As I've said, it is a simple fact that former Vice President Dick Cheney has long been willing to provide nominal support for gay marriage. Yet, as many readers have reminded me -- quite reasonably and fairly -- for the most part, Cheney has provided lip service in lieu of actually doing much of anything to secure marriage equality for all Americans. With that in mind, credit Fox News' Shepard Smith for giving this critique some voice. In this clip, Smith characterizes Cheney's support as "trying to have it both ways" and as "a cop out."
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As you can see, Smith's contention is greeted by Rick Klein, of ABC News' "The Note" with this countering statement: "Oh, well, that's really the traditional position taken by people if they support gay marriage," the implication being that Cheney is doing precisely what the Beltway elites who support gay marriage in the "traditional" (a better term would be "risk averse") way do. As you might expect, what Klein finds "interesting" is the fact that Cheney is to the "left flank" of Obama on this issue, which is SHINY SHINY.
Hey, Rick! You know, I understand that since its inception, ABC News' The Note has never stood for anything beyond a long, lingering stare down into the depths of its unfathomable navel -- and really, I hope that never, ever changes -- but for the sake of demystifying some stuff for you, I think you should know that it's absolutely possible for there to be a way of "traditionally" supporting something that is, simultaneously, a "cop out."
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