Making Political Hay with the Gays

While I'm not prepared to say that Kerry mention Mary Cheney purely to score political points, I don't doubt that it was, at least a secondary or terciary reason. However, given the manner in which he said those words, it sounded like his intent was to speak of how gay men and women are all around us, we know them, they are our family, and when we abridge their rights we hurt people near and dear to us. That some knuckle-dragging, extreme right-wingers who've just came out of their "one world order" shelters might reconsider their vote because the Veep's daughter is a lesbian, is just gravy.

But come on now, out of the population of all people who WILL vote how many people do you really believe would actually alter their vote based on this "startling revelation"? Would the Kerry campaign actually think it wise to spend what little political capital they have on such a small turn-around? So what else could be going on here?

Could it be that all this righteous indignation is a facade? Dare I say, a political ploy? Naw...the Cheney's have been very tight-lipped about their daughter as exemplified by the Vice President's remarks at an Iowa Town Hall meeting on August 24:

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, the question has come up obviously in the past with respect to the question of gay marriage. Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. We have two daughters, and we have enormous pride in both of them. They're both fine young women. They do a superb job, frankly, of supporting us. And we are blessed with both our daughters.

Well...Okay, so it's okay for the family to mention it but woe to anyone else who even mentions Mary. But when Illinois Republican Senate Candidate Alan Keyes referred to homosexuality as "selfish hedonism" and called the Vice President's daughter a sinner, the Cheney's were strangely silent. OK, so maybe it's okay for other Republicans to mention it but not Democrats. I mean, come on, remember in the Vice Presidential debate how when John Edwards said that he respected the Cheney's and the way "they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter"? Remember how Cheney spun around and spat out, "Well, Gwen, let me simply thank the senator for the kind words he said about my family and our daughter. I appreciate that very much." Hmm, actually it was quite a civil and maybe even touching moment.

So...what's with all the uproar now? Which ones do you think are really trying to make political hay out of this?