David Copley and Daniel Siegman: In defense of the vice president

The party is over; it's time to set the record straight. If you've read The Daily Pennsylvanian for the past month, you've probably concluded that Vice President Dick Cheney is an evil man, that the American people despise him and that we should not welcome him to Penn's campus during his visit today.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The vice president is a principled, moral man who brings a breath of fresh air from the political rhetoric that pollutes the Beltway. His colleagues and the American people understand this, even though it may be hard to see on a left-leaning campus. Now is the time to enthusiastically welcome Cheney to Penn.

Certainly, liberal DP columnists like Stephen Preston and Dan Fishback have the right to take issue with the policy stances of the Bush administration. But they have turned healthy political discourse into something reminiscent of kindergarten name-calling.

Rather than fact or reason, they fill their columns with unsubstantiated personal attacks against Cheney, a man who has dedicated his life to public service.

The vice president paid his way through college by laying power lines out west. He was, in his own words, "a poverty-stricken graduate student." Cheney pursued a doctorate in political science in order to become a university professor.

Instead, he decided to devote his life to public service. Too many things needed to be changed in government. Cheney's colleagues have consistently described him as one of the most effective and principled politicians in Washington.

Speaking right after Cheney was announced as Bush's running mate, former Congressman Jim Weber explained how, until he he became the nominee, even Democrats would have called Cheney "one of the really most outstanding people you've ever known in government, an outstanding White House chief of staff, an outstanding defense secretary, a person who I think didn't have an enemy that I could think of when he was in the Congress of the United States, the sort of person that everybody turned to for judgment, maturity, intellect, depth, and perspective on issues."

Al Gore himself summed up what most Washington insiders think about Cheney back in 1989: "He is a good guy. I like him a lot, and he is well liked by his colleagues."

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Cheney's selection to be Bush's running mate in spite of his geographic disadvantage. Traditionally, running mates are selected in order to provide balance to a ticket or to help lock up a vital swing state, such as Pennsylvania. Wyoming, Cheney's home state, is a sparsely-populated, conservative state with a grand total of three electoral votes. Dick Cheney was selected not for electoral advantage, but because he was the best man for the job and a proven leader who had brilliantly led our country through the Persian Gulf War as defense secretary.

Ideological disagreements cannot justify the horrible accusations that extremist groups like Penn for Peace have made recently against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. On one recent flyer, Penn for Peace made the ridiculous assertion that the Bush administration is only now discussing possible war plans against Iraq in order to score political points. As their flyer states, the administration's "true motivation involves carefully planned timing."

Well, at least they're right about the administration carefully timing its attack plans. Any war in the desert must be carefully timed to coincide with the dead of winter so that our soldiers don't suffer from heat injuries, so any debate must be conducted before the winter rolls around. Even a person with the most elementary knowledge of military affairs should understand this point. A possible war with Iraq is certainly an issue that should be thoroughly debated and discussed, and Penn for Peace does have valid points, but they should make these points without reprehensible character assassinations.

The American people, whether or not they agree with the policies of Bush and Cheney, overwhelmingly approve of their personal character. Among the many accomplishments the Bush administration should be most proud of, restoring a sense of dignity to the White House should be at the top of the list. As such, we would ask that those who choose to protest against the vice president today do so in a respectful manner. You can disagree with his political beliefs while still accepting that he's a good man who's trying to do what's best for the country.

David Copley is a Wharton sophomore from Bellevue, Wash., and chairman of the Penn College Republicans. Daniel Siegman is a sophomore International Relations major from Highland Park, N.J., and secretary of the College Republicans.

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