Posted on 08/24/2004 1:43:08 PM PDT by ambrose
Posted on Tue, Aug. 24, 2004
Cheney Backs Freedom for Gay Relationships
TODD DVORAK
Associated Press
DAVENPORT, Iowa - Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, spoke supportively about gay relationships on Tuesday, saying "freedom means freedom for everyone."
At a campaign rally in this Mississippi River town, Cheney was asked about his stand on gay marriage - an issue for which his boss, President Bush, has pushed for a constitutional amendment to ban such unions.
"Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue our family is very familiar with," Cheney said. "With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone ... People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.
"The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that's been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage," he said.
Bush backs a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage, a move Cheney says was prompted by various judicial rulings, including the action in Massachusetts that made gay marriage legal.
"I think his perception was that the courts, in effect, were beginning to change, without allowing the people to be involved," Cheney said. "The courts were making the judgment for the entire country."
That stand put Cheney at odds with his wife. Last month, Lynne Cheney said states should have the final say over the legal status of personal relationships, a comment that came just days before the Senate failed to back the ban.
Cheney said the amendment did not have the votes to pass, but he also said the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which President Clinton signed into law in 1996, may be sufficient to resolve the issue.
The Cheneys have two daughters, both of whom are working on the campaign. Mary Cheney is director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. She held a public role as her father's assistant in the 2000 campaign and helped the GOP recruit gay voters during the 2002 midterm elections.
During the 2000 campaign, vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney took the position that states should decide legal issues about personal relationships and that people should be free to enter relationships of their choosing.
While Bush and Cheney back the proposed constitutional amendment, their Democratic rivals, Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, oppose the amendment.
The Democrats also oppose gay marriage, but defend a gay couple's rights to the same legal protections as those conferred in marriage.
I agree with you that homosexuality is not a "nuance."
But my message did not describe it as such. Again, you must read more carefully. By "nuance," I clearly referred to the fine points of what Cheney was saying or not saying, not to homosexuality itself.
Figures you'd be for gay marriage. Liberal.
I never said any such thing.
But, of course, you are a documented liar.
Gosh, this is weird: you and I actually agree on something. :-)
Try reading the post,before your answer a different query. LOL
Cheney's position is close to mine, except that I support nationalized gay marriage, but only if done by the legislative branch, and signed by the executive.
Last time I checked, JimRob decides that, not you.
Stranger than truth ain't it? ; )
I'm sorry to hear about your nephew. My condolences to you and your family.
"But if you want to indulge in personal attacks, i suggest you dedicate a separate thread to it."
And then a classic: "Btw you do realize that you are sick and need professional help."
You're either suspended, in which case we get to go over why there are SO many things wrong with your two statements here, or you're banned and we are reprieved from having to hear such statements from you as "I was away for seven days to show you how little I think of you."
"Dear, it's time to take your medication again..."
How about discussing issues and keep the personal attacks to yourself, OK?
There is no way to make what he said pretty. Unless he said more than I've heard and that was edited.
But I don't think it amounts to a blanket endorsement of sodomy.
Yup.
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