Yes, Virginia...They REALLY Said That

I am constantly amazed at the things that come out of the mouths of public figures. I am starting to think that some younger people in the public eye do not care that much what people hear them say, while some older people still don’t get the fact that whatever they say publicly will be heard around the world within seconds. A few recent examples:

JOE BIDEN: It could have been a non-news event when Vice-President Joe Biden appeared at Washington D.C.’s Union Station to announce $1.3 billion in stimulus funds for the nation’s rail industry. That is, until a Senator addressed him as “Mr. Vice President.” Biden’s response? “Give me a fucking break.” Poor Joe didn’t know the mic was hot. I don’t know about you, but I’m picturing an endless echo in the cavernous D.C. train station. Say it ain’t so Joe?

DICK CHENEY: The (mercifully) former Vice President, Dick Cheney, is evidently having a tough time adjusting to life out of the spotlight. He keeps talking. And talking. This week, Dick, as I now really enjoy calling him, had this to say about the country’s current financial crisis and Iraq:

Did Cheney just say “Stuff happens?” Note to Dick: Dick, how interesting that you still contend that the Bush administration did not create this financial havoc. Just one example of the last administration’s reckless spending: To date, according to the National Priorities Project, a research organization that analyzes how tax dollars are spent, the war has cost the U.S. $605,247,741,697. By the time you read this, that figure will be way low. As a reminder, this is an ongoing war that the American people do not support and the international community has largely abandoned. Oh, and although I believe you would see this as nothing more than an aside, I feel compelled to remind you that there are now 4,257 confirmed U.S. deaths as a result of this fully pointless war. Oh, and Dick, now that you are not terribly important anymore, you probably do not get all the latest updates on casualties, so I want you to know that one of the most recent is 22-year-old Jessica Y. Sarandrea, of Miami, FL. Jessica, a supply specialist, who was reportedly hit by shrapnel that pierced her liver and severed a main artery. Now that you have been retired, perhaps you’d have time to call Jessica’s husband, and her father, and her siblings, and get a true taste of how successful we have been in meeting our objectives in Iraq.

LAURA INGRAHAM: Honestly, aren’t the most extreme figures in the far right conservative movement starting to do some real damage to their cause? This week, radio host Laura Ingraham reacted on-air to some comments Meghan McCain (daughter of former presidential candidate Senator John McCain) made about conservative extremism. Rather than address the issues, Ingraham leveled blatant personal attacks against McCain. The worst of her comments came when she said this in a mocking “valley-girl” tone, supposedly imitating McCain: “Ok, I was really hoping that I was going to get that role in the Real World, but then I realized that, well, they don’t like plus-sized models. They only like the women who look a certain way. And on this 50th anniversary of Barbie, I really have something to say.”
Laura, once again you’re all about grabbing attention rather than establishing credibility. That does not make for real longevity in broadcasting, but then, you knew that.

ROSEANNE BARR: Don’t you love how everybody has become an instant psycho-analyst since 19-year-old Chris Brown allegedly pummeled 21-year-old Rihanna? Now Roseanne Barr (Dr. Roseanne?) weighs in on the story, insinuating that Rihanna is a violent, control freak. Oy. Roseanne says:
Rihanna "thinks she has him right where she wants him now. His career is over, and he is working her to help him get it back. She thinks that since he needs her and has shown some contrition that she can call the shots now. Violent people are control freaks, and she thinks she is in control right now. Violent couples also have passionate make up sex, and that keeps a lot of battered and beaten women hooked. Once she realizes that her fans and their parents are going to write her off completely and end her career as well as his if she stays with him, that might convince her not to do that."