Not a complete Dick- or a bigger one than we thought?

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Dick Cheney has said more in public in the last 5 months than he did over the previous 8 years while serving as VPOTUS.  8 years of saying little and operating in secrecy to all of a sudden becoming perhaps the most verbose former VP in history- at least amongst those not looking forward to another run at elected office.

Sadly, he has lied or distorted facts and history most of the times he hs opened his mouth.

Yesterday, though, a nugget.

I have long felt bad for Dick's gay daughter, Mary- there had been no public support of her or her orientation, or her rights as an American- until yesterday.  Maybe.

Dick said yesterday that gays and lesbians deserve equal rights and protection, but that it should be up to the individual states to decide- in effect, that it's a State issue.

Hmmm.

There was some immediate jubilation amongst my gay and lesbian friends and us supporters- who had very likely had never before rejoiced about anything this man had done or said.

But wait a minute.  Throwing it to the States will inevitably see the issue end up in Federal Court, maybe even before the Supremes.  Some states allow gay marriage, others don't- then what?

The Constitution is clear: "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof."

This is the EXACT reason we do NOT want the government out of the marriage business.  See that "public Acts" part?

So Massachusetts allows gay marriages, a gay couple moves to California (a month ago I would have said "Iowa"), is refused recognition of their marriage performed as a "public Act" in Massachusetts, they sue in Federal Court, and win.

I will be charitable about old Dick here, and say that he 1) has it right, 2) does truly support his daughter's orientation, and sees the State arenas as the ski slope, rather than slippery slope, if you will allow me, on which we will build momentum and gain victory.

Still, there is that slight tug that wonders if he is really hoping that it does go to the Supremes, the ones that gave us that stellar monument of intellectual jurisprudence in Gore v. Bush, where he hopes that they pull a similar stunt to end the dream of Gay Marriage once and for all.

I will side with the "father" part of Dick on this one, and hope I'm assessing him accurately.  I always have.

SRT