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Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident

By Jeralyn, Section Dick Cheney
Posted on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 12:07:35 PM EST
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Jon Podhoretz at The Corner gets this right:

It seems beyond question that the vice president is going to have to go before the cameras, explain what happened, and show genuine remorse for his actions, however inadvertent. It's a difficult challenge for someone as reticent as Dick Cheney. But unless he does so, and makes a good showing of it, he will be damaged goods for the remainder of the Bush presidency.

Keep the pressure on. Katharine Armstrong may have been an eye-witness, but she's no substitute for hearing from the man himself, both as to his account of the shooting and his explanation for the delay in notifying the press. The response of Cheney's office so far, that the Veep believed Armstrong should make the announcement because the incident occurred on her ranch strains credulity.

Cheney also needs to confirm or deny CBS's report that he refused to be interviewed by the Texas Sheriff.

Raw Story has learned the third hunter present was Pamela Willeford, the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. When will we hear her account?

[Graphic created exclusively for TalkLeft by CL.]

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    • Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident | 34 comments (34 topical)
    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 12:24:57 PM EST
    It's an interesting dilemma for Cheney, isn't it? The only way he could look good over this would be to say "Yes, it was a terrible error of judgement, I feel very bad about it, and I'll need to think carefully about whether I should continue to hunt." And then not go on any more hunting parties. The window is closing, though. Leave a straight statement like the above too long, and it will appear he was pressured into making it. Attempt to throw blame on Whittington, and he'll look bad to experienced hunters - some of whom would ordinarily be core Republicans - who understand that it was Cheney's fault. Take the blame on himself, and he'll look bad to the vast majority of Republicans who don't hunt and aren't used to hearing the V-P say "Yes, it was entirely my fault" about anything. Since it appears Whittington will recover, I think those of us not core Republicans can simply sit back and enjoy the show, guilt-free.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#2)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 01:13:13 PM EST
    How does this make the VP 'damaged goods'? Will the senate ignore his procedural role or his president pro tempore, will his vote not count, or will he be unable to advise the president or outline policy? Help me out here; exactly what does the VP do that will be hampered by this accident? It seems to me the VP's power is in his influence on the president; and I don't see how that will change. Come on, folks are incredibly slaphappy over this. Look, the only people who are going to remember this 10 days from now are the same folks who've been calling for the VP's head for years now. They're dying for an embarrassed mea culpa. If there is one I predict they'll all be markedly unsatisfied.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#3)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 01:30:07 PM EST
    I'm with pw on this one. I spent a very social weekend with a bunch of different friends, parents of my kid's friends, adult get-togethers, etc., and no one was talking about this. First I heard of it was on TL this AM. "Cheney shot someone in a hunting accident? Huh. Everyone all right? Good. Hey, did you hear about Michelle Kwan..."

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#4)
    by aw on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 01:39:35 PM EST
    I say pass the popcorn. Cheney apparently gave the order to shoot down the flight over PA; he allegedly gave Libby the greenlight to pass classified information. Sounds like he's more than influential to me (and quite trigger-happy).

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 01:47:49 PM EST
    But unless he does so, and makes a good showing of it, he will be damaged goods for the remainder of the Bush presidency. LOL on this one! According to most libs...he has been "damaged goods" from day one! Isn't there anything 'newsworthy' you all can go on about? 4 different posts on TL about this !!!

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:03:45 PM EST
    This does seem to be amost a non-story of little interest. I'm not sure why there is such glee in some of the previous postings.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:07:20 PM EST
    There are 1,567 news articles on the shooting on Google News right now. Nice try to minimize it, but it won't work. This story's got legs -- texas long ones.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#8)
    by Peaches on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:17:41 PM EST
    When hunting quail, one should always be prepared to shoot willy-nilly at whatever it is that moves. Cheney wouldn't want the terrorist-quail to flee over the Mexican border and hide out in the mountains where the quail might usher threats against Bush/Cheney/US and set up quail training camps for zealot nationalistic fowl. These birdies could be trained to fly suicide-style into Maquiladoras along the borders. No, each perceived beating of the wing should rightly be interpreted by Cheney as a quail, even if it is his hunting buddies' face, and shots should fly. Shoot Cheney! Shoot! Let not the quail birdy escape to the hinterlands!

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:31:07 PM EST
    "Cheney shot someone in a hunting accident? Huh. Everyone all right? Good. Hey, did you hear about Michelle Kwan..."
    The Great and Terrible Oz: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" The Vice President shot another man with a shotgun and put him in the hospital and you were talking about Michelle Kwan? Nice try. This one won't be ignored by the usual distractions. Why I bet even that tabloid news show Fox News will say something about it!

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#10)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:35:10 PM EST
    Speaking for me, no offense, but wasn't trying to minimize anything, just sharing my opinion/observation like everyone else here. Google news is an interesting way to measure newsworthyness. On it "Kwan withdrawal" gets about the same number of hits as "Cheney shotgun" - around 1400. Not sure if there is anything to be gained from it, but, hey, there it is.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#11)
    by desertswine on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:37:53 PM EST
    "Cheney shot someone in a hunting accident? Huh. Everyone all right? Good. Hey, did you hear about Michelle Kwan..."
    Cheney shot Michelle Kwan too?

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#12)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:50:47 PM EST
    "There are 1,567 news articles on the shooting on Google News right now. Nice try to minimize it, but it won't work. This story's got legs -- texas long ones."
    Google news also has 2,210 stories related to Michelle Kwan bailing on the Olympics. If we look at what are the most popular stories on Google news the VP's f*up appears to rank a close second to Brittany Spear's current drama. Yahoo's most viewed has it second to that woman who just gave birth to a 15 year old kids baby. Legs? Two weeks, tops.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:54:49 PM EST
    PW-you may be right. But what if it turns out that oral sex is involved?

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#14)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:56:03 PM EST
    Legs? That Kwan's got some legs! Badda bing. Ok, I'm done now...

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#15)
    by squeaky on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:56:28 PM EST
    That is over 2.2 million stories at google.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#16)
    by Che's Lounge on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 02:58:52 PM EST
    Maybe it would be easier to treat it like a hunting accident if the Administration would treat it like.. a hunting accident. They're so wrapped up in their own protocols and secrecy that they look like bumbling fools. Again

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#17)
    by Edger on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 03:09:07 PM EST
    Cheney shot himself in the foot? Really???

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 03:14:05 PM EST
    Posted by Squeaky February 13, 2006 03:54 PM PW-you may be right. But what if it turns out that oral sex is involved?
    ROTFLMAO! Then it would be an impeachable shooting incident.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#19)
    by Edger on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 03:34:49 PM EST
    Squeaky: PW-you may be right. But what if it turns out that oral sex is involved? Happiness is a warm gun? Ahem...

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#20)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 04:04:56 PM EST
    Here's an interesting headline...
    In the first documented vice presidential shooting since Aaron Burr dropped Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel
    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#21)
    by Sailor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 04:06:58 PM EST
    Hey, I didn't think it was a big deal either ... until I learned that it wasn't reported by the shooter (cheney), and women were involved that were not wives. And he refused to give a statement. Is he going to claim exec priv, that elected officials don't have to follow the law? (Ya know, like his boss did;-) Obviously there is no reason to have a cover up if there is nothing to cover up, right!?

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 04:37:02 PM EST
    It seems beyond question that the vice president is going to have to go before the cameras,
    The above, from the post prompts me to ask, WHY? Everybody says it is an accident. There are no charges. So, WHY? Sometimes you guys are funny.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 04:57:29 PM EST
    Che's Lounge: Maybe it would be easier to treat it like a hunting accident if the Administration would treat it like... a hunting accident. You said it. Makes you wonder how many people Cheney's shot before, and no one ever leaked to the media?

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#24)
    by Johnny on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 05:21:17 PM EST
    If I hit someone while driving a car, there is a good chance that I will be brought up on charges. If I throw a potted plant out of the window and it breaks over somebodies head, even though I never intended to hit someone with it, I am still likely to be charged with some kind of crime. Like it or not, Cheney just drew some attention to himself, and as a very public figure, will need to establish that he A:feels bad and B:and to justify why he is still allowed to own a firearm.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#25)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 06:49:28 PM EST
    "... and to justify why he is still allowed to own a firearm."
    Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone Johnny! No one is 'allowed' to own a firearm. It is a fundamental right; it can certainly be denied. If he had yelled "fire" in a crowded theater would you like him to justify his further lawful use of speech? One admitted accident and you want to deny the man his second amendment-enshrined right?

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#26)
    by Johnny on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 07:05:05 PM EST
    No one is 'allowed' to own a firearm.
    Of course that is debateable. But not here. And just because I am curious, does someone who commits a single crime that results in less injury to another person than dickies accident deserve to retain the "enshrined" right to own a firearm? BTW, yelling fire is not the same as blowing a mans face off.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#27)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 07:25:35 PM EST
    Of course that is debateable. But not here.
    Actually it's not debatable. You may not believe it, but you would be wrong.
    And just because I am curious ...
    Of course. And far more, as well.
    BTW, yelling fire is not the same as blowing a mans face off.
    And by the way, this mans face was not 'blown off'. He was peppered with bird shot, which I understand for a ~80 year old man might be a big deal. But there is no point in being so dramatic. If the injury was anywhere as severe as you make it out to be we would soon be talking about manslaughter.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#28)
    by Johnny on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 07:46:39 PM EST
    Actually it's not debatable. You may not believe it, but you would be wrong.
    Disagree. It is just not debateable to you. The vaunted 2nd amendment has been interpreted many times, and arms control has always been in effect here. For example, you cannot own certain types of guns, operational tanks, etc etc. All of which have been decried as being against the spirit of the 2nd.
    Of course. And far more, as well.
    I'll let the (not so) implied personal attack slide. Not trying to be dramatic pw, but comparing yelling fire to shooting someone in the face is apples and oranges. Comparing it to running someone over with a car due to reckless behavior I could go with.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#29)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 08:07:49 PM EST
    "All of which have been decried as being against the spirit of the 2nd."
    The second amendment isn't the source of my right to keep firearms. It is simply a reflection of a fundamental right; a bit of text, which charges the government with protecting it. Much of the constitution has been ignored; internment camps, anti-sodomy laews, and so forth. This doesn't make it less meaningful. Anyway, second amendment aside; the right is extrinsic and fundamental. It existed before the constitution.
    "I'll let the (not so) implied personal attack slide."
    There was no personal attack intended. I meant that I have a very high standard for what crimes I think the abridgment of the right is warranted. We shouldn't go around sanctioning the abridgment of fundamental rights because of silly negligent acts. Like yelling fire in a crowded theater, for example; a stupid sophomoric prank.
    "... but comparing yelling fire to shooting someone in the face is apples and oranges."
    Well, it was an analogy. If I were to compare 'apples to apples' we would be balancing this and other instances of accidental shooting. I used the comparison because gun ownership is as important as free speech; about which you were overly flippant.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#30)
    by Johnny on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 06:45:27 AM EST
    Well, it was an analogy. If I were to compare 'apples to apples' we would be balancing this and other instances of accidental shooting. I used the comparison because gun ownership is as important as free speech; about which you were overly flippant.
    I never said owning a firearm wasn't important. But comparing yelling fire to shooting a man in the face is a flawed analogy. Flippant?
    Of course. And far more, as well.
    Sorry, that does come across as a sneaky insult-you should have tried clarifying yourself a bit.

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#31)
    by squeaky on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 07:06:57 AM EST
    Why does Cheney have to speak, when the Dark Master can do a better job:
    It just gets better and better. Karl Rove had a chat with Katharine Armstrong, the Bush pioneer and estate owner, who was on the hunt and is the only eyewitness who has been allowed to talk to the press. Apparently within 90 minutes of the shooting. And it was her idea to go to the press, right?
    josh marshall

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#32)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 09:24:28 AM EST
    So today the "Cheney shotgun" story has taken the lead in its contest with the "Kwan withdrawal" story on Google news - 1900+ hits to 1500+ hits. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I'm on the edge of my seat!

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 04:42:36 PM EST
    SUO, be sure to flush when you're finished!

    Re: Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident (none / 0) (#34)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:58:10 PM EST
    ...although I must admit that this story has taken a rather serious twist and even w/o checking google news I'm sure Cheney's numbers are off the charts. So, TL, if you'd be so kind as to pass a plate of crow, and the salt and pepper, I'll start right in...

    Cheney Needs to Speak About Shooting Accident | 34 comments (34 topical)