Posted on 06/27/2004 9:44:32 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Majority Leader Bill Frist refused on Sunday to criticize Vice President Dick Cheney for cursing on the floor of the Senate in a confrontation with a Democratic senator.The Tennessee Republican indicated that Cheney's outburst at Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., can be attributed to political passions aroused by the election year. As vice president, Cheney acts as president of the Senate, although the majority leader has more authority over the body's operations.
On Tuesday, as Cheney and the senators gathered in the chamber for a photograph, Leahy struck up a conversation. Cheney challenged the senator about his frequent criticism of Halliburton Co., which Cheney formerly headed. In response, Leahy attacked the White House for not interceding when Leahy and other Democrats were portrayed as prejudiced against Roman Catholics for opposing one of President Bush's judicial nominees.
Cheney shot back an obscenity. He later confirmed to Fox News his use of the obscenity and said he felt better after saying it.
"It's a political season right now, where partisan feelings and emotions have come to the surface itself," Frist said when asked on CNN's "Late Edition" about the comment.
Despite that, he said, the Senate is doing its work well, avoiding gridlock that could result from a lineup of 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats and an independent. "We're delivering for the American people," Frist said.
"With regard to the vice president's comments, I did not hear the comments, did not witness the comments, but clearly they reflect a lot of that emotion," he said. "Without taking one side or the other, a lot of personal feelings are being expressed, and that emotion came out by the vice president, and I'll let the American people judge as to whether or not it was warranted."
Pressed whether he condones the use of such language in the Senate, Frist pointed out that the chamber was not in session at the time, "so I am not going to condone, I am not going to overly criticize the language that people in the -- the language that people use to express themselves."
On Saturday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President Bush had no problem with his vice president's language. "It's not an issue with the president," McClellan said.
In their normal "fair and balanced" mode, the socialists are trying, thru word games, to infer that the VP said this while the Senate was in session. The photo shoot was just that, no more, no less; the Senate was not in session.
Cheney is a bad example for all Americans!
Leahy got the name Leaky because of his many actions during the time of Iran/Contra where, he, as Vice-Chair of the Senate Intel Committee, divuldged classified committee info to the media.
In 1985, he also revealed a secret communications intercept from Egyptian president, Mubarak, dealing with the Achille Lauro terrorists...which "cost the life of at least one Egyptian operative involved in the operation" (San Diego Tribune, 1987).
He followed that up, when in 1986, he revealed secret info about a covert operation to topple Libya's Qadaffi...leading to that plan being aborted at the time. The list goes on...
"I, for one, was also quite disappointed with Cheney's behavior and cursing. The Senate is steeped in tradition and decorum. In fact, politics are set aside and members of the Senate are expected to be genteel men and women. Cheney violated that."
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I'm sad to say that you have no perspective of the history of the Senate. Just yesterday, my local talk show host was discussing this as she read a list that would make you obviously cringe. From the (several) beatings with canes over other members heads...to actual gunfights on the senate floor. If the F-word is all we can point to, than I's say we come a long way...baby.
How would you react when the ONLY thing that people haven't accused VP Cheney of doing is killing puppies and eating them (though, actually, I'm sure you can find that somewhere on DU)?
Apparently, below is an demoSCUM image of the President eating children (based off of a sculpture called "Saturn Devouring one of his Children").
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