I saw this linked on Kevin Drum's
Political Animal, and I must re-iterate that which I read in the comments section.
You are being much too hard on Cheney.
The man was probably cold. Deal with it... I mean, like most Americans he is a doer, a go-getter -- so, when he experiences the sensation of a (profound) lack of warmth, he does something about it. And that parka was probably hella more protective for the elements than some thread-bare jacket like those post-communist jag-offs wear (because that's all they can afford... hahah).
... Now, if this were 1995, and Vice-President Gore was the object to scorn in question, then I would be, of course, all over the story with ridicule, like el Rushbo on a smorgasbord. In fact, el Rushbo would put down the needle and fork for a minute and vituperate about the veep's lack of deference, and how it's a slap in the face to our Israeli gov't ally (our dearest ally, ever), and Ann Coulter would be flogging a book tracing the line from poorly dressed, opium-smoking, bad-poetry-reading beatniks to the Clinton administration and how such is an evil effort to besmirch the names Eisenhower, Nixon, and McCarthy, and their great, national-unity-restoring interstate highway system, etc., and I woud be right there with 'em.
But, this is different. We (at top) are talking about the man who sits at the right-hand of the prophet (Geo. W. Bush, for those heathens among us, those liberal Democrats that so dominate this web-board). We shan't disrespect Richard, without likewise raining ridicule on Bush.
Nary we should do that.