War On Words

"Did you assault the Vice President?"

Here's how Steven Howards says he responded: "No, but I did tell Mr. Cheney the way I felt about the war in Iraq, and if Mr. Cheney wants to be shielded from public criticism, he should avoid public places. If exercising my constitutional rights to free speech is against the law, then you should arrest me."

Which is just what the agent, Virgil D. "Gus" Reichle Jr, proceeded to do.

That was Steven's reward for uttering the phrase "Your policies in Iraq are reprehensible" to Dick Cheney's face as he wandered through a mall, shaking hands with people.

This story would have made a lot more sense if it had been Bush instead of Cheney: "Too many syllables, sir."