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

[collprof]

We expect no less from the big Dick Cheney than to insult an entire state. After all he has insulted an entire country with lying via outing a CIA agent and insulted an entire planet by lying about the need for unilateral attack against Iraq.

We wish Mr. Cheney well in his new life effective JANUARY 20, 2009 which can't come quick enough for the 81% of Americans who have negative feelings about the job he is doing.

Say Goodnight Dick.............

[jashu51]

The Cheneys are the Borgias of the New World.

[afgail]

More like Caligula.

[Teritt]

Who wants to start a countdown clock of when Cheney will go to a FOX reporter and move his lips and actually say he's sorry to the folks of WV?

[Janel]

This is a man who answered, "So??" when told that most Americans are against the war. His contempt for others makes it all the more urgent to get a new face in Washington replacing the two that have been in charge for the last eight years.

[guntotinganglion]

This shows what happens when Republicans attempt humor. It's not a pretty sight.

IMPEACHMENT NOW

[Bpeirce]

Have another piece of pizza Dick

[triplbee]

My parents are from Appalachia and almost all of their relatives are Republicans. I've never been able to understand this since it's so apparent that the GOP favors rich folks and looks down on poor and working class people. Cheney's slip of the tongue is indicative of how most Republican leaders view people in states like West Virginia.

[Amminadab]

It is no worse than what Obama supporters say about West Virginia.

[Suthngal]

I am an Obama supporter, Republican, voted for Bush and I have visited West Virginia. I have NEVER made a joke about WV. I think Cheney was out of line, and I also think that you are ignorant to make such a broad comment.

[BurtR]

I wonder if Jessica Lynch thought that was funny.

[americanwomaninpa]

This isn't even a story. Grow up.

[KHAAANNN]

Look at the smirk on his face.
You KNOW he is thinking;
"Go ahead and complain Bee-yatches! I've got my pardon in my pocket, and my old job at Haliburton waiting in Dubai (where they have no extradition treaties or bank regulations.) snicker, snicker, snicker.......'F' you all."
It's good to be the King.

[captnEarl]

I hope both of these BA****DS stop and realize that WV military people have paid dearly for their wars, the lieing draft dodging AWOL scumbags don't deserve the sweat from the asses of the WV people.

A pissed off Wv. native

[koromuso]

Has anyone anyone pointed out here that Eleanor Roosevelt's maiden name was Roosevelt? Consequently, her children (and FDR's) had Roosevelts on both side of the family.

Cheney is a vile man. He has said so many things that are so much worse than what is reported in the story here that I can't take this at all seriously.

[hartkid]

don't hold your breath waiting for an apology from that turd (unless your within a few feet of him, then hold your breath for your own safety). For revelations about the actual origins of Dick see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDqEWwDIU8&feature=related

[GhettoGrapevine]

If "you can say those things when you're not running for re-election," what's next, a few of Cheney's timelessly hilarious n*gger jokes? (Let's just hope he doesn't tell them in front of as appreciative an audience as the National Press Club, whose guffawing members clearly found nothing offensive in his incest quip.)

[edfrienz]

Oh Dick Cheney your WV comment is just toooooooooooo cute. What do you actually know about WV? I will be you know one thing it would be nice to get the votes of these people who you indicate use incest. Will an apology work when someone who is supposed to be smart enough to be President of the US makes such asinine statements. A former WV and am proud of it. I will bet if you look hard you could say this about your state too.