Monday, January 31, 2005

RIGHT WING APOLOGIA

Over at Israellycool Dave says it "Seems like a low - and indeed desperate - blow" to criticize Dick Cheney for appearing at Aushwitz in the garb of a K-mart shopper.

I will agree that Cheney's poor choice of clothing is not one of the big issues of the day, but I find it exasperating that the same right-wing blogosphere that giggled for days when Kerry mispronounced the name of a football stadium, is piously insisting that Cheney's sartorial faux paus is a non-issue. And, it should be noted that high-minded Dave is himself currently deep into a high-browed series on Mahmoud and his smiles.

Finally, it's silly to say that Cheney was simply dressing warmly. A man as wealthy as the Vice President can surely find a tailor with enought skill to create an outfit that is both warm AND dignified. At the innauguration last week, when it was frigid in Washington, Cheney (or his tailor) managed the trick. So what went wrong in Auschwitz?

Cheney didn't care, and that, finally, is the point.