Jewish World Review August 1, 2000/ 29 Tamuz, 5760
Kathleen Parker
Bush's choice of grown-up
Cheney is a stroke of genius
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
I HADN'T REALIZED how much I've missed grown-ups until I
saw Dick Cheney on television the other night. George
Bush's vice-presidential pick is a sight for
adult-deprived eyes.
Though Cheney isn't old enough to be my parent -- at
59 he's more like my older brother -- he reminds me of
my parents' generation. That is, mature, no-nonsense,
tempered by hard knocks and experience.
He isn't cute or funny or sexy, except to people like me
for whom competence is tantamount to a candlelight
dinner. He isn't starved for attention or hungry for the
spotlight. You get the secure feeling that if a reporter
caught him jogging and asked what kind of underwear
he prefers, he would shake his head and keep running.
Faster.
Imagine: Declining to answer a sophomoric question in
the interest of simple dignity. If Cheney's presence in the
presidential campaign distracts even momentarily from
the adolescent preoccupations of the current
administration, his contribution will be worthy of
ovation.
Bush's decision to bring in a grown-up as his running
mate was a stroke of genius. Who says Dubya's not
smart?
Here in the hinterlands beyond the Beltway, Bush
supporters have long maintained that Bush's strength
wasn't so much the man himself as the people he can
bring to the table.
People like Cheney, whose credentials overshadow the
man who may become his hierarchical superior. People
like Gen. Colin Powell, who seems a likely pick for
secretary of state. People like Lynn Cheney, an
intellectual whose own resume suggests something other
than Tammy Wynette, though she's too smart ever to
say so.
It's almost comical to watch as mandatory naysayers
search for mud to sling.
Uh, let's see, 20 years ago while serving in the U.S.
House of Representatives Cheney voted against Head
Start! Yes, but, that was then, he says, during the peak
years of our budget deficit when something had to go. In
today's robust economy, Cheney says undefensively, he
would do things differently.
Yes, but he voted against sanctions in South Africa
during apartheid. A mistake given hindsight, but Cheney
is on record opposing unilateral sanctions. One can
comfortably argue that posture amid the leisurely pace
of a Monday-morning post-mortem. For now, his voting
record falls short of political indictment.
The rest of what has been gleaned from the streets falls
on the silly side. In a recent man-on-the-street interview
collage set against cartoonish background music, a
CNN reporter asked random passersby what they
thought of Cheney.
Some said, "Huh, who?" always reassuring and
illuminating as we ponder the education deficit. A couple
of folks older than 45 made salubrious remarks. The
younger crowd adjusted their nose rings and said, "He's
too old." Too old for what, MTV? Last and least,
late-night funnymen suggested Cheney's too dull.
Too old for MTV and too dull for late-night TV?
Could a serious candidate hope for a better
endorsement?
Finding fault with a proven leader for not being a clown
is like criticizing Mozart for not knowing the latest hit
song from Sister Hazel. Or is the problem that true
statesmen make comedic ridicule too challenging for
current talent?
The night after the Cheneys appeared on Larry King
Live, King interviewed the nine women members of the
U.S. Senate and asked what they thought of Cheney's
candidacy. The women predictably split along party
lines, but all were notably restrained in their remarks.
Even Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., usually fiery and
always direct, chose her words carefully.
One got the feeling that these women didn't want to
offend the folks most likely to host the next inaugural
party. Good
instincts.
JWR contributor Kathleen Parker can be reached by clicking here.
07/24/00: Fired up and grossed out over stupid Canadians
07/20/00: Lack of judgment --- our critical flaw
07/18/00: 'Progress' for women often a step back
07/11/00: School essay watchdogs cannibalize our children
07/06/00: Youths fear marriage --- blame boomers
06/28/00: Eminem might just have a point
06/21/00: Bridging the day-care divide
06/15/00: N.Y. baby case ends up with multiracial scrambled eggs
05/31/00: The war only time wins
05/25/00: The opposite of sex
05/18/00: World War II gave us our true heroes
05/11/00: Boy Crazy! stacks deck against guys
05/09/00: Finding out where the boys are
05/05/00: A born Ms. Leader -- Barbie for prez
04/25/00: From here to paternity
04/14/00: Boys should be boys, not viewed as criminals in training
04/11/00: Oh, for a standard of what is socially, morally acceptable
04/06/00: Womyn's Contempt for Commitment --- and the bastards it creates
04/04/00: Sue-happy American society is out of control
03/30/00: Duct-taped baby serves as warning
03/28/00: Stay-home parents know that their kids need them
03/24/00: No 'Great Expectations' when schools shun the classics
03/21/00: It's common sense to restrict Internet usage in libraries
03/17/00: You want to be just a mom? For shame!
03/14/00: Colonoscopy: Important, but bad TV
03/10/00: I made a mistake about trigger-locks
03/08/00: After this school shooting, no easy target for our contempt
03/03/00: Car crash helps bridge our divide
02/28/00: Nasty politics? Americans like it down, dirty
02/14/00: College testing via
Lego-building -- yeah, right
02/02/00: Bubba should spare us phony love theatrics
01/26/00: What sets off Those Who Speak for Women
01/13/00: Fools in love: Premarital counseling could help school kids
01/11/00: Who funds these studies!?
12/29/99: Grandparents' rights impinge on family autonomy
12/13/99: When did fathers become fair game?
12/09/99: Don't be stupid about at-risk kids
12/07/99: Pokemon is no substitute for a father
12/02/99: Blaming the victim --- men
11/30/99: Baby-killer's story has less-than-Precious ending
11/23/99: Pendulum swings back toward discipline, responsibility
11/18/99: Put the babies first in this mighty mess
11/11/99: Skip the applause for this baby news
11/09/99: Gore could benefit from a secret in Wolf's clothing
11/03/99: Who needs 'birds and bees' when we have MTV?
11/01/99: Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say
10/26/99: Children's needs must take priority in divorce system
10/19/99: The deadbeat dad is less a scoundrel than an object of pity
10/15/99: Bullying boys ... and girls
10/12/99: Divorced dads ready to wage a revolution
10/04/99: A father's best gift? His presence
09/30/99: Sorry, guys, Faludi is no friend of yours
09/28/99: Science's new findings: Scary future for families
09/23/99: The great blurring of need and want
09/21/99:Focus on more than baby's first 3 years
09/16/99: Commentary from kids sheds no light on day-care debate
09/14/99: Fathers' group seeks to right inequities
09/09/99: Son now has a license to grow up
09/07/99: A slap in the face of domestic violence
09/01/99: No, ma'am: Legislation on manners misses the mark
08/26/99: For better boys, try a little tenderness
08/24/99:The ABC's of campaign questions
08/19/99: Male 'sluts'
08/11/99: Language doesn't excuse bad behavior
08/09/99: When justice delayed is still justice
08/03/99: Unemployment? Not in this profession
07/30/99: It's not about race -- it's about crack babies
07/22/99: Tragedy tells us what's important
07/19/99: Study denouncing fathers sends danger signals
07/15/99:'Happy marriage' belongs in the
Dictionary of Oxymorons next to 'deliciously low-fat.'
07/11/99: 'Brother Man': An American demagogue in Paris
07/08/99: Only parents can fix broken families
07/06/99: America is home, sweet home
07/01/99: Tales out of Yuppiedom
06/28/99: Men aren't the only abusers
06/23/99: Is the entire country guzzling LSD punch?
06/20/99: The voice remains -- as always -- there beside me
06/16/99:Stating the obvious, a new growth industry
06/14/99: Calling for a cease-fire in the gender war
06/10/99: We owe children an apology
©1999, Tribune Media Services
|