Dick Cheney Does July 4th

The Administration may be prolific in its use of symbolism, but Dick Cheney’s 4th of July weekend photo op at the Daytona auto race was an absolute orgy of conservative, nationalistic, male, southern and militarist imagery.  (By the way, Ken Schrader’s Ford U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command came in twelfth, and Greg Biffle’s Ford Subway/National Guard pulled in at thirty-first.)

And if that’s wasn’t enough, The BAG was taken aback by this shot.  Is this the legacy the Bush Presidency leaves to American youth?  Here’s the caption:

Dwayne Lockett, left, talks to Ryan Lawson, 12, from Guntersville, Ala.,

about his sniper weapons as Lockett served in the security detail for

United States Vice President Dick Cheney’s visit to the Pepsi 400 auto

race in Daytona Beach, Fla.

… Just as sad, I can actually imagine a newspaper running this, and then getting slapped by the White House for allegedly compromising the Vice-President’s security.

(image 1 & 2: Rick Fowler/Reuters.  Daytona Beach, Florida. July 1, 2006.  Via YahooNews.  image 3: Glenn Smith/A.P.  Via YahooNews.  image 4 & 5: Alan Diaz/Reuters.  Via YahooNews  Image 6: Joe Ranze/AP. Via YahooNews.)