I'm an unabashed partisan...

...but that doesn't mean I don't recognize that individual Republicans can be fine human beings, regardless of their misguided politics. One example has always seemed to be Alan Simpson, the former Senator from Wyoming. No matter how wrong I almost always thought he was about most everything ideologically, he always seemed to be a genial sort, with a well developed, if wry, sense of humor and a genuine tolerance for differences between people.

Which leads me to wonder - what's he got against Mary Cheney?

In his opening remarks, Mr. Simpson noted, "Not one of us doesn't have someone close to us who is gay or lesbian." Then he invoked Mary Cheney, the daughter of the vice president, who attended the inauguration with her partner. Mr. Simpson said that after Ms. Cheney said she was a lesbian, her father, Dick Cheney, "protected and loved her as his very special, special daughter."

He called her a lesbian! Can you believe that?!?

Come to think of it, what's Mary Cheney got against Mary Cheney? She keeps calling her a lesbian, too.

Don't tell her mom...