Lynne Cheney blasts Gore comments on media violence

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Lynne Cheney, the wife of Republican vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney, called the Democratic ticket's criticism of the entertainment industry phony Sunday, and warned that any government action against Hollywood would likely be unconstitutional.

Cheney, former chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows to dismiss Vice President Al Gore's promise to regulate the industry if it takes no steps to limit violent and sexually explicit movies, games and music marketed to children within six months.

"They know you can't enact legislation," she said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "This is wallpaper, a spin ... to make people think they are on the side of parents." Cheney called instead for the public to shun entertainment executives who promote products considered unacceptable.

"We need to name names," she said on CNN's "Late Edition." "We need to hold people up for public shaming who are so reckless that for a few dollars, they will market adult products to our kids."

And she accused Gore of later backtracking on criticism of the industry in a private meeting with entertainment executives and by raising money from industry figures he denounces publicly.

"This is a pattern and practice of Al Gore," she said. "Al Gore will say one thing when it's time to raise money and another thing when he wants the moms and dads of this country to think he's on their side."

Cheney said any legislation to regulate industry violence would run afoul of the First Amendment. But Gore campaign manager William Daley said the Democratic nominee is urging the business to regulate itself before government takes any steps.

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"What we're trying to do is encourage the industry to take some steps soon, to do some self-regulation, based upon a tough report that was very clear as to the abuses and steps that have been taken by the entertainment industry that most Americans will feel are wrong," Daley said on CBS.

Daley said the vice president has been consistent on the issue and has a long-standing concern about violence in entertainment. He stressed that something should be done in light of the scathing study released last week on abuses in entertainment industry that allow sex and violence to be marketed to children.

"Mrs. Cheney is right in saying that it is a difficult situation because of the First Amendment," he said. "But that doesn't mean we should throw up our hands and walk away, and say 'Well, that's the way it goes.'"

Cheney said violence in music is just as big a problem as violence in movies, a point she raised during a Senate committee hearing this week.