Saturday, August 07, 2004
He's Kidding, Right?
Last weekend, while campaigning in Arizona, Dick Cheney questioned the race of a photographer before providing press credentials.
Can we all spell racial profiling? First, you must sign an oath of support to attend a Bush Cheney rally, and now you must be from an approved race to take a picture. Land of the free indeed!
- The Bush-Cheney campaign asked for the race of a Tucson newspaper photographer covering Vice President Dick Cheney's weekend visit to Arizona.
The Arizona Daily Star refused to provide the race of photographer Mamta Popat and asked why the question was asked, said Teri Hayt, the newspaper's managing editor.
"I have never been exposed to that type of question in 25 years of credentialing people," Hayt said.
The campaign said it asked for the photographer's race at the direction of the Secret Service during the credentialing process.
The question was one of several inquiries aimed at getting specific identifying information to help security officials conduct effective background checks, the Secret Service said.
Can we all spell racial profiling? First, you must sign an oath of support to attend a Bush Cheney rally, and now you must be from an approved race to take a picture. Land of the free indeed!
