# Dick Cheney a Sartorial Embarrassment **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 29, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243 "2005-01-29T04:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/101 "2005-01-30T02:23:21Z")
One just wants to know what Cheney was thinking, since his face does not give the impression that he has learned anything from his visit. He had a black over coat for the inaguration, so what the fuck happened to it? How difficult is it to buy a long black coat and a hat that has not been scribbled upon? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/102 "2005-01-30T02:43:52Z")
I would also note that representatives from my local government came to the ceremony dressed as empty seats. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/103 "2005-01-30T02:46:49Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > At the risk of sounding insane, he’s the type of people we need to show the light. At the risk of sounding snarky, I can do without your version of ‘the light’. There is nothing to compare between dirty bongo-abusing hippies, who dress like filthlords in silly costumes to fulfill some damned fool ‘lifestyle’ they think they have, versus an older gentleman with health issues dressing warmly when sitting outside (in colder weather than the inaugurations, for longer, without heaters) for a rather longish time. But rejoice! Between this and ‘Bush is a Nazi!!@!!’, you guys have yourselves a real platform. ---
**Author:** ![Bitterness\_Comes\_Standard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b19c9b/32.png) [@Bitterness\_Comes\_Standard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bitterness_Comes_Standard)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/104 "2005-01-30T03:34:39Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > It’s _always_ style over substance with you guys, isn’t it? I find it ironic that you describe those of us criticizing his lack of dress as “dirty bongo-abusing hippies, who dress like filthlords in silly costumes” and in another comment say that it’s always “style over substance” with us? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/105 "2005-01-30T03:39:40Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > But rejoice! Between this and ‘Bush is a Nazi!!@!!’, you guys have yourselves a real platform. And Cheney dresses funny! Woot! ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/106 "2005-01-30T03:42:53Z")
> [@Bitterness Comes Standard](#): > > I find it ironic that you describe those of us criticizing his lack of dress as “dirty bongo-abusing hippies, who dress like filthlords in silly costumes” and in another comment say that it’s always “style over substance” with us? Because what you see is what you get with the hippy crowd; there is no ‘substance’ i f you probe under those floppy jamaican hats. It is no great feat to take one look at them and be able to accurately summarize their political sentiment. (Legalize the reefer, Che Guevara rocks, etc) Contrast that with some guy wearing a _winter coat_, get this (and this is the part that blows many a mind)…_outside_, during _the winter_. He isn’t wearing it as some ‘uniform of ideology’. Complaining about the color or cut of his cold-weather gear is nothing but the pettiest of sniping. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/107 "2005-01-30T03:48:43Z")
Hey Brutus, you just don’t get it. If Muslims boycott a rememberence of an attempted genocide, that’s just ‘political posturing’. But if the VP with a heart condition travels halfway around the world to pay his respects, by God if he doesn’t wear the right color coat it’s a diplomatic disaster and a sign that he’s a Nazi. Oh, and since you didn’t see anything wrong with it, that makes you a Nazi too. But the guys in the middle east who actually claim the holocaust never happened, and have in any case vowed to finish the job? They’re victims. Poor, misunderstood people under the iron boot of the Jews. Even if they live in Syria or Egypt, apparently. It’s funny - when I saw that picture about Cheney, I knew exactly where this thread would be, and what the content of it would be. A whole bunch of the usual suspects wailing in outrage, and Brutus in the middle having a good yuck at their expense. Keep up the good work, people. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/108 "2005-01-30T03:50:50Z")
Must it be style _OR_ substance? I don’t see that this is a one or the other situation, as the other attendees seem to have managed both. One need not look good but freeze or look dorky but stay warm. This is not a big deal in the larger scheme of things, but the substance over style argument is flawed. You can have both with little difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/109 "2005-01-30T03:55:05Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > At the risk of sounding snarky, I can do without your version of ‘the light’. You’ll come around one day 'ol buddy, seriously you will. > [@](#): > > There is nothing to compare between dirty bongo-abusing hippies, who dress like filthlords in silly costumes to fulfill some damned fool ‘lifestyle’ they think they have, versus an older gentleman with health issues dressing warmly when sitting outside (in colder weather than the inaugurations, for longer, without heaters) for a rather longish time. This is fucking comedy gold! In telling us not to judge people by the way they’re dressed, you judge people by the way they’re dressed. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/110 "2005-01-30T04:04:00Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > If that is what he looked like, sure. But since he just looked like a man dressed for the weather, no. No, he looked like my grandfather when he goes grocery shopping. Jesus, there are ways to dress for the weather that would have looked better-a long, heavy coat (he could have worn long johns and wool underneath the coat!), warm socks, a scarf. He could have worn a Russian-style cap like [this one](http://secure.sovietski.com/prods/prod_300112-4.html)? (If anyone knows how to dress warmly, it would be the Ruskies?) Hell, I dare say a dressier long black coat might have been warmer, as it’s longer, and black tends to absorb heat. It’s not a huge deal, but it does make him look like a schmuck. **Brutus** , I’ve spent my whole life around funeral directors, and let me tell you something-you don’t dress like that at a public funeral, or memorial service. It’s very disrespectful. I’m not a fan of Reagan’s, but can you imagine HIM dressing like that at a memorial service? I certainly cannot! ---
**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 30, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/111 "2005-01-30T04:09:08Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > There is nothing to compare between dirty bongo-abusing hippies > [@](#): > > Because what you see is what you get with the hippy crowd Hippies? _HIPPIES?!?!?_ **Bah-Hahaha!!!** Who are you, Archie Bunker? Good God man, get a clue; didn’t the last hippy die in, like, 1992? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/112 "2005-01-30T04:11:08Z")
> [@milroyj](#): > > And Cheney dresses funny! Woot! But that’s the point: Cheney does NOT dress funny. He didn’t dress funny at the inauguration, he didn’t dress funny at the State of the Union address, he didn’t dress funny for the balls, he didn’t dress funny for the RNC. Yet for a memorial service commemorating 6 million dead he wore something my father (who hasn’t worn a tie since his 1964 senior class picture) wouldn’t think of wearing. And while I have sympathy for the “But he’s an old geezer!” vote it is currently 2005 and downhill skiers manage to stay warm wearing clothing that resembles Victorian bathing suits so you can shove that line of bullshit. An undershirt, button-up shirt, vest, black sweater, dress jacket, and formal black topcoat - just like the one he wore to the inauguration - is warmer than that disgrace of a parka. And a stocking cap on top of it? PUHleeze. My grampa’s faux-fur fedora was warmer than any stocking cap could be. In some cases style DOES take precedence over substance, and how one presents oneself at a memorial service is definitely one of those cases. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/113 "2005-01-30T04:23:34Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > Oh, and since you didn’t see anything wrong with it, that makes you a Nazi too. No, **Sam** , it makes him a moron. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/114 "2005-01-30T04:28:29Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Jesus, there are ways to dress for the weather that would have looked better… Please, I am blushing. You can just call me ‘ **Brutus** ’. Besides, if the [survivors who were in attendance](http://krakow.usconsulate.gov/krakow/img/assets/4472/au16.jpg) favored warmth over keeping the Washington Post fashion writer (and new DNC strategist?) happy, I don’t see any problems with Cheney’s warm and modest clothing. He’s an old dude with a bad ticker. You guys just need to sip a big ol’ mug of getthefuckoverit. > [@Fear Itself](#): > > Hippies? _HIPPIES?!?!?_… Sadly, no. A new crop has arisen. Something to do with damp, dark conditions and plenty of fertilizer. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/115 "2005-01-30T04:31:03Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Jesus, there are ways to dress for the weather that would have looked better-a long, heavy coat (he could have worn long johns and wool underneath the coat!), warm socks, a scarf. He could have worn a Russian-style cap like [this one](http://secure.sovietski.com/prods/prod_300112-4.html)? (If anyone knows how to dress warmly, it would be the Ruskies?) Hell, I dare say a dressier long black coat might have been warmer, as it’s longer, and black tends to absorb heat. **Guin** , you crack me up, you really do! _The Sovietski Collection???_ What else do you recommend? Do you have any links for purveyors of Nazi regalia? How’s about Klan sheets, or do they just wait for the white (ha!) sale at J.C. Penney’s? Giggle. Snort. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/116 "2005-01-30T04:31:26Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Please, I am blushing. You can just call me ‘ **Brutus** ’. > > Besides, if the [survivors who were in attendance](http://krakow.usconsulate.gov/krakow/img/assets/4472/au16.jpg) favored warmth over keeping the Washington Post fashion writer (and new DNC strategist?) happy, I don’t see any problems with Cheney’s warm and modest clothing. He’s an old dude with a bad ticker. You guys just need to sip a big ol’ mug of getthefuckoverit. > > Sadly, no. A new crop has arisen. Something to do with damp, dark conditions and plenty of fertilizer. The difference between us and you is this **Brutus**. If our guy looked like an ass we would call him on it and laugh at him. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/117 "2005-01-30T04:32:34Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > He’s an old dude with a bad ticker. I would like to refer you to my post #43 in this thread: > [@This Year's Model](#): > > Then he is unfit to be President of the United States, should duty call, and should resign his post forthwith. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/118 "2005-01-30T04:32:48Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > But the guys in the middle east who actually claim the holocaust never happened, and have in any case vowed to finish the job? Waitwait. It’s the guys in the Middle East who claim it never happened and vow to finish the job? That’s news to me. All this time I’ve thought that line of thought originated with [Americans](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=299000&page=1&pp=40). One guy showed up and didn’t show the proper respect. Another guy didn’t show up because he didn’t have enough respect in the first place. What’s the practical difference? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/119 "2005-01-30T04:44:31Z")
> [@milroyj](#): > > **Guin** , you crack me up, you really do! _The Sovietski Collection???_ > > What else do you recommend? Do you have any links for purveyors of Nazi regalia? How’s about Klan sheets, or do they just wait for the white (ha!) sale at J.C. Penney’s? > > Giggle. Snort. 😃 If you’d pull your head out of ass long enough to look at the website, you’ll see they feature historical and ethnic memorabilia (not just Russian, either). Are you always that much of a narrow-minded shithead? Because it’s Russian and called “Sovietski” (btw, “soviet” merely means a council), it’s automatically a neo-Bolshevik site? Good god, **milroyj** , you’re just sad. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243/120 "2005-01-30T04:48:43Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Are you always that much of a narrow-minded shithead? _snort_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheney-a-sartorial-embarrassment/287243.md?page=7)