Dick Cheney On Gay Marriage: "I Certainly Don't Have Any Problem With It" (VIDEO)

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, surprised viewers on Tuesday's episode of "The View" when they they expressed their support for gay marriage.

"I think freedom means freedom for everybody," said the former vice president, "and you ought to have the right to make whatever choice you want to make with respect to your own personal situation."

"I certainly don't have any problem with it," he added.

Barbara Walters, one of the hosts of "The View," raised the subject when she asked Lynne Cheney what she thought of gay marriage.

Lynne Cheney responded by telling Walters about their gay daughter, Mary, and her partner, Heather, who have two kids. "Whatever Mary and Heather decide to do is up to Mary and Heather," she said.

"So you're not against gay marriage?" Walters asked.

"That's right," Lynne Cheney said, nodding as the crowd applauded.

This isn't the first time that Dick Cheney has expressed support for gay marriage, and his comments on Tuesday echoed what he said at the National Press Club in June 2009. But in those comments, however, he added that he believed that same-sex marriage "ought to be handled on a state-by-state basis."

The former vice president was on "The View" promoting "In My Time," his new memoir.

Comments

[Ifeanyi Akaolisa]

06:07 AM on 09/15/2011

no, and that's because his daughter is a lesbian. if there weren't any member of his on that receiving end he might easily pull out a heat seeker missile and blast everything off the hunting party reservation..

[Frog in a pot]

03:33 AM on 09/15/2011

No .but he will use hatred of gays to win elections.He has no problem with that either.

[M Mahbubur Rahman]

11:55 PM on 09/14/2011

marriage: the formal union of a man and a woman, typically as recognized by law, by which they become husband [Oxford Dictionary]. (Although lot of dictionaries changed lately about the definition)

"Gay Marriage" is against the existence of human species. If it's acceptable, think what happens if the entire people on Earth are gay ? The human species will be extinct in less than 100 years. So it's naturally wrong.

[BlueMrsKitty]

09:02 PM on 09/15/2011

So, you would be gay if it were legal to marry as a gay person? Interesting.

[Tiger C]

11:05 PM on 09/15/2011

If the entire people of Earth are gay.... the human species would be extinct in 100 years or less no mater what the marriage laws in the US were.

[northstar11]

07:23 PM on 09/14/2011

so dickie now that you have finally supported your gay daughter ------long overdue -----how do you feel about interracial marriage ??

[Tecsim]

06:27 PM on 09/14/2011

I wonder if his stance on torture would change if his daughter had been tortured or sent off to a secret CIA prison in Azerbaijan.

Or maybe his stance on launching a war using other people's kids would change if his daughter were sent to die in a senseless conflict.

[istanbulite]

03:11 PM on 09/14/2011

At least Mr and Mrs Cheney are able to think outside the box on this issue. Full credit is due when
anyone allows new information to change a solidified belief system. Perhaps the new brain pathways will allow for other outside the box options.

[fairylvr77]

01:53 PM on 09/14/2011

Dick Cheney's new opinion gay marriage is exactly why there is a National Coming Out Day http://www.hrc.org/ncod/
Because when there is a face and a real person behind an issue, especially if it is a person you love, it is harder to be opposed to the issue. The more people who come out and live out, the more lives are touched, the more accepted gay issues will be.

[abuckley23]

01:45 PM on 09/14/2011

He's okay with gay marriage. However he also believes they should all be shot...

[mrmanning911]

02:08 PM on 09/14/2011

Not that is just downright ugly.

[BlueMrsKitty]

09:03 PM on 09/15/2011

How is it ugly to point out that he has shot a guy in the face?

[jmoderate99]

01:28 PM on 09/14/2011

I guess he believes in situational ethics. He is ethical when it comes to his kid, not so much on many other issues however. Wonder what he would say if his kid was a heroin user. "Uh, I don't see any problem with a little smack once in awhile." WAIT, isn't that what the Paul's say.
Seriously, I'm glad he feels the way he does, but it is surely based on his own family not on the public at large. No telling what he would say if his kid were straight.

[mrmanning911]

02:10 PM on 09/14/2011

And you think your view is moderate?

[Carolab]

02:52 AM on 09/15/2011

That's the Republican way -- be against something considered "progressive" or (gasp) "socialist"  unless it personally affects you or your family.

[Wild Turkey]

01:23 PM on 09/14/2011

cognitive disonance

[fanoftruthiness]

01:16 PM on 09/14/2011

Someone should unplug his Borg machine.

[Fractal122635]

03:42 PM on 09/14/2011

What is the point of that remark? Are you that blind that you don't see your own anger?

[brklynivn]

01:08 PM on 09/14/2011

Notice unlike some other Kristian bigots, they stand up for their children - not through them into the streets.

[ProudElitist]

01:19 PM on 09/14/2011

In what way are they "standing up" for anyone? Their "position" on the issue is based on personal circumstance and political convenience, not compassion for his fellow humans.

[Jason N]

01:50 PM on 09/14/2011

His point being, many so-called Christians upon hearing their son is gay or daughter a lesbian will literally disown them. They will throw them out of the house, not speak to them, and act like they don't exist. I've talked to guys who were taken to the middle of a dark, empty field and told by their father they could "stop this nonsense" or never leave this field. That's not exaggerated either, the poor guy went home and ran away 3 days later.

The Cheney's, as bad as they are, at least stand by their children and support them 110%.

[Just Breathe]

01:06 PM on 09/14/2011

This man was unscrupulous while in office...and suddenly he's trying to be Mr. Nice Guy? What's up with that? I think he's trying to rewrite his personal history for the sake of his family.
Look at the role he played in the wars. Look at the role he played with Enron and big business. He wouldn't even speak up for gay rights or take pictures with his lesbian daughter after she had his grandson...wouldn't look good politically, you know? He can't admit to making any mistakes...he's just hoping he can erase everyone's memories of him.

[fisherdude1969]

03:25 PM on 09/14/2011

such drama with you! Someone asked him if he supports gay marriage and he said yes.

Relax.

[Just Breathe]

03:41 PM on 09/14/2011

Cheney is a war criminal who is trying to scramble America's memories of him.
How can I relax when I see such a convincing actor on such a big stage?

(And he did nothing to support GLBT rights when he was VP...his support is a farce to save face at this point.)

[BlueMrsKitty]

09:04 PM on 09/15/2011

He did not say "support"...he said he has nothing against it. BIG DIFFERENCE.

[mikefly562]

01:01 PM on 09/14/2011

While I'm not a supporter of Cheney, and actually don't even like him, but I'm glad he supports equal rights.

[owlbreath]

01:00 PM on 09/14/2011

When the issue becomes personal, they leave the party line. The same is true for Nancy Reagan concerning stem cell research as it relates to diseases of the brain.

[mrmanning911]

02:15 PM on 09/14/2011

They say a conservative is a liberal mugged by reality.
Reality does have a way of slapping all of us around a bit!