Cheney address highlights Day Five

• Feb 17, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett

  Vice President Dick Cheney's address to the Legislature today struck a positive and bipartisan tone by all accounts, and it was well received by all of the Democrats in attendance who I talked to later in the day.

  Cheney began by expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome six days after his hunting accident that has been the main national news story all week, and he reported that his hunting partner's recovery is going well.

  "It's a wonderful experience to be greeted with such warmth by the leaders of our great state," Cheney said. "That's especially true when you've had a very long week. Thankfully Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well."

  Rep. Bill Thompson, D-Green River, said he led the applause when Cheney shared the good news about Whittington. Thompson also said a lot of people in Wyoming who hunt and fish may have had close calls, and they recognize the inherent dangers in those kinds of activities. Thompson also said it's time for an end to people joking about the incident.

  I watched the speech on TV. CNN broadcast the beginning of it but then switched to something else when it became obvious the vice president didn't have anything particularly newsworthy to say after his comments about Whittington. So I switched to a local TV station to watch the rest of his remarks.

  Cheney told a few stories about his experiences as an intern in the Legislature and talked about some of the other interesting experiences in his political career. He said the Democrats had the Wyoming House majority when he worked at the Legislature, and he will never forget the day then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey addressed the Legislature, from the very rostrum where Cheney spoke today.

  The entire text of Cheney's speech can be found on his official Website at:

  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060217-3.html

  Like I said, all the Democrats who attended the speech that I spoke to appreciated its laid-back and bipartisan tone. Gov. Dave Freudenthal issued this statement in reaction to Cheney's visit:

  "It's an honor to have the vice president in Cheyenne, and particularly to have him in this building where he started his political life. The speech that he gave was very bipartisan and an appropriate speech for this time in Wyoming's history, when our Legislature is in session. I know that I listened carefully to what he had to say, and I hope the Legislature did also, but most of all I think it was a great homecoming for Dick and Lynne Cheney to be here in Wyoming, in Cheyenne, and in the Capitol building."

  Several Democratic legislators appreciated the bipartisan tone of Cheney's remarks. Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, said the speech reflected the unique way we do business in Wyoming by focusing on individuals and their ideas instead of their party labels.

  "It's always nice to hear from the vice president of the United States," Massie said. "The message was bipartisan, which I also greatly appreciate. It's a reminder that our dialogue here, especially in the Legislature, is more constructive than it is in Congress."

  Senate Minority Leader Rae Lynn Job, D-Rock Springs, said most people who were there were excited to be in the room when the vice president delivered a public address. She characterized his comments as enjoyable and neutral. "It was a nice walk down memory lane as far as Wyoming political history goes," she said.

  Thompson and Rep. Ross Diercks, D-Lusk, also expressed their appreciation for Cheney's bipartisan tone.

  "I thought it was a very good speech in comparison to what could have been done," Thompson said in reference to the lack of partisanship.

  "I liked that he talked about both parties working for Wyoming," Diercks said.

  I didn't spend very much time at the Capitol Building today, but I did make it for the introductory votes on a couple bills that would substantially increase funding for local governments. I was sitting next to Wyoming Association of Municipalities Director George Parks before those votes, and I asked him if the first bill was going to get the needed 40 votes for introduction. "It better," was his reply. Both bills made it, so that should help his mood this weekend.

  I'll be back on Monday for another week of reports, observations and thoughts about the 2006 budget session. Have a good weekend.

   

  login and comment      main blog

• Re: Cheney address highlights Day Five
  Feb 22, 2006 | Jimmy Porter | jporter@dteworld.com 
  I have heard Cheney talk before. He can do it out of both sides of his mouth. To me, I would not care how bipartisan his speeches sound, he is one of the greatest dangers to America, both as a politician and ex-politician. I would not want to take him on any hunting trips with me. Sorry Dick, you are not my kind of American.

login and comment