What the f@#% is in Dick Cheney’s coffee?
The Vice President has not been the epitome of good manners in recent days. There’s the use of the f-word to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on the Senate floor. Then there’s the complete lack of contrition about the use of that word in that place in a Friday interview on Fox News. Here’s his ...
The Vice President has not been the epitome of good manners in recent days. There's the use of the f-word to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on the Senate floor. Then there's the complete lack of contrition about the use of that word in that place in a Friday interview on Fox News. Here's his explanation:
The Vice President has not been the epitome of good manners in recent days. There’s the use of the f-word to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on the Senate floor. Then there’s the complete lack of contrition about the use of that word in that place in a Friday interview on Fox News. Here’s his explanation:
It was partly — also, it had to do with — he is the kind of individual who will make those kinds of charges and then come after you as though he’s your best friend. And I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my views of the — of his conduct and walked away…. What — part of the problem here is, that instead of having a substantive debate over important policy issues, he had challenged my integrity. And I didn’t like that. But, most of all, I didn’t like the fact that after he had done so then he wanted to act like, you know, everything’s peaches and cream. And I informed him of my view of his conduct in no uncertain terms. And as I say, I felt better afterwards.
So, Cheney’s beef is that Leahy doubted Cheney’s integrity publicly and then tried to play nicey-nice in the Senate floor. Three thoughts on Cheney’s little tamptrum: 1) While I understand getting upset when someone questions your integrity, there are better ways of responding than the admittedly economical “f— you.” 2) Hey, Mr. Vice President, you say that an elected official exhibited one demeanor in public and another in private? Welcome to politics. You’ve been in this business for how long? 3) While this was bad, Ron Reagan describes behavior by Cheney in today’s New York Times Magazine that seems far, far worse to me:
How did your mother feel about being ushered to her seat by President Bush? Well, he did a better job than Dick Cheney did when he came to the rotunda. I felt so bad. Cheney brought my mother up to the casket, so she could pay her respects. She is in her 80’s, and she has glaucoma and has trouble seeing. There were steps, and he left her there. He just stood there, letting her flounder. I don’t think he’s a mindful human being. That’s probably the nicest way I can put it.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and the author of The Ideas Industry. Twitter: @dandrezner
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