What was Cheney thinking? Nothing?
 

Leaders from all around the world visited the former concentration camp Auschwitz in remembrance of its liberation. The US were represented by Dick Cheney. While everyone else was dressed in black, Cheney decided to wear a olive-green, military-style coat and a black ski hat with a embroided "Staff 2001" logo:

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,430991,00.jpg

Doesn't Halliburton pay him enough to afford some decent clothing?

source: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,339109,00.html in German, but theres also an article in the Washington Post.

He looks quite uncomfortable in that picture. There's no real way to say if he did it on purpous or not. If he purpously dressed in military colors to defy something, it was not clear enough by this picture and the information in the paper to be sure. Just my humble opinion.

Of all the reasons to dislike Dick Cheyney, this is on the bottom of the list.

Whatever his reasons he looks out of place. And his adversaries can have a field day with this fashion statement.

He certainly does stick out like a sore thumb. Looks like a warm coat though, especially with it snowing.

Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity.

--Nick Diamos

Seems like much ado about nothing to me.

If anything, it's almost as if he didn't really care for being there, but assuming a few
things from the original posters intent.

In all fairness, there is another picture of him dressed up nicely, taken a little while before the coat picture while he is paying tribute to the victims or something like that. He probably threw the coat on when it got cold.

But... is that his wife next to him... wearing FUR?!

Not too statesman-like.
Looks like he just came back from a hunting trip.

how very bizarre. cheney has been to countless events like this in his long political career without being so out of place fashion-wise. i bet there is a story behind this other than a poor choice of colors.

I would like to hear that story, maybe he just spilled something on his black coat. Sure, it's much ado 'bout nothing but remarkable. And I wonder where he got that "Staff 2001" hat from...

I think he worked the phones for satan's 2001st annual "Feed the Evil" fundraiser event.

Amen. Normally, vice presidents don't get their ass chewed out by the Wapo for fashion statements...but i suppose there's a first time for everything.

comedy gold, filthy... :)

Here the story I want to believe: Not knowing that the program was to be outside, Dick found himself unprepared for the cold. Looking around the room asking for help no one would even look up from the floor at him. A lone voice from the back says: "Monsieur Dick, I believe I can help you..." and Chirac pulls out the ugliest ass coat in all of Germany. The pic was taken seconds after Cheney found the Freedom Fries in the pockets. The End.

Cheney being sensitive is pretty funny, "military v.p. reaches out". Well I tried, Bush should have been to the event and not Cheney. The U.S. doesn't have much clout in Europe and would be nice to start warming relations back up.

hmm... i wouldn't go that far. as frosty as relations are... i think a lot of reluctance on the european's part is a reaction against the immense clout we do weild.

If someone could photochop a can of Bud in his hands, that would be funny, especially if the guy over Cheney's right shoulder made a comment.

nor assume that wealth begets fashion sense!