Sean Penn asks, 'Why is anyone listening to Dick Cheney?'

 

Sean Penn has a bone to pick with Dick Cheney. And he's not too thrilled with Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity, either

This week on Hannity's show, former Vice President Cheney took issue with images of President Obama laughing and joking with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Cheney sniped: "You have millions of people all across South America who are watching how we respond. And if they see an American president sort of cozying up to somebody like Daniel Ortega or Chavez, I think it's not helpful. I think it sort of sets the wrong standard."

Cheney also said Obama should "distinguish between good guys and bad guys, between those who believe in democracy, who are friends and allies of the United States, and those who don't. And you don't treat them equally."

Responding to Cheney's criticism, actor Penn took to his Huffington Post blog, asking, "Why is anyone listening to former Vice President Cheney? He's the one person alive proven wrong on virtually every topic." 

But he goes on ...

Penn says he knows Chavez well. "Whether or not one agrees with all his policies, what is certainly true of Chavez is that he is a warm and friendly man with a robust sense of humor (who daily risks his own life for his country in ways Dick Cheney could never imagine). To treat such a man coldly is akin to spitting on him. As a country we've done enough of that.

He adds: "The Cheneys, down to the O'Reillys and Hannitys and Limbaughs, effectively hate the principles upon which we were founded. They are among the greatest cowards in all of American history. I applaud an American president who's tough enough ... to smile."

Wow. Tell us how you really feel, Sean.

Do you agree with Penn? Or Cheney?

Be careful. Just like Carrie Prejean and that gay marriage question, either answer is gonna get you in trouble with someone.

Photos: Sean Penn, Dick Cheney. Credits: WireImage