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NYT Weighs in On Cheney

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 11:17:44 PM EST
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From today's New York Times editorial on the Cheney-Whittington shooting:

The vice president appears to have behaved like a teenager who thinks that if he keeps quiet about the wreck, no one will notice that the family car is missing its right door. The administration's communications department has proved that its skills at actually communicating are so rusty it can't get a minor police-blotter story straight. And the White House, in trying to cover up the cover-up, has once again demonstrated that it would rather look inept than open.

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    NYT Weighs in On Cheney | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 06:31:11 AM EST
    For more serious in depth coverage of the event C&L has this: TDS

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#2)
    by Slado on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 07:27:16 AM EST
    This whole scenario is extremely comical. Since the dude who doens't know how to hunt isn't going to die I feel fine enjoying the spectical. First of all the WH and Cheney are stupid for sitting on this story no matter their reasons because predictably an already partisan or suspicious media is ready to pounce. A simple press announcement at 8pm on Saturday night would have put all this to rest. I see the evil Karl Rove at work in this. Second the media or mainly the WH press core look like spoiled children mad that they're late to the party and some sniviling 20yr old reporter from Corpus Christi not them the esteemed news analysts was the one who broke the story. David Gregory actually said on CM's show last night "Look, I don't want to make it seem that we, the WH press core, are somehow putting areselves into this story, we're just trying to report it" (not exact, from memory). Really David? Now that they've pitched a fit they can't simply let it die and since the WH and Cheney are stubborn (as always) and aren't going to budge we have a chicken contest between the media and the WH on who will give in first. These matches are repeatedly played out much to the delight of pundits and bloggers. I for one enjoy it.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#3)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:11:13 AM EST
    Since the dude who doens't know how to hunt isn't going to die
    Uh... you are referring to Cheney, correct? In general, people get the title of "dude who doesn't know how to hunt" when they shoot a guy in the face. Please don't tell me that 9/11 changed this, too...

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:18:37 AM EST
    By the way, one this is bothering me about this story, pity we'll never find out. It's pretty obvious that the reason they tried to keep this story under wraps for so long was that they wanted to make sure the guy didn't die. "Cheney kills hunting partner" is a little tougher to make light about. "He got peppered to death, is all" kinda ...lacks a certain je ne se quois, you see. Anyway, my question is: how would they have handled the situation differently if he had died? Because you know they were just planning for this contingency.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#5)
    by Sailor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:32:42 AM EST
    from Knight Ridder:
    Cheney's Companion at Fault in Shooting, White House Says
    and
    Whittington shot a bird and went to get it, breaking from Cheney and Willeford. Armstrong said Whittington then came up from behind without signaling, and as a covey flushed Cheney wheeled and fired his .28-gauge shotgun, hitting Whittington.
    What BS! Coming up from behind is what you do to stay out of the line of fire. Not yelling is what you do to not spook the game. No responsible hunter assumes he has a 360 degree free field of fire.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#6)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:41:27 AM EST
    What BS! Coming up from behind is what you do to stay out of the line of fire. Not yelling is what you do to not spook the game.
    Nonsense. Proper quail hunting etiquette is to run directly towards your partner, taking careful aim to align yourself with the barrel of his gun (especially if he's staring towards the sun) while sounding an air horn with one hand and tossing bags of dog and cat urine towards the covey with the other.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#7)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:48:38 AM EST
    how would they have handled the situation differently if he had died? That's easy, they would have waited another 36 hours and said it was a suicide.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#8)
    by Sailor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 08:55:33 AM EST
    Why wasn't he arrested? My understanding is that in texas it is still a crime to shoot a white man.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#9)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:03:01 AM EST
    My understanding is that in texas it is still a crime to shoot a white man.
    Wittington's a lawyer. I think Texas makes an exception.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#10)
    by Slado on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:14:28 AM EST
    In all seriousness depending it is neither Cheney's fault or Whittingtons. It is both of their fault. Whittington for not announcing his presence and Cheney for not realizing he had a member of his party un-accounted for. Oops. This sort of thing happens all the time but it doesn't mean that when it happens somebody didn't screw up. Obvioulsy one would prefer to hunt without being "peppered" ie shot in the face. Cheney by the way is lucky he is such a good shot because had he not been using 28guage pellets he might have killed this guy. I would imagaine that the WH would have handled the news just as poorly if he had killed the guy and the press would be in full froth trying to lynch Cheney.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:25:48 AM EST
    It is both of their fault. Awesome! More of this! Please! The echo-chamber's shared blame meme is just what's needed to keep this thing running. From Knight Ridder:
    The National Rifle Association places the onus of responsibility on the person pulling the trigger rather than the recipient of the gunshot... ...Bodner (Peggy Bodner, executive vice president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, an affiliate of the NRA) compared an unintentional shooting to a motorist who rear-ends another car. "It's like if you were in a car and struck somebody from behind," she said. "Even if the other person stopped short, it's your fault." ...The NRA drills its members on three fundamental rules of safety: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use... Hunters add a fourth commandment: Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.
    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#12)
    by desertswine on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:39:19 AM EST
    CNN is reporting that Cheney's victim has had a heart attack.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#13)
    by Aaron on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:43:11 AM EST
    Birdshot triggers 'minor' heart attack in wounded Cheney companion

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:44:29 AM EST
    Cheney broke the cardinal rule of hunting: know your target. End of story. I don't care what excuses they make, there is no refuting that fact. As to why they would have waited to announce this? Well, gee, let's see: Perhaps they waited to release this information because it makes Cheney look like a complete idiot. Maybe they waited to announce this because it was bound to go from a stupid hunting accident to a national scandal in the time it would take one liberal blogger to notice the news (as if the idea that Cheney can't shoot straight is even news). Or maybe they were just following the age-old practice of politicians not stepping forward to take the heat until they've had time to set up a damage control team (a practice all politicians of all idealogical stripes have followed since time immemorial - Can you say "Chappaquiddick"?) Come on people. No one is suprised that they didn't come right out and announce this. Don't pretend otherwise.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#15)
    by rMatey on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 10:45:11 AM EST
    At least you can't say that Duck! Cheney can't shoot straight for a chicken-hawk.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 12:35:43 PM EST
    like a teenager who thinks that if he keeps quiet about the wreck, no one will notice I like the car analogy.... But you could have just said... "Like Teddy Kennedy did"...and we all would have gotten it! Kudos...LOL

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#17)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 02:24:57 PM EST
    Cheney by the way is lucky he is such a good shot because had he not been using 28guage pellets he might have killed this guy.
    Wow. Now that's some serious jujitsu reversal kinda stuff. "The designers of the Hindenberg were really smart, because if it hadn't burst into flames it might have crashed into a building later on."

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 06:03:03 PM EST
    "The designers of the Hindenberg were really smart, because if it hadn't burst into flames it might have crashed into a building later on." And no one ever gives them the credit they so richly deserve for being so thoughtful. Good call.

    Re: NYT Weighs in On Cheney (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 06:11:39 PM EST
    Maybe they'll pull a Henry Hyde and pass it off as a "youthful indiscretion". Cheney's still in his 60s. Just a kid for Christ sake. He was just victimized by his own boyish enthusiasm. Just channelin' his inner Huck Finn. Yeah, I'm sure Huck would've handled the cover up the same way. I can see him on the conference call with Karl, Andy and Mary Matalin now.

    NYT Weighs in On Cheney | 19 comments (19 topical)