Posted on 02/14/2006 5:31:24 PM PST by jmc1969
Fleischer, who was Bush's first press secretary - from 2001 to 2003 - told E&P that Cheney's accidental shooting of Texas attorney Harry Whittington on Saturday during a hunting trip should not have taken nearly a day to be reported.
"It would have been better if the vice president and/or his staff had come out last Saturday night or first thing Sunday morning and announced it," he said during a phone interview Tuesday. "It could have and should have been handled differently."
But Fleischer also took a jab at the reporting frenzy surrounding the story, saying most Americans are not as focused on it as the White House press corps. "The press is largely right on the issue--but it can be right and go too far," he added.
He also said that if he were still in the White House, he would urge the vice president's office to take some of the heat off Bush's staff: "I think you go to the vice president and say, 'you need to be handling this.'"
Fleischer's comments came just hours after Marlin Fitzwater, who served as press secretary to Bush's father and Ronald Reagan, also criticized Cheney, telling E&P he was "appalled" at the response to the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at editorandpublisher.com ...
The incident occurred in Vice President Cheney’s private life and had NOTHING to do with his duties as Vice President or the Public affairs of the United States or the Bush Presidency. Thus, the Bush administration was under NO obligation to report the event in a timelier fashion.
The overblown egos of the press are in full swing. In their arrogance and out-of-proportion sense of their own self importance, they are angry they weren’t told sooner. It’s and ego thing. And of course they will use ANYTHING to make the current administration look bad.
For God’s sake, they were asking if Cheney was going to resign over this. If this doesn’t reveal them to be a bunch of hysterical and raving lunatics, I don’t know what does.
THEN LINK IT, DAMNIT.
That is still a violation of FRettiquitte. You've been around long enough to know better than to post such without clearing it with the sender, especially since there was no violation of posting guidelines involved.
You were wrong in doing such.
Yes, that is a newspaper's website. So? It's not a "Texas investigation" and I find no "Files" there.
This must seem absurd, in light of the fact that you couldn't get anybody to pay attention to what happened to you.
It's very tiresome."
Agreed.
Accidentally shooting someone is PRIVATE?
Gawd, have I entered the twilight zone?
You didn't object when I posted it to you; in fact, you answered several questions about it without saying a word.
Has it come to this? You are grasping at this straw?
LOL!
Howlin, it was still wrong. You know FRettiquitte, or at least you should. I'm outta here, too many people of low character are on the forum this late at night.
He is what he is
Low character?
You mean like making statements you can't or won't back up?
I'm convinced. dirtboy is Molly Ivins!
I backed up everyone one of my statements, Howlin. You're the one who posted FReepmail contents on the open forum. I sent those to you out of respect. I see that respect was sorely misplaced. I will not make that mistake again.
What was it that you sent to Howlin that needed to be protected?
Post 331, Howlin. Off the .pdf I mentioned from the Corpus Christi Caller website I also mentioned. If you were not so busy attacking, you might actually read my responses.
No, you have not; you have made declarative statements WITHOUT proof.
It is your job to post those safety violations on this thread, as you have claimed, or we can all assume that they are just lies.
I didn't post the personal remarks you made to me; I posted the FALSE claims you made -- and in subsequent Freepmails I asked you to POST THEM ON THIS THREAD, which you have failed to do.
If you can't back them up, why make them in Freepmail?
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