Posted on 04/26/2007 8:36:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PROVO, Utah - Vice President Dick Cheney told Brigham Young University graduates on Thursday to savor second chances and be prepared for the unexpected throughout life in a commencement address that stirred up protests in one of the nation's most Republican states.
"Don't give up or let your doubts get the best of you," Cheney said. "For all the plans we make in life, sometimes life has other plans for us."
On a campus where dissent is unusual, about 100 people protested quietly ahead of Cheney's arrival, holding signs reading: "Mormon for peace" and "Make soup, not war."
Utah voters have consistently supported the administration, delivering President Bush his largest margins of victory in any state in 2000 and 2004. In the county that is home to the university, about 85 percent of voters chose the GOP ticket in 2004.
But the war in Iraq has weakened support for the White House. Cheney critics at BYU have questioned whether he sets a good example for graduates, citing his role in promoting faulty intelligence and his involvement in the CIA leak scandal, which led to his chief of staff's conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.
Cheney's 14-minute address to more than 6,200 graduates didn't touch on any political topics. He thanked the school's ROTC members for their service and said they would be joining a military that is "a great force for justice, freedom and security."
Outside, the protesters on campus were not allowed to chant or make noise or attack The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Darren Jackson, 22, president-elect of the College Democrats.
"This war has been mishandled," said Jackson, who acknowledged the group had only about 25 active members, "which isn't much out of 30,000 students."
A handful of veterans holding a peace banner stood on a street corner off campus.
At the nearby city library, College Republicans and others passed out U.S. flags and held up welcome signs.
"We are just here to show there's a lot of support for the vice president in Provo," said BYU student Colby Green, 22, of Orem. "We wanted people to know that the vocal minority is not the majority."
That became clear when Cheney was introduced. He received thunderous applause from the 20,000 people at gathered at the university, which is owned by the Mormon church. The crowd cheered louder for Cheney than they did for church President Gordon B. Hinckley, whom Mormons consider a prophet.
"I think there were a lot of people making up for the controversy surrounding his attendance," said Mackenzie Clark of Summit, N.J., who graduated with degrees in business and international relations.
Cheney was awarded an honorary doctorate in public service before his speech.
"I thought it was very non-political and applicable to our lives," Nathan Brown, 26, of Pymouth, Calif., who graduated with degrees in history and economics, said after commencement. "I think all the protests were for nothing."
Cheney's BYU speech is one of two commencement addresses he is scheduled to give. The other is May 26 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Bush won 72 percent of the vote here in the last election, his widest margin of victory. Public opinion polls routinely show his approval ratings are higher in Utah than in any other state.
___
Associated Press writers Paul Foy in Provo and Debbie Hummel in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
Vice President Dick Cheney, second from left, looks at Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Mormon church, upon their arrival on stage for the Brigham Young's commencement Thursday, April 26, 2007, in Provo, Utah. Many students protested that Cheney was invited to their graduation ceremonies. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
Vice President Dick Cheney addresses the graduates after receiving an honorary doctorate degree at Brigham Young University, Thursday, April 26, 2007 in Provo, Utah. The selection of Cheney as the commencement speaker for the Mormon church-owned school had stirred up protests in one of the nation's most Republican states. (AP Photo/Fred Hayes)
Showing that even mormons ca be leftist scumsuckers.
Isn’t it funny how the AP singles out 35 out of 35,000 rats for promotion?
Can you even envision them finding the 35 conservatives at Cornell or Berkeley and doing a piece on ‘em?
I love that man. In a totally non-gay way.
Translation:30-40 protestors, big deal.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Impeach
Bush
Get
Cheney’d
burma shave
20,000 give thunderous applause; 200 complain. And who gets the headline. That is sick
Called a jack-mormon, I believe.
“even at” no bias here....
The MsM is on a surge of their own in conjunction with the dems in Congre$$
The AP just can’t help themselves. Nothing positive must EVER be reported about Cheney!
It’s significant in that BYU doesn’t normally allow this sort of the thing. And the students applied for, and received, permission from BYU’s administration to stage the protest. It’s really an unusual event, both in that it’s unusual for BYU to have any open protest by its students, and that it was conducted in a strikingly different manner than most protests at official college functions.
Actually the article said 100 protested, not 200. And that’s out of a student body of 30,000.
I suspect that the protesters were bussed in.
That made me smile.
Dennis Kucinich, pictured March 2007, a veteran US lawmaker, on Tuesday introduced legislation urging Vice President Dick Cheney's impeachment for allegedly manipulating intelligence used to justify the US invasion of Iraq.(AFP/File/Mannie Garcia)
OH SNUGS guess where you fav VP was tonight
It’s so obvious. The only people who deny media bias are the same people who say “fauxnews.” It’s mind blowing - they are so dense, so delusional, they think the only bias that exists is on fox.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.