Jimbo.Info

Well there is a simple reason why Dick was so stupidly dressed- someone accidently sent him off to Poland with a Gestapo uniform and at the last moment he realized that kinda sight gag probably wouldn't go over so well.

Personally, I kinda like how he was dressed.

Undeniably, it's not a good image for the U.S. in general, but I have always had a problem with the whole 'sunday's best' thing. Honestly, to me, 'nice' clothes don't look nice (minus a suit & tie fetish I have from time to time). I always think it is great when people choose comfort over tradition, and the Dick scored points with me. I mean, I still think he is one of the most horrible people alive, but I like his style.

Jimbo, not to be a prick, but Dick Cheney was probably dressed that way because of his heart. Older men and women who have had to deal with heart failure are adversely affected by the cold, much more so than strapping young bucks like you. In all likelihood, he had to wear those silly furs and fluffy coats to remain warm, since the severe cold really will stress his heart. Give the man a break.

I don't know about his hat, but again, warmth had to be an overwhelming factor. Those wonderful slavic fur hats don't cover the ears (and if Dick did have them down over his ears, what would the reaction from such snarky press have been?).

Also, notice in the piece the snobby use of the passive voice to express disdain. Notice also how not a single quote from the event was printed. Could the Post not find even one person there pissed off that a Vice President with a weak heart was a little paranoid about winding up in the hospital? They couldn't, and so ran with general disdain in lieu of an actual story.

Also, Dick told Pat Leahy, one of the most sanctimonious and anti-technology senators in all of congress, to fuck off. While Cheney was out of line, Leahy did indeed deserve it, since the man is a dick (heh, ironic).

Josh, that's a pretty flimsy excuse for a 'Staff 2001' cap and hiking boots. Now if his clothes got lost in the flight, that's one thing, but there _are_ tailors in Poland. And you can dress sharp and be warm - wool is a wonderfully adaptable fabric that keeps you warm better than any material, and it comes in many cuts and styles. If Cheney can't figure out how to represent this county, look good, and stay warm, he's not fit for the job. That appearance was a total embarassment to this country. It is a sad day when Jimbo can dress the vice president to be both warm and fashionable, but I could do a far better job than him. The Post did a fine job of running him over the coals for that stunt, as he deserved. It wasn't the best journalism, but it needed to be pointed out, and I'm glad they did it. There is no excuse for how he was dressing, except perhaps last minute mishap.

I maintain it's a tempest in a teapot. The Post didn't (couldn't?) find anyone from the event itself who was offended at the VP, and you hate the man. Is he capable of doing anything right in your eyes? More to the point, should he care?

I'm with Jimbo. Jacques Chirac was tastefully dressed and he's no "young buck". Indeed if the Auschwitz survivors, most probably in more poor health than Dick, could dress appropriately and still warmly, so could he. He could have worn just about anything and been warm. Respect for the living or dead, isn't exactly this administration's strong suit.

You might be surprised to know that Dick's poor style choice did not show up in the French press(not even lefty Le Monde). In part I'm sure because no one would believe that any head of state would behave so poorly, at least not since the Mongol hordes last blew through.

When you go to a funeral, you dress appropriately. There is no excuse for going to a memorial that was planned years in advance!

As to your date, I'm sorry to hear he couldn't have dragged himself out by now. The hunt continues unabated though? Le Tigre have a great line on their latest album in Viz that seems appropriate "...They call it coolness, we call it visibility,They call it way too rowdy, we call it finally free." You must have made him uncomfortable by just being out. Too rowdy, too there. Any future dates would have to take place at an undisclosed location :)

I don't hate the man, I'm just very embarassed for our country, and disgusted that he made such choices. I was upset about it because I expect better from our leaders, and our leaders should not be dressing more casually than I would at an important and international event. His choice of clothing is very symbolic of our country's leadership right now.

I am in marketing and communications. Symbolic and deliberate acts, appearance and delivery stand for a lot, especially in a diplomatic setting. He should care if he truly cared for the appearance and presentation of one of the supposed greater powers in the world.

The article points out that Cheney had no problem dressing with dignity for the inauguration, so I really doubt that his health had anything to do with it.

It was really a tacky move by Cheney, but he's always indicated that he doesn't really care what other people, especially foreigners, think.

But Jimbo, as Copperred pointed out, not even the French, who seem to revel in finding faults with Americans, said anything nasty about Cheney's attire. Literally, only liberals in this country were pissed off. Not even opponents in adversarial countries seemed to care, though whether that's from mere acceptance ("oh, that dick is always like that") or genuine apathy can be argued.

Again: no one outside this country seemed to care.

I heard about the "Lost Luggage" excuse. He is the friggin Vice President! Not like the cracker was hurting for money, he could have bought proper attire while there. And I agree with Jimbo and the others.. you can dress warm while still looking stylish,dignified and appropriate. He has no excuse. It is an embarassment to our country that our representative can not properly dress for such an occasion.

Bad heart, age, lost luggage, etc... BottomLine: Dick fucked up. Bad heart-->throw a black shawl over that army-issued eskimo gear. Age-->If an outdoor winter ceremony is too much for the dear ol' 2nd in Command, than we have a Problem. LostLuggage--> that why he has all those high-priced aids flying in with him to go fetch him something presentable before the ceremony.

rob@egoz.org