Posted on 05/14/2006 5:03:17 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
The lesbian daughter of US Vice President Dick Cheney hit out at President George W. Bush's support for a constitutional amendment proscribing gay marriage.
Mary Cheney, 37, told Fox News Sunday that the idea, which was backed strongly by Bush's Republican Party during his 2004 re-election campaign and continues to be promoted by many conservatives today, was "a bad piece of legislation".
"I think that is what the federal marriage amendment is, it is writing discrimination into the constitution.
"It is writing discrimination into the constitution and, as I say, it is fundamentally wrong."
"I would also hope that no one would think about trying to amend the constitution as a political strategy," she added.
Cheney, who worked on her father's campaign staff in 2004, said she very nearly quit the reelection effort over the issue.
In the wake of controversial moves to make same-sex marriage legal in California and other states, conservatives pushed strongly to have the constitution amended to define marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.
The effort failed in mid-2004, but a number of individual states passed their own initiatives to restrict marriage to traditional male-female couples.
Cheney, who has just published a book, "It's My Turn", covering in part her experience during the campaign, said she was troubled by the stance of the party she was backing.
"President Bush obviously feels very strongly about this issue ... Quite honestly, it was an issue I had some trouble with, as I talk about in the book. I came very close to quitting my job on the re-election campaign over this very issue."
But she said she was also "very angry" when Bush and Dick Cheney's opponents in the campaign, Senators John Kerry and John Edwards, challenged the Bush stance by publicly pointing out that Mary Cheney was a lesbian.
"It was a cheap and blatant political ploy" when Edwards used her as an example in debating the issue with her father, Mary Cheney said.
Speaking separately on Fox News Sunday, Bush's wife Laura noted the issue of gay marriage still sparked debate across the country.
"I don't think it should be used as a campaign tool, obviously," she said.
"But I do think it's something that people in the United States want to debate. And it requires a lot of sensitivity to talk about the issue, a lot of sensitivity."
LOL... Something Bush has said that is correct. Poor Cheney-he was really dealt a dark hand to have a daughter like her.
Those types were who Kery and Edwards were speaking to. They were hoping to shave off enough votes to make a difference in the election. Thankfully, their plan failed.
Which doesn't explain Mary Cheney, Jamiel Terry (Randall Terry's son), or Maya Keyes...
I don't think it would impact the lives of that many people one way or the other. I don't even see it as a major issue, except for the humor potential.
I still don't get it, for a bunch of people who cannot reproduce, their numbers keep on increasing. It defies logic.
Most people don't subscribe to that "learned behavior" theory any more. I really doubt that the Cheneys, Keyes, or Randall Terry families taught their children homosexuality.
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Seriously tho, do you get the feeling that some people would support Edwards and Kerry and their psycho beast ways of campaigning than agree with Mary Cheney?
The kerry/edwards thing was a piece of weird desperation. It probably scared off a few voters, but didn't switch them to the dems.
The worse thing are those conservative folks who keep insisting that environment, molestation etc. turns people gay -- which doesn't reflect well on the vice president.
Most people don't subscribe to that "learned behavior" theory any more. I really doubt that the Cheneys, Keyes, or Randall Terry families taught their children homosexuality.
The thing that gets me is the folks who call a gay kid a "tragedy." Uh no, a tragedy is a kid who dies of a bad ticker or cancer or gets run over by a truck. A gay kid who grows up to make their place in the world isn't a tragedy. It's just some kid...
Media spinning spinning spinning.
she even said he liked Bush.
I should have said "she even said she liked Bush."
Agree completely. In fact, one of the posts on this thread said it was a trajedy.
None. But she is the daughter of the VP, who is also against altering the Constitution.
There is very little support in Congress for any constitutional amendments of any kind.
Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...
That is what a 'conservative' is to me.
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