I find the whole Republican talking point (expressed by LWs like "No Name Given") that Mary Cheney is not an appropriate target extremely disengenuous at best. Comparisons to Rush Limbaugh excoriation of Chelsea Clinton, who he infamously referred to as the "family dog", are completely off the mark.

Firstly, Mary Cheney is an adult. When Limbaugh targeted Clinton, she was barely in high school.

Secondly, the substance of Limbaugh's remarks dealt exclusively with Chelsea Clinton's looks (this from a - at the time - morbidly obese commentator). Salon's critique is more of a comment on Mary Cheney's choices. Not to be a lesbian, but to espouse a political philosophy that is directly at odds with her rights as a adult. When I think of the complete sublimation required to be gay in this Republican party I am always reminded of the David Chapelle skit about the black KKK member.

Lastly, as far as Mary Cheney's bonafides as a Republican public figure: does running her father's reelection campaign in 2004 count? Recall that this was the re-election campaign that put a heavy emphasis on the "Gay Marriage Amendment" and featured just under a dozen states with anti-gay marriage legislation on the ballot. Before her father's election as Vice President, Cheney worked as a gay and lesbian outreach coordinator for Coors Brewing Co.

For someone who is concerned with her privacy, she sure has made a habit of being quite publicly gay. In 2002, she joined the gay-friendly Republican Unity Coalition and said that sexual orientation should be "a non-issue for the Republican Party", with a goal of "equality for all gay and lesbian Americans." Some LGBT Americans saw the organization as little more than election year window dressing to appeal to "moderate swing voters". The organization soon vanished after the 2004 election, and that Mary resigned from the RUC's board and in July 2003 became the director of her father's re-election campaign.

So again I ask those who object: What right does Mary Cheney have to not be a satirical target? Seems to me her very public adult choices leave her as a obvious target for those who want to point out just one of the many rampant hypocracies of those who call themselves a member of this current Republican party.

Someone asked what the religious right's response to Ms. Cheney's pregnancy; Via the Daou Report (linked to David Corn's website)

http://www.davidcorn.com/archives/2006/12/a_question_for_1.php

COLORADO SPRINGS, Dec. 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Mary Cheney, the Vice President's unmarried daughter, is expecting. Dr. Paul Cameron, Chairman of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado Springs think-tank, condemned her decision:

"Unmarried women should not deliberately have children. Their children are more apt to experience privation and disruption. Consequently, such children are more apt to do poorly in school, disrupt society (e.g., engage in criminality), and be personally troubled. These wrongs are compounded when the child is brought into a homosexual setting."

"By this selfish action, Cheney is not merely disrupting society, she is being cruel to her child:

* Mary, 37, is currently 'partnered' with Heather Poe, 45. The median age of death for lesbians is around the late 50's. If Poe and Cheney stay together, odds are this child will lose at least one caretaker before graduating high school.

* Children of homosexuals testify that day-to-day living is more difficult – and they are more apt to report personal disturbance as a consequence.

* A high proportion of lesbian 'partnerings' break apart -- with custody issues haunting the child for the rest of his life.

* The child will disproportionately associate with homosexuals ‚ who are as a class considerably more apt to have STDs and a criminal history, be interested in sex with children, involved in substance abuse, etc.

* The child will have a much higher probability of learning homosexual tastes (at least a third of lesbian's children adopt homosexuality).

* "Her pregnancy is further evidence that participation in homosexual activity distorts value systems, inducing practitioners to harm the commonweal. Our society already has too many children born without the benefits of marriage; Cheney's action is not only a bad example, but poor treatment of an innocent child."

So I guess that answers the question of whose being "meaner" to Ms. Cheney - Salon or her fellow Republicans?

As someone mentioned earlier, the Red Sox Nation has already decided on a nickname: "Dice-K", as has been officially used on Bostondirtdogs.com for the past month.

As far as boston.com's poll goes: what do they know? They're sportswriters! I mean, c'mon "Mat-Zilla"?