Mary Cheney is a lesbian.
On the face of it, praising a person's family shouldn't be considered a "cheap shot". Using the name of a political opponent's openly gay daughter to illustrate a point about homosexuality not being a choice would seem reasonable as well.
I admit there could be some Machiavellian tactic going on when both Edwards and Kerry bring up Mary Cheney (esp. Kerry, who wasn't facing Cheney at the time) during a nationally televised debate. Sort of a mind blowing tactic though: we know your base and election hopes are tied up with Christian Fundamentalists, we think if we remind them that the V.P. candidate's daughter is a lesbian, that the Fundies will stay home on Nov. 2 Even if Kerry's comments were completely well-intentioned and banal (they seemed to be), maybe it wasn't a wise move politically.
Where was Lynne Cheney's outrage when Alan Keyes, the Republican candidate for Illinos Senate described Mary Cheney as a sinning hedonist?