Posted on 10/14/2004 3:11:58 PM PDT by Nachum
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney called himself "a pretty angry father" on Thursday after Sen. John Kerry mentioned their gay daughter during the final presidential debate - comments Kerry said were meant to be positive about families with gay children.
The vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, called Kerry "not a good man" and his remarks about daughter Mary Cheney "a cheap and tawdry political trick." Meanwhile, Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of vice presidential candidate John Edwards, suggested in a radio interview that Mrs. Cheney might feel "a certain degree of shame" because her daughter is a lesbian.
Mary Cheney, one of two Cheney daughters, is openly gay and an official in the Bush-Cheney campaign. The vice president has spoken at length about his daughter's sexuality and his view of gay relationships, even disagreeing with the president about the need for a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages.
Asked Wednesday night by debate moderator Bob Schieffer whether homosexuality is a choice, Kerry said: "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."
Kerry issued a statement Thursday after the Cheneys had expressed anger over his remarks: "I love my daughters. They love their daughter. I was trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with this issue."
Cheney told supporters at a rally Thursday in Fort Myers, "You saw a man who will do and say anything to get elected, and I am not just speaking as a father here, although I am a pretty angry father." He made no other reference to Kerry's remarks about his daughter.
Mrs. Cheney, introducing her husband in a post-debate appearance Wednesday night in Coraopolis, Pa., also avoided a specific reference to her daughter's sexuality when she made clear she thought Kerry had crossed a line into family privacy.
"Now, you know, I did have a chance to assess John Kerry once more and now the only thing I could conclude: This is not a good man," Mrs. Cheney 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."
In an interview Thursday with ABC Radio, Elizabeth Edwards said of Mrs. Cheney: "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. ... I think that it indicates a certain degree of shame with respect to her daughter's sexual preferences. ... It makes me really sad that that's Lynne's response."
Cheney expressed no objection when Edwards brought up Mary Cheney during their debate. Edwards expressed "respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter, the fact that they embrace her. It's a wonderful thing."
Cheney thanked his opponent for the "kind words he said about my family and our daughter. I appreciate that very much."
Bush said in their debate he does not know whether homosexuality is a choice or fate. He and Kerry spoke of their belief that marriage is the union of man and woman, but the president supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and the Democrat does not. Kerry supports giving gay couples many of the civil rights that come with marriage, while stopping short of conferring that status on same-sex couples.
In an interview in the Oct. 26 issue of the gay magazine The Advocate, Kerry said gay Americans should support his candidacy because he will appoint Supreme Court justices who will fight for equality and a fair interpretation of the equal protection clause and due process. He said he pays a political price for opposing attempts at "gay bashing" in the Senate.
"The difference between me and George Bush will be the difference to gay and lesbian couples and individuals across this country - whether rights are afforded them or whether or not they are discriminated against," Kerry said. He added, "If people take a walk on those things, life's going to be worse."
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Associated Press Writer Joe Mandak in Coraopolis, Pa., contributed to this report.
Well said...and to what end did Kerry do this?
I can't believe a candidate for President is taking to pointing out the opponent's Vice-President's daughter's sexual preferences.
Sheesh! Talk about poor judgment! An idiot like that wants to lead the free world?
This is a flat out lie. Cheney has spoken briefly of his daughter's lifestyle, period, and that is only when asked. He has not disagreed with the president on the amendment issue. He says he supports the president.
Then I see our fearless AP reporterette alludes to what I figured: Since Cheney didn't take the bait (in AP reporterette's words "he didn't object") in the Edwards/Cheney debate, they Kerry Kamp felt free to bludgeon the point home.
Umm, Mrs. Edwards, it is shameful for you to discuss the Cheney's family. Get off it.
I may be wrong, but he doesn't act or sound like any practicing Catholics I know.
I was thinking the same thing.
I prefer a man like Bush for President because atleast he knows himself.
John Kerry doesn't know himself, the Bible, nor his faith when he calls himself Catholic.
1 John 2
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
This JOHN Kerry should be asked the real question before the world!
Let's find out what he really believes. He's called bush a liar enough,
while denying the Catholic church's teachings and claiming he's Catholic.
1 John 2:22
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
On Brit, even Maura L. can't defend SKerry on this! He's getting ripped!
Rush was wondering why Kerry didn't mention Barney Frank or some lib Hollywood actor who's in the closet as an example. Rush nailed it when he said that this was basically a desperate hail-mary by Kerry to try and make conservatives get angry at Bush/Cheney. Didn't happen, Kerry and the Rats have egg on their faces.
On the original thread today, I said that was exactly what they were trying. And they seem to think it is working. Sick.
----"In an interview in the Oct. 26 issue of the gay magazine The Advocate, Kerry said gay Americans should support his candidacy because he will appoint Supreme Court justices who will fight for equality and a fair interpretation of the equal protection clause and due process. He said he pays a political price for opposing attempts at "gay bashing" in the Senate.
"The difference between me and George Bush will be the difference to gay and lesbian couples and individuals across this country - whether rights are afforded them or whether or not they are discriminated against," Kerry said. He added, "If people take a walk on those things, life's going to be worse." ----
You got it exactly right. Kerry is pretty much admitting that his whole states rights stance is a farce, that his entire position is disingenuous. He is saying here that he will see to it that the Federal Courts impose either gay marriage or civil unions on the entire nation.
This is the type of quote that one of the debate 'moderators' should have confronted him with. Realizing that hell would have to freeze over for that to happen, Bush should have referenced this as proof that he intends to let the Courts do for the far-Left what they can't do in Congress or the state legislatures.
I thought they were just speculating on Fox why kerry brought it up. I could have sworn heard Maura distancing herself from it.
all three networks had this as a story and ABC showed how their focus group dropped Big Time on this topic for Kerry.
"...oh, and he was an 'alter boy'..."
I was going to kid you about misspelling "altar", but maybe, just maybe, you're on to something.....
On our local radio news, at 4 PM Eastern, they played a clip of Dick Cheney, addressing this issue. I didn't catch the whole context, in fact they didn't give it. However, Cheney said "You can put lipstick on a pig, and it's still a pig."
Any sane person would. but if they were trying to point out the skerry strategy they sure messed it up.
He entered politics after his oldest son, Wade, 16, was killed in an automobile accident in 1996.
Doesn't say who was driving though.
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