I love when this happens.  When the most vilified man in the Bush administration, Darth Cheney actually says something they agree with, the liberals actually have to dial back their hatred and accept that maybe not all republicans and conservatives are howling homophobes, as they try to make them appear to be.

It’s hard to marginalize someone who is being honest and reasonable, isn’t it?  And I totally agree with him on the federalism issue.

Cheney Hints He Supports Gay Marriage

Former Vice President Dick Cheney told the National Press Club he thinks “people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish.” Cheney said the decision to legalize gay marriage should be up to the states and not the federal government.

CHENEY: As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don’t support. I do believe that the historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. But I don’t have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that.

See the link for a video.  I think his having a lesbian daughter has really forced him to accept the realities of this issue.

Hot Air had this to say:

Yet another issue on which he and The One disagree. No surprise here, especially given Gallup’s poll on how knowing someone gay affects one’s view of gay rights: Cheney said much the same thing back in 2000 at his VP debate with Joe Lieberman, although that answer was hedged with ambivalence about whether states should grant civil unions or go the whole nine yards towards full marriage rights. He doesn’t explicitly endorse marriage this time, but there’s no hedge this time either. Just good ol’ fashioned federalism, which puts him at odds with fellow conservative gay marriage supporter Ted Olson but squarely in line with the HA readership.

Cheney has no axe to grind, no agenda any longer, so I see his comments as heartfelt and honest.  Take note.  This is what happens when you take the politics away from a politician:  you get an honest opinion.

Maybe some of you think that honesty is not his strong suit, but this time he got it right.

And kudos to him for forcing the BDS machine to go to idle for at least a brief moment. 

Cheer up liberals, you can hate him again tomorrow.

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