Cheney visit is met by traffic, protests

Avoided in public by the state's leading Republicans, Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Boston yesterday and was greeted by a boisterous protest and a well-heeled GOP crowd in the Back Bay.

When Cheney's plane touched down at Logan International Airport, he was greeted by a little-known state representative from Shrewsbury and a small band of local officials.

Governor Mitt Romney and Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey were nowhere in sight, and the vice president, whose poll numbers make him among the least popular political figures in the country, was whisked away in a black limousine.

Cheney's visit created traffic snarls, and for a few afternoon hours, Back Bay became a congested circus. Sign-waving protesters chanted into bullhorns. A massive retinue of police officers and Secret Service agents lined the streets. Afternoon traffic stood still. Flowing through it all were hundreds of Red Sox fans slowly making their way to Fenway Park.

The protests produced numerous confrontations, as guests to the fund-raiser, which cost $2,500 per person, had to walk through a gantlet of virulent anti-Cheney activists on their way to the Harvard Club in Boston, where Cheney spoke.

``Shame! Shame!" the protesters chanted at the Republican supporters streaming by.

Grace Ross , the Green-Rainbow Party candidate for governor, began giving a speech excoriating Cheney when police confiscated her microphone and speakers, citing noise ordinances.

Inside the Harvard Club, Cheney spoke for about 20 minutes to nearly 300 guests, giving a public service award to Richard J. Egan , the founder of the Hopkinton-based EMC Corp. and a stalwart Bush supporter. He also spoke about the war on terrorism.

``He talked about the need to stay the course," said Brian Dodge , executive director of the state Republican Party.

The event was closed to the public. In attendance yesterday were Romney , Healey , former governor Paul Cellucci and the new Turnpike Authority head, John Cogliano.

Cheney arrived at Logan at about 4 p.m., greeted there by a small entourage of Republican officials. State Representative Karyn E. Polito , a Shrewsbury Republican who was in the welcoming party, recalled her brief exchange with Cheney.

``I said, `I'm a Republican state representative, a wife, and a mother, and my family sleeps easy at night knowing you and President Bush are in the corner office,' " Polito said in an interview on the tarmac, just after Cheney left. ``He said, `Thank you for running for office. I'm happy to be here.' "

The Harvard Club sits just off the intersection of Commonwealth and Massachusetts avenues, among the most congested crossroads in the city, and Cheney's visit exacerbated the typically nightmarish traffic that clots there on a Friday afternoon when the Red Sox are playing at home.

There were rolling road closures throughout the late afternoon and early evening, and downtown traffic was backed up and barely moving along long stretches of Back Bay starting at just before 4 p.m. Motorists were asked by police on foot to stop and remain stopped for as long as 30 minutes.

Parts of Commonwealth Avenue were shut off to motorists, with cars being diverted under Massachusetts Avenue, creating confusion among school bus drivers, trolley drivers, and others looking to escape the snarl.

At the same time, traffic on Interstate 93 south backed up to the Zakim Bridge late yesterday while Leverett Connector traffic headed toward Storrow Drive and Leverett Circle backed up as well.

Police kept protesters about 50 feet away from the Harvard Club entrance, with many of them spilling out onto Massachusetts Avenue.

``This war [in Iraq] has everything to do with greed ," said Alice Brown , 68, of Canton, whose son, Lieutenant Colonel David Floyd, recently returned from service in Iraq.

Some guests at the Eliot Hotel next door gathered on the hotel steps to watch the festivities.

``I don't believe they have much intellect or understanding of the issues," John Hanron , 68, said of the protesters. He was in town from Lincoln, Calif., for a family reunion. ``I'm disappointed that we have this subversion going on."

But Janet Minkin , 60, on vacation from Milwaukee, didn't seem to mind. ``I agree with the protesters 100 percent," she said. ``I had a little trouble getting through to the hotel. But I'm glad to see them there."

Mac Daniel of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Emma Stickgold contributed to this report.