THE UGLY AMERICAN. Vice President Dick Cheney now has managed to offend the sensibilities of even
The Washington Post's non-political fashion writer, Robin Givhan. And she has good reason to
question the vice president's judgement: In his visit to Auschwitz yesterday to mark the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of the death camps at Auschwitz, Cheney wore an outfit that made him
look more like Kenny from South Park than an international statesman and world leader. As Givhan
describes it http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...05-01-28/1.htm in an article that
could have run, without alteration, in The Onion:

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"The ceremony at the Nazi death camp was outdoors, so those in attendance, such as French
President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were wearing dark, formal overcoats
and dress shoes or boots. Because it was cold and snowing, they were also wearing gentlemen's
hats. In short, they were dressed for the inclement weather as well as the sobriety and dignity of
the event.

The vice president, however, was dressed in the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a
snow blower.

Cheney stood out in a sea of black-coated world leaders because he was wearing an olive drab parka
with a fur-trimmed hood. It is embroidered with his name. It reminded one of the way in which
children's clothes are inscribed with their names before they are sent away to camp. And indeed,
the vice president looked like an awkward boy amid the well-dressed adults.

Like other attendees, the vice president was wearing a hat. But it was not a fedora or a Stetson
or a fur hat or any kind of hat that one might wear to a memorial service as the representative of
one's country. Instead, it was a knit ski cap, embroidered with the words "Staff 2001." It was the
kind of hat a conventioneer might find in a goodie bag.

It is also worth mentioning that Cheney was wearing hiking boots -- thick, brown, lace-up ones.
Did he think he was going to have to hike the 44 miles from Krakow -- where he had made remarks
earlier in the day -- to Auschwitz? "
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It's not like the United States has never sent a representative to an event at Auschwitz
previously, so the protocol of such events is well known in diplomatic and executive circles.
Cheney's flagrant violation can, Givhan rightly suggests, be considered an affront to the dignity
of the ceremony and signal that Cheney took it less seriously than previous leaders have. At a
time when the United States is widely reviled internationally for its brusque and imperious ways,
such an arrogant disregard for protocol can only further damage America's international image.

It's hard to imagine what Cheney was thinking when he prepped for this event. The Bush
administration has been more attuned to the complex semiotics of fashion that virtually any other
group of politicians I've seen. Laura Bush's white coat during the inaugural ceremonies alone
constituted a complex communication with female viewers about the forward-looking nature of the
administration, with undertones of purity, fresh starts and new centuries. For someone in her
position to retire the mid-century dictum of "no white after Labor Day" in favor of the
fashionable reality of winter white, which is trendier than ever this year, constituted the final
stake in the heart of an informal rule at least as old as the Social Security program. The Bush
twins routinely dress in the best-regarded emerging American designers favored by the In Style set
and are such regulars at chic D.C. boutiques like Sassanova and Urban Chic that Sassanova now
posts a picture of the First Lady behind the counter.

There's no question in my mind that Cheney knew what he was doing when he chose to play the role
of ugly American in his embroidered parka and knit cap. Perhaps he was trying to signal something
about America casting aside the constraints of history. If so, it was a message ill-suited to the
occasion. As Paul Fussell noted in his acclaimed book Class: A Guide Through the American Status
System, even in the United States the wearing of any items of clothing with writing on them
signals a lack of sophistication and education on the part of the wearer, and an intention to
engage in leisure activities.

Ah, Ezra, you'd have loved the hat if had an "Eagle" on it. Maybe along with a bright green and white winter coat.

It could have had a big "Gonzo1" in script on the chest.

Actually, I guess it should have Gonzo2 . . . well, maybe I was right the first time.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

I think someone told him they were still a working camp and he wanted to practice his skills for Gitmo and Abu Gharib, so he dressed accordingly. Like it was a workshop.