As much as I dislike the man, and everything about him,
this was pretty good.
That lack of ambition was on full display at the press club here, as the new, lighthearted Mr. Cheney described how his wife, Lynne, had discovered the Obama connection. She traced the connection to Mr. Cheney’s maternal grandmother who, as it turned out, is also descended from someone named Cheney.
“So we had Cheneys on both sides of the family — and we don’t even live in West Virginia.
As the audience burst out laughing, Mr. Cheney added, “You can say these things when you’re not running for re-election.”
Backlash? Oh yes.
The state’s longtime Democratic senator, Robert C. Byrd, later blasted the comment as a “pitiful” example of Mr. Cheney’s “trademark arrogance.
.....
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, quickly asked Cheney to apologize.
"I truly cannot believe that any vice president of the United States, regardless of their political affiliation, would make such a derogatory statement about my state or any state for that matter," he said
.....
This is exactly the type of stereotyping that we don't need from our elected officials," said Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. "It's disrespectful, and it's certainly not funny. ... As a proud state, I can say we are disappointed."
.....
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., blasted Cheney, saying that for a vice president to openly display "such contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen" was an insult to all Americans. Now that he or the administration he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia," Byrd said.
I would have gained a little respect for Cheney if he didn't apologize after a few hours.
"On reflection, he concluded that it was an inappropriate attempt at humor that he should not have made. The vice president apologizes to the people of West Virginia for the inappropriate remark."
I do think, if West Virginia was replaced with Arkansas, it would be days before they even got the joke.
