fuck yourself
i guess this is pretty much the message we’ve been seeing from the white house for a while… only simpler, for consumption in the senate?
Testy, Testy, Testy [washington post, june 25, 2004]At a photo session on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Cheney ran into Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. That sparked an exchange about Cheney’s ties to Halliburton and the White House’s bare-knuckle tactics on judicial nominees.
Helen Dewar and Dana Milbank write in The Washington Post: “The exchange ended when Cheney offered some crass advice.
” ‘Fuck yourself,’ said the man who is a heartbeat from the presidency. . . .
“As it happens, the exchange occurred on the same day the Senate passed legislation described as the ‘Defense of Decency Act’ by 99 to 1. . . .
thanks, dick. i’ll take that under advisement.
[for the fox news interview version, read below]
update (9:10):
[more thoughtful thoughts from me on this at joi’s blog – see the comments here]
Transcript: Interview With Dick Cheney [fox news, june 25, 2004]CAVUTO: All right. Sir, a couple of little issues I want settled, or maybe to get the real skinny on. One was this blowout you had the other day with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. What happened?
CHENEY: Well, I guess you could say we had a little floor debate in the United States Senate.
CAVUTO: I heard it was more than a debate.
CHENEY: Well, I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it.
CAVUTO: All right. Now, did you use the “F” word?
CHENEY: That’s not the kind of language I usually use.
CAVUTO: All right, because the reports were that you did.
CHENEY: Yes, that’s not the kind of language I ordinarily use. But…
CAVUTO: What did you tell him?
CHENEY: I expressed my dissatisfaction for Senator Leahy.
CAVUTO: Over his comments about you and Halliburton?
CHENEY: No. It was partly that. It was partly — also, it had to do with — he is the kind of individual who will make those kinds of charges and then come after you as though he’s your best friend. And I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my views of the — of his conduct and walked away.
CAVUTO: Did you curse at him?
CHENEY: Probably.
(LAUGHTER)
CAVUTO: Do you have any regrets?
CHENEY: No. I said it, and I felt that…
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: So let me understand, he comes up, he sees you, Mr. Vice — he’s all nice, shakes your hand. And then what do you do, let into him?
CHENEY: Explain my unhappiness with the way he conducted himself. Ppart of the problem here is, that instead of having a substantive debate over important policy issues, he had challenged my integrity. And I didn’t like that. But, most of all, I didn’t like the fact that after he had done so then he wanted to act like, you know, everything’s peaches and cream.
And I informed him of my view of his conduct in no uncertain terms. And as I say, I felt better afterwards.
CAVUTO: All right. Now, they say you broke decorum for normally a Senate or congressional session. Now, technically, I guess, it wasn’t in session.
CHENEY: No, we weren’t in session. What we were doing was waiting to take our pictures, our official Senate photo. And I go up and sit in the chair, as the president of the Senate (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAVUTO: What was reaction from the crowd?
CHENEY: Well, I think that a lot of my colleagues felt that what I had said badly needed to be said, that it was long overdue.
CAVUTO: Pretty feisty guy, aren’t you?
CHENEY: Well, I’m usually fairly calm (UNINTELLIGIBLE).