Origins of the Nation
Vice President Cheney got it right, and grinned as he reminded the audience at Jamestown, Virginia today that “the history of our nation did not begin in Cape Cod in 1620.” Just in case all those uppity Massachusetts types forget. Ahem, *cough Kennedy, *kaff, Kerry.
From the Daily Press here:
JAMESTOWN — The national spotlight turned to Jamestown this afternoon, as Vice President Dick Cheney addressed state lawmakers in the spot where the Virginia General Assembly began meeting nearly 400 years ago.
“In this place, great noble traditions were introduced to the North American continent,” Cheney said from the sun-dappled Jamestown Church.
They listened politely to Cheney’s speech, but could not resist breaking into raucous applause when the vice president tapped into a particular strain of commonwealth pride.
“The history of our nation did not begin in Cape Cod in 1620,” he said.
When the cheers subsided, the vice president looked up and cracked a smile. “That’s a great line,” he said.
Cheney spoke from the Jamestown Church. Lawmakers ? then called the House of Burgesses — began meeting in the original church in 1619. It is now the nation’s oldest English-speaking continuously meeting legislative body. Jamestown was founded in 1607.
