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

[blueskybigstar]

West Virginians, this shows what the elite, who are supposed to represent you and who you voted for, this is what they think of you hard working white people. Your very own kind think of you this way.

[thizzkid]

thats the problem they dont think they just see a white face and assume that he s like me and thats all no matter what the policy i would not be surprised if those comments upset sen Byrd so badly he fell ill. But I garantee the next time u see Cheney he will be smiling

[ALIMO]

What is sad is that politicians like Cheney and Hillary use these folks for political gain because they are poor, helpless and uneducated. Rich folks like to keep us uneducated and poor because that is how they get rich. They do not give a damn about the struggles of the poor-just need their votes in an election.

[anamorphicart]

Too bad, when they just voted for Hillary, that they were so blind!!

[exflatlander]

Why do you think it was against the law to educate a slave? The control of knowledge is power; emancipation comes when you learn you are a slave . Far too many dumbed down Americans think owning crap is power , and "freedom" is a flat screen TV. My SUV"is bigger than your Corrola; it must be I'm smarter than you. And better. So I hang out with Republican slave owners because we smart, white, better people are Republicans. Right?? After all it took the loss of homes, jobs, and medical insurance - to get people to get smart and wake up, didn't it? My! How surprised many were to realize what a sham the past 8 years has been. What an illusion of freedom and security.

The attack on the American education system has been relentless since the Reagan years. While we can throw money at oil companies and Halliburton without question and spend billions for wars, the Fox News zombies are still convinced that we spend too much money on schools.

The Bush solution is to privatize education, (as with every public service) , to send kids to "good" private schools. Ironically this is exactly how Pakistan handles education. Underfund the public system and let the religious schools educate the young - 'cept they call theirs madrassas.

We're breeding a Christian Taliban right here on our own soil while we destroy our public schools with mandates, frivolous law suits, screaming parents, out-of-control kids, crumbling buildings, and endless criticism.

[Roxanna]

Is there anybody even out there listening to Cheney???

Perhaps we should chip in and give him some serious counseling.... after all there are too many species on this planet even like him.

[UncensoredReports]

I'd rather chip in to give him (& BOTH bush's & et al) a one-way ticket to the Hague.

[Lisette]

Nice talk from the Vice President of the United States of America

Looks like your breeding was showing

[exflatlander]

Hey! We just chucked collectively when he told Pat Leahy to "go f*** yourself." After all, Pat was a liberal from a no-count state who probably had it coming.

[timmcveighjr]

If there is anything these re-pubs represent, it's CLASS!!

[KarateKid]

So?

[oldcitizen]

This latest insensitive remark and insincere follow up pseudo apology by Dick Cheney should not surprise any one. Every time Cheney emerges from his bunker to address a captive audience of Big Oil executives, military contractors, neo-con true believers, his wealthy cronies, and the "creme de la creme" of Republican Party VIP's, he utters some crude expletive or arrogant remark designed to slime those who are not members of America's "elite ruling class" or those who disagree with his inflated opinion of himself. It would be a pleasant surprise, however, if every working class man and woman would finally open their eyes and ears so they could see and hear how the most powerful rulers of the Republican Party really think and feel about all the rest of us.

[heal57]

Why shouldn't Cheney say what he wants. He has gotten away with so much; that's nothing. Get him for war crimes, real stuff. He's disgusting but he keeps getting away with it and he's so wealthy, it doesn't matter. Can you say Halliburton?

[bdd]

Senator Byrn,
Please keep hammering away at this and make it stick to McCain.
Also I hope all is well with you.

[research]

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia was not amused...

Then Byrd suddenly took ill...

[swokm]

Considering the number of sheep... ah, let's say "riding" jokes about Wyoming, the state where Cheney made his career, he's on thin ice there.

But I see his incest and raise him a bestiality. I will now only refer to him as Chicken-Plucker Cheney. Take notice, poor people. This is what that chicken-plucker thinks of you (presumably while he is plucking chickens). Zero respect.

[carlgt1]

what the hell, if Obama said this it would be 24x7 coverage for months!

[MetalCanuck]

youtube(dot)com/watch?v=-xtYV3bj3jU

Just put a dot where I put dot.

This is what the world see's.

[MetalCanuck]

This is the only thing Cheney doesn't need to apologize for..LOL:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xtYV3bj3jU

Here is the song that makes me think of the government today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uguysg69eo

[Cunningham]

He's a despicable person and a waste of flesh.