Cheney Distinction Draws Criticism

2009-09-10 02:54:54 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - News, US Presidential News)

Some are protesting the dedication of a University of Wyoming center to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Some oppose the naming of a university building after the former Vice President due to his war stance.

Press Release Service – Wired PR News – Plans to name a University of Wyoming center after former Vice President Dick Cheney has drawn criticism from some who oppose his stance on the Iraq war and interrogation techniques. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), some are planning to protest the Cheney International Center dedication ceremony on Thursday.

As noted by the AP, Cheney and his wife Lynne reportedly helped fund the center with $3.2 million in donations to the university over the course of Cheney’s terms as vice president. However, some say putting his name on the center could hurt its reputation. Suzanne Pelican, who started a petition to oppose the distinction, is quoted by the AP as stating, “We feel that by naming it the Cheney International Center, that the programs and UW can’t avoid being identified with that ideology and that approach to global politics that the Bush-Cheney administration championed.”

Tom Buchanan, president of the university, is quoted as writing in the Casper Star-Tribune in defense of the decision, “Whether you are Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, Catholic or Protestant, gay or straight, white or black, you are welcome at the University of Wyoming. Should we subject potential donors and the purpose of their gift to public referendum? I think not.”

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