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West Virginians offended by Cheney
Cheney, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, noted his distant relationship with Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender from Illinois. He then said he had a grandmother whose last name was Tyler but was descended from a Cheney.
"So I had Cheneys on both sides of the family, and we don't even live in West Virginia," the vice president quipped.
While that drew laughs from the crowd, it didn't sit well with West Virginia leaders, who demanded, and got, an apology, The Charleston Gazette reported.
"I truly cannot believe that any vice president of the United States, regardless of their political affiliation, would make such a derogatory statement about my state or any state, for that matter," Gov. Joe Manchin said.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said Cheney showed "contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen."
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., called it "exactly the type of stereotyping that we don't need from our elected officials."
Cheney's office extended an apology.
"The vice president's offhand comment was not meant to hurt anyone,'' Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said. "On reflection, he concluded that it was an inappropriate attempt at humor that he should not have made. The vice president apologizes to the people of West Virginia for the inappropriate remark.''
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 06/03/2008
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Posted Comments:
06-05-2008 21:35
bobbyr54 wrote:
the V.P.
Come on people, lighten up. V.P. Chenney didn't say anything any worse than commedians like Jay Leno, Don Rickles and others have said. You people are also forgetting he was saying it the same about himself and his own family. But you only remember one little line of something he said instead of his entire talk. I have heard worse things than that said about my home state of Wisconsin.
06-05-2008 19:24
Izzy in Minneapolis wrote:
The People of West Virginia...
... have their panties in a bunch over a comment that obviously strikes a bit too close to home. And if things strike a tad too close to home for them, well, then, that means there must be some truth to the statement.
West Virginians ought to sit back and shut up--remember the adage: "Keep thy mouth shut and appear a fool rather than open it up and confirm the suspicion."
West Virginians ought to sit back and shut up--remember the adage: "Keep thy mouth shut and appear a fool rather than open it up and confirm the suspicion."
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