Quote for the Day

"You know, when we were growing up, the idea of people being gay simply wasn't something we ever thought about. And lo these many years later, we know that some of our classmates were, and it is interesting. It’s been this real evolution in our society. I think we've become more an evermore inclusive…and we’ve become more interested in the different ways that some kids are interested in dating early, some aren’t interested in dating until later in high school, and we no longer, I think, try to press everyone into a single mold, and that’s good," - Lynne Cheney, on the Hugh Hewitt show.

Cheney's view about the Republican party's brutal treatment of gay men and lesbians, reiterated on the Daily Show last night, is that she disagrees with it and has said so publicly. And that's supposed to be the end of the matter. That her own daughter is denied even the ability to form a legally-secure private contract with her wife in Virginia where they live - thanks entirely to the Republican party - is somehow glossed over. I have to say I don't buy it - and Hugh Hewitt's attempt to portray himself as tolerant of gays is also a cop-out. He isn't. If he had his way, my civil marriage would be shredded. The Cheneys routinely support and give credibility to and rely upon people who demonize their own family, and embolden forces that make life intolerable for many people in this country. A few platitudes, almost always uttered to get themselves off the hook in decent society, do not count as courage. And their invocation of privacy to protect themselves from legitimate questions about their rank hypocrisy is b.s. of the most refined variety.