Vice-President Cheney went to an event marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The Robin Givhan of the Washington Post (user/pass: nobiz@nobiz.com/nobiz) had this to say:

At yesterday's gathering of world leaders in southern Poland to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the United States was represented by Vice President Cheney. The ceremony at the Nazi death camp was outdoors, so those in attendance, such as French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were wearing dark, formal overcoats and dress shoes or boots. Because it was cold and snowing, they were also wearing gentlemen's hats. In short, they were dressed for the inclement weather as well as the sobriety and dignity of the event.

The vice president, however, was dressed in the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower.

Cheney stood out in a sea of black-coated world leaders because he was wearing an olive drab parka with a fur-trimmed hood. It is embroidered with his name. It reminded one of the way in which children's clothes are inscribed with their names before they are sent away to camp. And indeed, the vice president looked like an awkward boy amid the well-dressed adults.

When I first read this in a forwarded email, I thought to myself, it's probably not that bad. They are playing it up. I went and looked at the picture included in the article and I was just shocked.

Obviously, I'm sure Cheney feels Auschwitz was a terrible thing, but fuck dude, as the Vice-President of the United States you should know to wear black and dress appropriately for a funeral. In addition to that, doesn't he have staff members that make sure he's wearing the right clothes!!??

Just last week, in a frigid, snow-dusted Washington, Cheney sat outside through the entire inauguration without so much as a hat and without suffering frostbite. And clearly, Cheney owns a proper overcoat. The world saw it during his swearing-in as vice president. Cheney treated that ceremony with the dignity it deserved -- not simply through his demeanor, but also through his attire. Would he have dared to take the oath of office with a ski cap on? People would have justifiably considered that an insult to the office, the day, the country.

Very good point. He saw that event as important enough to dress for it, why the fuck did he ignore this one?

*sigh* I just wish I could be proud of the people in charge of my country.