Cheney Makes Incest Joke About West Virginians

***UPDATE*** Akers reports that Cheney has now apologized for his West Virginia incest joke:

Vice President Dick Cheney has apologized through his spokeswoman for making an offhand joke during a speech at the National Press Club Monday stereotyping West Virginia as a state prone to incest.

Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride tells us, "The Vice President's offhand comment was not meant to hurt anyone. 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."

Mary Ann Akers of the Washington Post asks if West Virginia was just handed to the Democrats when Dick Cheney made an incest joke at West Virginians' expense:

Cheney was at the Press Club to congratulate this year's winners of the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. During a question-and-answer session toward the end of the luncheon, someone asked the vice president about his wife Lynne Cheney's revelation on MSNBC last year that "Dick and Barack Obama are eighth cousins."

The questioner jokingly asked the vice president if he and Obama were going to have a family reunion, to which Cheney replied he would "have no objections" though he said he doubted Obama would want one - "certainly not before November."

Then came the offensive punch line. Cheney explained that during the course of researching his family lineage for Lynne's memoir "Blue Skies, No Fences" last year, he learned there were Cheneys on both his father's and his mother's side of the family. There was a Richard Cheney on his mother's side, the vice president said.

"So I had Cheneys on both sides of the family and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney quipped.

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia was not amused:

"That a man who has ascended to the seat of Vice President of the United States would openly display such contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen is an insult to all Americans. Now that he or the Administration he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia. With his trademark arrogance, the Vice President even added 'You can say those things when you're not running for re-election.'"

"This pitiful comment is not entirely surprising when you consider the source. Vice President Cheney's words reflect the attitude of an administration and a party that says what they must to get elected and then turns their backs on those they promised to represent."

Comments

[Susanfrom29]

HIs mother should wash his mouth out with soap.

[lilphucker]

He;s spawn of Satan. He doesn't have a "mother" as we do.

[lisakaz2]

No doubt, someone will try to relate this to Obama. It makes about as much sense as Ayers.

[brendanm]

Wow, I guess now I can no longer defend Dick Cheney's character. The lies, the torture, the no-bid contracts to his company, the reversal on carbon emissions control, the devastating unnecessary war in Iraq, the shooting of a man in the face, etc. - I could overlook that trivial stuff, but this affront to my beloved Southern neighbors in West Virginia can not stand!

[KMan1]

West Virginians don’t seem to be too offended by how poorly they are treated by the Republican Party so I don’t expect them to make much of a fuss now. Unfortunately some folks seem to take pride in being used and disrespected.

[happypup]

Cheny should be encouraged to speak up and offend everyone and anyone between now and November.

[GingerB]

Great reply, Senator Byrd!

[rlimerick]

Byrd made a great reply. This kind of joke from Cheney doesn't really merit a response. It shows what we already know about him and this administration. I am a registerred republican who is changing to democrat because of the total failure of the last 8 years of this party. We have all heard jokes like this for years and frankly, some are funny. That is no big deal. Now if Cheney wants to do something significant, he should spend the rest of his years asking forgiveness from the families of men and women that were killed or maimed in Iraq. That is what I will hold against him.

[paganmist]

If only we could put Cheney and the entire Bush Administration together in the same duck blind.

[zippywpinhead]

keep talking Dick, Obama can use the votes...

[drkazmd65]

Yep,... Dick Cheney is one class act,...

[V4Vigilance]

CORRECTION:
A word was inadvertently dropped from the first sentence of the second paragraph.

SHOULD READ:
...the [ONION'S] Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency.

[stamper]

lol!