# Cheney Manufactures Excuse to Not Stand for President **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 21, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254 "2009-01-21T02:53:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/81 "2009-01-22T03:42:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I figure Cheney’s just in a more weakened condition since he had to switch to the TruBlood. ROFL ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/82 "2009-01-22T05:12:08Z")
This might be the dumbest, most irrelevant pitting ever. Impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Rolken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@Rolken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rolken)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/83 "2009-01-22T05:28:00Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > Dude, it’s _obvious_ what’s wrong with me today: I’m treating and judging important persons according to their past actions and treatment of others, and refusing to acknowledge, as they have, ambiguous and exculpatory evidence. I’m impressed by how quick you are to proudly seize the mantle of illogical judgment from him mere hours after he leaves the limelight. I’m not sure what kind of response you were expecting from that, but hey, cool bro! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/84 "2009-01-22T06:42:15Z")
KOS thank you for clearing that up. You are an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/85 "2009-01-22T08:48:23Z")
When I strained a back muscle part of the treatment was to avoid sitting as much as possible. Standing is easier on the back. Strong men also cry. . . Strong men also cry. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/86 "2009-01-22T09:40:04Z")
I’m a soon (two months) to be a 69 year old man who is six months beyond spinal surgery; I wasn’t confined to a wheel chair for more than half a day and I could and would have stood up if GW Bush entered the room----out of respect for the office, mind you. I don’t believe for a minute that Cheney was injured badly enough to be wheel chair bound-----and I’ve had to don my back brace several times since I was told to stop wearing it because of back injuries incurred by my own stubbornness. The man is a total asshole and that about sums it up. If he had been too injured to stand up, he could have sent his regrets. Why else would he have suffered those extremely cold temperatures except to show his contempt? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/87 "2009-01-22T10:59:38Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I’m a soon (two months) to be a 69 year old man who is six months beyond spinal surgery; I wasn’t confined to a wheel chair for more than half a day and I could and would have stood up if GW Bush entered the room----out of respect for the office, mind you. I don’t believe for a minute that Cheney was injured badly enough to be wheel chair bound-----and I’ve had to don my back brace several times since I was told to stop wearing it because of back injuries incurred by my own stubbornness. The man is a total asshole and that about sums it up. If he had been too injured to stand up, he could have sent his regrets. Why else would he have suffered those extremely cold temperatures except to show his contempt? Except that he did stand up when he needed to. ---
**Author:** ![papaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@papaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papaw)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/88 "2009-01-22T11:12:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I am continually amazed at the hatred coming from those who support hope, change, diversity, inclusion, togetherness, … I am also amazed at that. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/89 "2009-01-22T11:33:19Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > However, it’s possible that he has been packing up a few cherished possessions. I very much doubt that he’s been doing heavy lifting, though. A friend of mine Damaged her back quite seriously bending over to pick up a 2 litre container of milk. It’s perfectly possible Cheney damaged his back, even lifting something light, if he didn’t do it properly. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/90 "2009-01-22T11:59:56Z")
> [@TwistofFate](#): > > A friend of mine Damaged her back quite seriously bending over to pick up a 2 litre container of milk. It’s perfectly possible Cheney damaged his back, even lifting something light, if he didn’t do it properly. The key is to put it all in your groin and your back. Take your legs totally out of the equation. Lift with your lower back in a jerking, twisting motion. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/91 "2009-01-22T13:00:17Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Except that he did stand up when he needed to. And they had a lot of standing and moving to do over the course of several hours. If he was more comfortable in a wheelchair for the parts of the day which did not require ceremonial standing, so be it. Even if he’d been injured enough not to be able to stand at all, so be it - no one really wants to see the man in pain (ok, I’m lying, a lot of people want to see him in pain). ETA: And I’ve managed to pull my back sleeping badly enough to make sitting or standing for extended periods painful - the sort of twist where you just want to lying in bed covered in icy hot. If I can do it sleeping, with all the practice I’ve gotten over the course of my life, it isn’t exactly hard to do it - even if all you are doing is getting milk out of the fridge. I’m sure there were plenty of things Cheney himself felt more comfortable boxing up. I’m not letting the movers pack my Baccarat vase. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/92 "2009-01-22T15:12:59Z")
> [@papaw](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I am continually amazed at the hatred coming from those who support hope, change, diversity, inclusion, togetherness, … > > I am also amazed at that. If your view is a conservative one, I am not surprised at your amazement in finding out liberals do not all march in lock step, wheeling and turning in unison like a flock of starlings. We have a big tent, full of many voices that some times disagree, and nobody reads the talking points memos. This is our strength, not our weakness. That this puzzles our adversaries on the right is just gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/93 "2009-01-22T16:04:29Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > Dude, it’s _obvious_ what’s wrong with me today: I’m treating and judging important persons according to their past actions and treatment of others, and refusing to acknowledge, as they have, ambiguous and exculpatory evidence. It’s never a good idea to model your behavior on that of people whose behavior you despise. They only look like a Snidely Whiplash evildoer; you look like that and a hypocrite besides. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/94 "2009-01-22T16:13:01Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I’m sure there were plenty of things Cheney himself felt more comfortable boxing up. I’m not letting the movers pack my Baccarat vase. Or the collection of super-secret documents you’d rather not have end up in the hands of the CIA… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/95 "2009-01-22T20:04:01Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I for one welcomed the sight of Cheney-in-a-wheelchair, if only to cement the image of Mr. Potter to his legacy for all time. Mr. Potter, Dr. Strangelove, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the Big Lebowski … ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/96 "2009-01-22T20:35:39Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > Or the collection of super-secret documents you’d rather not have end up in the hands of the CIA… 🙂 Personally, I’m surprisingly short on documents I’d rather not end up in the hands of the CIA. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/97 "2009-01-22T20:49:22Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Personally, I’m surprisingly short on documents I’d rather not end up in the hands of the CIA. Well, there’s one thing on what is I’m sure a long list of things you probably _don’t_ have in common with Cheney! To the OP: my comment about evidence only referred to the pictures of him standing. I’m a relatively young person with a bad back, and standing still for long periods of time can be a killer. It looks as though he stood when it was called for by protocol, and that’s good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/98 "2009-01-22T21:17:00Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Mr. Potter, Dr. Strangelove, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the Big Lebowski … Which invites the question: Why are people in wheelchairs so evil? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/99 "2009-01-22T21:19:45Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Mr. Potter, Dr. Strangelove, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the Big Lebowski … You forgot Charles Xavier. He’s not EVIL evil, but he’s certainly Machiavellian, manipulative, and creepy. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254/100 "2009-01-22T21:27:58Z")
I was mildly amused, nothing more, that at least Cheney wore formal outerwear for the ceremony. Remember fairly early in the administration when he attended some fairly spiffy bash in Russia, IIRC, in his official capacity as Veep? Everyone else wore nice, dark coats but there was Vlad Tepes, representing the US, glaring away, clad in a khaki parka and huntin’ hat with earflaps down. All them effete 'Yurpeen types dressed for a diplomatic event; Cheney went togged out for a duck blind. Given his hunting prowess–really now, peppering a friend in the face with a shotgun?!–some of those sideways glances from the other bigwigs may have been anxious weapons checks. There was some back-and-forth on the board about ‘he’s an old man, you’re just looking for things to criticize, etc.’. (I frankly don’t care enough to search for it. Relatively speaking, it wasn’t that big a deal then and isn’t now.) When the weather stayed cold in DC I wondered if Cheney would show up again in his best huntin’ togs. But bless that shriveled little lump of coal in his chest, The Dick showered and put on his best funeral clothes for the inauguration. Hey, I got a chuckle out of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheney-manufactures-excuse-to-not-stand-for-president/482254.md?page=6)