Buried in Annie Linskey's Baltimore Sun story today about GOP Maryland Delegate Wade Kach coming out in support of marriage equality is this little tidbit:
[Kach] also became the target of a last-minute lobby effort, and said his voice mail was full of messages from important people, including Mehlman, Bloomberg and an offer to talk with former Vice President Dick Cheney, whom Kach regards as a "great man." All three are recognized for their support of gay rights issues.Dick Cheney is personally lobbying on behalf of gay marriage? Really?
If true, that's freaking huge.
It would be interesting to know who made the offer to Kach on behalf of Cheney. Was it Mehlman?
I don't want to put the cart before the horse, since it would be nice to confirm this first, but it's hard to believe that someone just made this up when talking to Kach, though I suppose it's possible (albeit dumb). If Dick Cheney is actually lobbying for gay marriage, that is simply huge. Not only is he a huge heavyweight, but he also provides a good deal of cover for other Republicans, like Governor Christie in New Jersey, who says he's going to veto marriage equality legislation just passed by that state's legislature.
Oh what a difference a few years makes. It was only 2004 that I launched DearMary.com, a Web site begging Mary Cheney, Dick's daughter, to intercede with her father regarding the planned effort to push for the Federal Marriage Amendment. You'll recall that the Cheneys weren't saying boo about gay rights or their daughter being a lesbian. Then, four months or so into the campaign, Mary's mom, Lynne Cheney, suddenly is on CNN opposing the marriage amendment. This is a woman who basically denied her daughter was even gay in an interview a few years earlier.
If this is true, the Cheney family has come a long way. And as much as it will annoy some to admit it, they deserve our thanks.
Also, this poses a bit of a dilemma for Democrats in general, and the President in particular. If this story is true, then Dick Cheney will be doing more than the Democratic party to help on marriage equality. That's not a terribly helpful message for Democrats walking into an important election.
