Dick had a really bad day.
Seems Vice President Dick Cheney lost his cool today during a “confrontation” with Senator Patrick Leahy on the floor of the Senate.
Senate aides with knowledge of the encounter Tuesday said the vice president confronted Leahy about some of the Democrat’s criticism about alleged improprieties in Iraq military contracts awarded to Halliburton Co. Cheney, who as vice president is president of the Senate, is a former CEO of Halliburton.Leahy responded by criticizing the White House for standing by allies who had accused Democrats of being anti-Catholic last year in opposing one of President Bush’s judicial nominees, said one Senate aide, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Cheney then responded, “F– off” or “F– you,” the aide said.
Now, I’m no Congressional historian, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that the “seat of democracy” has been a fountain of profanities from time to time. But, it’s pretty rare, to my knowledge, for such language to drift outside the Capitol walls. A recent notable exception was James Traficant, Democratic Congressman from Ohio, who was known for his colorful language and flashy demeanor. (Traficant was expelled from the House for alleged bribery and kickbacks.)
So, what’s got the usually calm and collected Dick so wound up? Well, for starters, Leahy has been one of the main forces behind the brewing Senate interest in Cheney’s Halliburton connection and contracts in Iraq due to the war. Cheney has claimed “no operational involvement with letting of any contracts” for Halliburton in Iraq. But, as these things go, there is, of course, an e-mail which appears to support the opposite:
“It totally contradicts the Vice President’s previous assertions of having no contact” with federal officials about Halliburton’s Iraq deals, Senator Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, told reporters.
That’s not the only storm cloud hanging over Dick’s yard party.
In January, a rumor made the rounds that the GOP was considering dumping Dick from the 2004 GOP ticket, in favor of that lovable 9/11 superman, that rascally Rudy Giuliani. Flash forward to the present…
In yesterday’s USA Today and a number of other papers, James P. Gannon of the Des Moines Register offered up an editorial entitled “Cheney needs to step aside for good of Bush, party”. So, Dick’s got a whole lot on his mind these days.
There are two interesting and important things to keep in mind regarding Cheney’s use of the “f word” on the Senate floor. I’d be willing to bet, while not the first time a profanity was used in that room, that it’s a rare time indeed when that particular word has been used in quite that way on the floor of the Senate, if ever. I’ll leave the specifics to more learned scholars of Congressional historical rhetoric.
The second interesting thing about it is that Vice President Dick Cheney said it at all. It’s shocking that such a rock stoic stalwart of all that is decent and honorable about the current Administration would use such language. Coming from the second in command of a White House that has so vehemently fought against profanity, that has fought to implement real anti-profanity policy, to rid our world of that horrible, dreaded, and evil “f word”. I’m shocked. Really… I am…. shocked….
Finally, lest we forget, the White House chastised John Kerry for using the diabolical “f word” in off the record comments caught on tape:
When I voted for the war, I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect Howard Dean to go off to the left and say, ‘I’m against everything?’ Sure. Did I expect George Bush to f— it up as badly as he did? I don’t think anybody did.”
Troll repellent: Yes, of course the bills put forth against profanity applied to broadcasting over the air. But, near as I can tell, Cheney’s only bit of luck of late was that he didn’t say what he said before the cameras. (Or did he?)
In my book though, saying someone “fucked up” and telling someone to “fuck off” are apples and oranges. The latter being definitely more caustic, and considering it was said on the floor of the Senate… Poor poor Dick. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the conservative anti-profanity brigade to give Richard a good tongue lashing. What can you say? Dick fucked up.
There’s another word that comes to mind.
