pursues a ban on gay marriage. “Obviously, the president is going to have to make a decision in terms of what administration policy is on this particular provision, and I will support whatever decision he makes,” Cheney said in an interview with the Denver Post.
And Cheney yesterday:
Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday offered a defense of the rights of gay Americans, declaring that “freedom means freedom for everyone” to enter “into any kind of relationship they want to.”
Thanks for clearing this up, Dick.