May 13, 2009--Good Daughters

With her father defeated in his run for the presidency and now relegated to slinking around the Senate as a member of the minority party—meaning he has no real power—Meghan McCain is stepping out on her own.

She made a splash a few weeks ago when she spoke at a meeting of the Log Cabin Republicans—a self-described grassroots organization of gay and lesbian Republicans. I don’t know what the “log cabin” refers to—I associate “log cabin” and “Republican” in the founding myth of the GOP: Abe Lincoln was born in such a cabin and wound up in the White House.

But then I know that when he worked as a circuit-rider lawyer, traveling from town to town in Illinois, he often shared a bed with other men. Some claim this was a common way at the time to save money (and keep warm during the winter) while others contend that he was . . . Well, you know.

When Meghan spoke at their recent convention, she called for the Republican Party to broaden its tent if it ever wanted to return to power. Welcoming people of color and even homosexuals. This was cheered by some but castigated by others—not her father but of course by Rush Limbaugh. To her credit, unlike many Republican leaders—Congressman Eric Cantor and Party Chairman Michael Steele to name just two--when they spoke out in ways that upset Rush, the effective leader of the Party, she did not back down, genuflect, or apologize. She stuck to her guns. I even wonder if maybe she voted for Obama.

Also stepping into the public spotlight, Bristol Palin emerged as a spokesperson for the Candie Foundation, whose mission it is “to educate America’s youth about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy.” A subject about which Bristol is quite familiar, having given birth to an out-of-wedlock baby, Tripp, a few months ago.

Bristol joins Britney Spears as Candie’s other national spokesperson. Another inspiring example of restraint and responsible sexual practices and motherhood.

Besides wondering where the Palins keep coming up with funky names for their children, I also have questions about the relationship between the Candie Foundation’s mission and the line of clothing Candie produces and markets to teenyboppers—juniors’ “tops,” “bottoms,” dresses, a full line of sexy swimsuits, and what they call “intimates.” Somehow this doesn’t all fit together. But I feel confident that as time goes by Britney and Bristol will help me figure it all out.

And now, much more seriously, Liz Chaney has joined her dad’s media crusade to convince Americans that Barack Obama in slightly more than 100 days has already, remarkably made America “less safe.” That during the last seven Bush-Cheney years they kept us safe (notice how he fails to mention that they did not keep us safe during the first eight months of their administration—recall 9/11 happened on their watch after they were warned in August that Al Qaeda was planning a major attack on the U.S.) Cheney claims they kept us safe, among other things, by using torture, of it you insist, “enhanced interrogation techniques,” on suspected terrorists.

While thinking about motives to explain this unprecedented public campaign by a recent vice president, dutiful daughter Liz, on Morning Joe yesterday may have hinted at the real reason. When asked by another guest, Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, why other senior Bush officials are not speaking out in chorus with her father, she said, with unintentional honesty, that “Maybe they disagree with my father or they are afraid they will be prosecuted.”

Perhaps, just maybe, Dick Cheney shares these fears. He has never shown much personal courage—remember he sought and was granted at least five deferments during the Vietnam War, and spent months after 9/11 hiding out and working from an “undisclosed location.” It feels like his revisionist offensive is less patriotic than he claims—“I am doing this to help keep America safe”—and more to try to save his, well, ass.