Cheney, Hooked on Controversy

Dick Cheney has sparked another minor furor, this time in the fly fishing world.

The ex-veep has reportedly agreed to speak at a fundraiser for the American Museum of Fly Fishing, at an (as-yet) undisclosed location in Washington, D.C. this fall.

Critics of the vice president from the fly-fishing world are calling the invitation to Cheney “despicable” and “disappointing,” citing his policies which worsened the health of the nation’s waterways. So recounts the Manchester (N.H.) Journal.

Detroit Free-Press outdoors columnist Eric Sharp compared the museum’s invitation to inviting ex-FEMA chief Mike Brown to a celebration in honor of his work during Hurricane Katrina.

The museum has defended the invitation, saying it was based not on politics but on Cheney’s “passion” for fly fishing.

This is not Cheney’s first fly-fishing flap, of course: last year, a grinning photo of him on a fishing trip showed a curious reflection in his sunglasses, igniting an Internet-wide investigation.

With an eye towards that history, one fly-fishing blog (yes! That’s right!) suggested Cheney donate his glasses to the museum.