Seraphim
06-27-2004, 06:59 PM
ANKARA (AFP) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites), who won the White House in 2000 promising to change the bitter tone of US politics, will not scold Vice President (news - web sites) **** Cheney (news - web sites) for using an obscenity against a Democratic senator, a spokesman said.
"It was a private exchange. These things happen from time to time. I think the vice president addressed it," Scott McClellan said as Bush traveled here.
"It's something that's behind us now, in the view of the president."
The White House has not denied that Cheney, in a harsh Senate floor exchange early last week with Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, told the lawmaker "f..k you" or "f..k yourself."
Cheney has said the exchange made him feel better and was "long overdue."
Asked whether Bush was unhappy at his number two's lack of contrition, McClellan replied: "It's not an issue with the president."
"The president is someone who has always worked to elevate the discourse in Washington, DC. And it is difficult to change the tone in Washington, given the history" of political discourse there, said McClellan.
Bush himself has used obscenities when he thought no-one could hear, famously calling a New York Times reporter a "major-league asshole" at a campaign rally with Cheney during the 2000 race when he believed the microphones were off.
I remember when Bush called that New York Times reporter that. rofl
"It was a private exchange. These things happen from time to time. I think the vice president addressed it," Scott McClellan said as Bush traveled here.
"It's something that's behind us now, in the view of the president."
The White House has not denied that Cheney, in a harsh Senate floor exchange early last week with Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, told the lawmaker "f..k you" or "f..k yourself."
Cheney has said the exchange made him feel better and was "long overdue."
Asked whether Bush was unhappy at his number two's lack of contrition, McClellan replied: "It's not an issue with the president."
"The president is someone who has always worked to elevate the discourse in Washington, DC. And it is difficult to change the tone in Washington, given the history" of political discourse there, said McClellan.
Bush himself has used obscenities when he thought no-one could hear, famously calling a New York Times reporter a "major-league asshole" at a campaign rally with Cheney during the 2000 race when he believed the microphones were off.
I remember when Bush called that New York Times reporter that. rofl