Pride and prejudice: Dick Cheney's family values

The family photograph could not be simpler. Proud, smiling grandparents cradling their new-born grandchild. But the grandfather is Dick Cheney, the American Vice-President, and the power behind the throne of what has been among the most socially conservative administrations that America has known. And the child - weighing in at 8lb 6oz - is the son of Cheney's daughter, Mary, a lesbian who has been in a 15-year relationship with her partner, Heather Poe, a former park ranger.

The statement released by Mr Cheney's office that "the Vice-President is pleased to be a grandfather for the sixth time," is typical of the matter-of-fact manner in which he has dealt with his daughter's sexuality. It gives away nothing of the behind- the-scenes contortions and pressures that the unconventional family addition has caused within a self-consciously "homespun" White House; not to mention among its monied and influential supporters on the religious right.

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But the birth of Samuel David Cheney has reopened, all be it in a low-key manner, the debate in the US about gay rights and whether gay couples should have children. It has also raised questions as to whether Mr Cheney should have done more to promote gay equality in an administration that campaigners say has treated homosexuals like second-class citizens.

As was the case when her pregnancy was first announced last December, when the Vice-President's daughter and her partner declined to reveal how Ms Cheney, 38, became pregnant.

Yet the little the couple have revealed of the pregnancy and subsequent birth - at 9.46 am on Wednesday at Washington's Sibley Hospital - has been enough to reopen controversy. Some gay activists have celebrated the birth, no doubt seeing a powerful potential supporter in Ms Cheney, but many conservatives and Christians have criticised the couple.

"There should be no touch of sadness when a healthy baby boy is born to two parents, but in this case, we're afraid, there is," wrote Peter LaBarbera, the president of Americans For Truth, an organisation devoted to confronting gay rights activists. "While we celebrate life, we cannot celebrate homosexual parenting which involves intentionally denying a child either a mom or a dad. In this case, young Samuel David - who, as a Cheney, will surely enjoy privileges and comforts greater than most children born in 2007 - will be missing an irreplaceable one: a father, to have as a guide, male authority, friend and role model as he grows from boy into man."

Jennifer Chrisler, the director of Family Pride, a Washington-based organisation that campaigns for equal rights for all families regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of the parents, said: "Vice-President Cheney's newborn grandson and his two mothers put yet another face on our families for the American public. We wish the family the best and will continue our efforts to advocate for full equality for all American families."

Ms Cheney, a former White House aide who now works for AOL, has largely chosen not to raise her head above the parapet within the gay rights debate, though she has expressed opposition to proposed constitutional amendments - supported by President George Bush - that sought to enforce a federal ban on gay marriage. Perhaps her most outspoken comments came last year when she participated in a forum in New York, organised by Glamour magazine, when she said that "every piece of remotely responsible research had shown no difference between children who are raised by same-sex parents and children raised by opposite-sex parents".

However, Ms Cheney, who worked as an aide to her father during the 2004 presidential election campaign, also said: "This is a baby. This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of an issue. It is my child."

In her 2006 autobiography, Now It's My Turn, Ms Cheney writes about her relationship with Ms Poe, and also of how she came out to her parents. She wrote that her father's initial reaction was: "You know, look, you're my daughter and I love you and I just want you to be happy." Yet some commentators questioned why Ms Cheney had waited so long to explain her views on homosexuality.

The record on the gay marriage issue of Mr Cheney, whose other daughter, Elizabeth, has five children with her husband, is also mixed. He has always been supportive of both his daughters, and during the 2004 campaign he said he felt the issue of gay marriage should to be left for individual states, rather than the federal government, to decide.

Questioned on the issue by CNN this year, Mr Cheney famously appeared annoyed that he was being asked about the appropriateness of his daughter's pregnancy. "I'm delighted I'm about to have a sixth grandchild, Wolf, and obviously think the world of both of my daughters and all of my grandchildren," he told the interviewer, Wolf Blitzer. "And I think, frankly, you're out of line with that question."

When he was questioned by another reporter last month as to whether the parents of his soon-to-be sixth grandchild should have the same rights as other parents, he replied: "Well, I think traditionally these have been issues that have been managed or regulated by the states, and that's the way I think it ought to be... And I obviously think it's important for us as a society to be tolerant and respectful of whatever arrangements people enter into."

The 2004 proposal to create a constitutional ban on gay marriage was supported by Mr Bush, who said "the union of a man and a woman is the most enduring human institution". He added: "Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society." Mr Bush said at the time that he had decided to support an amendment to the constitution - a move that ultimately failed - as a result of a decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples. At the moment, Massachusetts is the only state within the US where gay marriage is legal. In Vermont and Connecticut, couples can enter civil unions that provide similar benefits.

In terms of the 2008 presidential election campaign, it is unlikely that the birth of Ms Cheney's son will have any impact. But that is not to say that social issues such as gay rights will not play an important role.

Among the hopefuls for the Republican nomination, there is a fierce battle to try to attract the support of the conservative right, with candidates such as senators John McCain and Mike Huckabee recently seeking to highlight their rival, Rudy Giuliani's "soft" position on abortion. The contest among Republicans has also seen another leading candidate, the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, seek to polish his conservative credentials and apologise for his previous support for abortion.

Mr Giuliani said during a debate among Republican candidates that while he was personally opposed to abortion, he believed it was not a decision the government should take. This led Mr Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, to respond: "It's illogical to say 'I hate it, it's immoral, but it's OK if someone else does it'. That's bizarre."

Inconvenient relations

Neil Bush, George Bush Sr's Brother

In the 1980s Neil Bush was at the centre of a savings and loan bank collapse in Texas - one of many that occurred in quick succession around the country. Neil generated bad headlines for his family-values nephew George W when, in the course of a nasty divorce, he acknowledged having sex with strange women in Asian hotel rooms and his former wife accused him of breaking up with her by email.

Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton's Half-Brother

He was arrested for cocaine possession and sent to federal prison for a year while Bill was governor of Arkansas. His wild life as a rock musician and actor were occasionally raised by Clinton's enemies. Shortly after he received a presidential pardon in 2001, he was arrested on drink-driving charges.

Billy Carter, Jimmy Carter's Brother

He used his connections to visit Libya, get registered as an agent of the Libyan government and receive a $220,000 loan - a scandal subsequently dubbed "Billygate". He also urinated on an airport runway once in full view of the press and various dignitaries.

Patti Davis, Ronald Reagan's Daughter

Patti Davis took her mother's maiden name as a public statement of her disgust with her father's politics. She openly challenged her parents' political conservatism, living with a member of the rock band the Eagles and participating in the anti-nuclear movement. She wrote a novel about her rebellious relationship with Ronald and Nancy, called A House of Secrets. At 41 she appeared on the cover of Playboy, her breasts cupped by a black man. In his autobiography, her father wrote that Patti "made it plain to me that she thinks I am wrong and that she is against everything I stand for."