He's Out of the Loop

Dick Cheney doesn't support a Federal Marriage Amendment. I guess having a gay daughter has even melted his icy black heart (that's not an ad hominem attack, by the way, I heard it from the Dick Cheney Icy Black Heart Doctors for Truth). In doing so, he used a very interesting quote (for an icy black-hearted man such as himself):

"My general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want," Cheney, 63, said in response to a question at a campaign "town hall" meeting in Davenport, Iowa.

Now, contrast that with then-candidate Bush, talking in 1999 about a parody website one of those pesky dissenters put up about him:

"There ought to be limits to freedom."

Hey, Bush has said what he means and meant what he's said as far as that quote is concerned. He's been freedom-limiting those who question his policies or don't meet with theological approval ever since Inauguration Day.

Then, Cheney made this baffling statement:

"I made clear four years ago ... that my view was that's (probably) a matter for the states to decide," he added. "But the president makes basic policy for the administration. And he's made it clear that he does in fact support a constitutional amendment on this issue."

I guess the Vice President doesn't get invited to high-level policy meetings. He's too busy laying ceremonial wreaths at international state funerals and so forth. He's so out of the loop.

It took a citizen, and a hand-picked, loyalty oath-signing citizen at that, to press the Vice President on this issue. That makes it fair game for the debates, and as such a chance to depict some breaks in the ranks of the GOP. Or, this could all be part of the "kinder gentler" moderate Republican Party rollout in advance of the convention. Still, it'll give them problems with the hardcores and fundies fueled by hate and closed-mindedness.