Cheney Utters 'F-Word' in Senate - Aides
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| Fri, 06-25-2004 - 7:49am |
I know things can get heated on the Senate Floor (just look at our discussions here on the board, HA!), but I think Cheney went too far here. It was completely uncalled for (in my opinion) just as it would be completely uncalled for here on this board for someone to say that to another member. That will surely not help Cheney's rep (I can hear the cheers from the left right now... LOL)
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/411298|top|06-24-2004::18:30|reuters.html
Jun 24, 6:28 PM (ET)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney blurted out the "F word" at Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont during a heated exchange on the Senate floor, congressional aides said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in a terse discussion between the two that touched on politics, religion and money, with Cheney finally telling Leahy to "f--- off" or "go f--- yourself," the aides said.
"I think he was just having a bad day," Leahy was quoted as saying on CNN, which first reported the incident. "I was kind of shocked to hear that kind of language on the floor."
"That doesn't sound like language the vice president would use but there was a frank exchange of views," said Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems.
According to congressional aides, Leahy said hello to Cheney following the taking of the Senate group photo on the floor of the chamber.
Cheney, who is president of the Senate, then ripped into Leahy for the Democratic senator's criticism this week of alleged war profiteering in Iraq by Halliburton, the oil services company that Cheney once ran.
Leahy and other Democrats have called for congressional hearings into whether the vice president helped the firm win lucrative contracts in Iraq after the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
During their exchange, Leahy noted that Republicans had accused Democrats of being anti-Catholic because they are opposed to some of President Bush's anti-abortion judges, the aides said.
That's when Cheney unloaded with the "F-bomb," aides said.
According to Senate rules, profanity is not permitted in the chamber. But when the exchange occurred between Leahy and Cheney, the Senate was not in session so there was technically no foul.
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
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I think alot of politicians can lose their tempers. And let's not forget the nickname for the senator from Massachusetts and Presidential candidate..John F'in Kerry.
The sad thing is it's really a sign of how devisive things are now. It seems to be impossible for people of differing views to communicate without resorting to name calling, ridiculing. It's really sad.
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Nah, many a person on these boards seem to be able to debate without name calling.
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
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Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
ITA!
Killing for peace is a true obscenity!
Cheney Says He Has No Regrets for Cursing Leahy
By Caren Bohan
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Reuters) - Vice President (news - web sites) Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said on Friday he had no regrets about a bitter exchange with Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy in which the vice president used an obscenity.
Cheney, on a campaign swing through the Midwest battleground states of Iowa and Michigan, hurled the "F-word" at Leahy during a conversation between the two on Tuesday, according to congressional aides.
Asked if he cursed the Vermont senator, Cheney told the Fox News program, the Cavuto Report, "Probably."
But he said "No" when asked whether he regretted it.
"I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it," Cheney said.
According to congressional aides, Leahy said hello to Cheney following the taking of the Senate group photo on the floor of the chamber.
Cheney, who is president of the Senate, then ripped into Leahy for the Democratic senator's criticism this week of alleged war profiteering in Iraq (news - web sites) by Halliburton, the oil services company that Cheney once ran.
During their exchange, Leahy noted Republicans had accused Democrats of being anti-Catholic because they are opposed to some of President Bush (news - web sites)'s anti-abortion judges, the aides said.
That's when Cheney used the obscenity in telling Leahy what he could do, aides said.
"I expressed my unhappiness with the way he's been conducting himself," Cheney said in his Friday interview. "He had challenged my integrity and I didn't like that. But most of all I didn't like the fact that after he'd done so that he wanted to act like everything is peaches and cream and I informed him of my view of his conduct."
Cheney said that was not the "kind of language I usually use."
"I think a lot of my colleagues felt what I had said badly needed to be said, that it was long overdue," he added.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, declined to comment on Cheney's remarks, saying, "I didn't hear them."
But speaking about increased partisanship in his chamber, Frist told reporters, "Civility, we need more of it in the Senate ... and probably in Washington, D.C. (news - web sites), generally."
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