Cheney's Response A Concern In GOP: Public Statement On Shooting Urged

WP ^ | Febuary 15 2006 | Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker

[jmc1969]

Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the Bush administration and is prompting senior White House officials to press Cheney to publicly address the issue as early as today, several prominent Republicans said yesterday.

The Republicans said Cheney should have immediately disclosed the shooting Saturday night to avoid even the suggestion of a coverup and should have offered a public apology for his role in accidentally shooting Harry Whittington, a GOP lawyer from Austin. Whittington was hospitalized Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Tex., and was moved back into the intensive-care unit after suffering an abnormal heart rhythm yesterday morning.

"I cannot believe he does not look back and say this should have been handled differently," said Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota who is close to the White House. Weber said Cheney "made it a much bigger issue than it needed to be."

Marlin Fitzwater, a former Republican White House spokesman, told Editor & Publisher magazine that Cheney "ignored his responsibility to the American people."

The episode is turning into a defining moment for Cheney, a vice president who has operated with enormous clout to shape White House policy while avoiding public scrutiny over the past five years.

President Bush has allowed Cheney to become perhaps the most powerful vice president in history and has provided him with unparalleled autonomy. Early in Bush's first term, Cheney developed the administration's energy policy, largely behind closed doors, and then heavily influenced Iraq policy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

[umgud]

Why bother? There is nothing he can say to satisfy the MSM.

[bannie]

He shouldn't have to say anything that hasn't been said. To react to the whining of the MSM would give them power and more ammo: You know that whatever he says will be spun into unrecognizability.

(I LIKE my new word!)

[jveritas]

Here comes the quotations from the no body former Republicans and the media is running with it as the great schism in the Republican party. This is pathetic to the extreme.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Why bother?

Indeed. But this whole media hoopla has had a sobering effect. I have not had to drink to "illegal wiretap", "culture of corruption", or "intelligence failure" since Sunday afternoon!

[Pukin Dog]

You can always find a few Republican pussies who will talk to the Washington Post, just because they like to see their names in print.

[txroadkill]

Why should he give a statement, "Tort Reform" was a campaign promise.

[roses of sharon]

Give them no quarter, unless the President says too.

The GOP elite have been appeasing the liberal media for decades, and getting rolled in the process, they are hardly experts.

[Rome2000]

Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the Bush administration

The propganda wing of the DNC swings into full steam ahead.

They have no shame and will stop at nothing to damage the GOP

They act like a bunch of lunatics.

Cheney is right to totally bypass them and continue to treat them with the disdain and lack of respect they deserve.

They are hoping for Whittington to die, there will be a celebration in the newsroom.

[schu]

Let's see, if he makes a statement, the story is on the front page, if he doesn't make a statement, the story is on the front page. Dick Cheney is a bad hunter, he was involved in an unfortunate hunting accident, so what does that have to do with anything?

schu

[lmr]

President Bush has allowed Cheney to become perhaps the most powerful vice president in history and has provided him with unparalleled autonomy. Early in Bush's first term, Cheney developed the administration's energy policy, largely behind closed doors, and then heavily influenced Iraq policy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The MSM and the Moonbats have always thought that Cheney was W's puppetmaster. Stopped reading this BS at this line.

[JoanneSD]

The Vice President should go on TV and say that there is no "legal controlling authority" for this situation.. if he has to say any thing..

[kcvl]

The Republicans said

The 'Republicans', that we could get to say anything negative to print, said.

[demlosers]

Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response

Apologize to whom??

The asinine press? the Public? They didn't get shot!

There's only one person he apologized to - Mr. Whittington.

[Mogengator]

What the hell is wrong with these people?

With all the crap going on in the world (Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, budget deficit, national debt, balance of trade and I could go on and on) this is the biggest story in the US MSM?

Absolutely fricking absurd!

[Rome2000]

The "New York Times" and "Washington Post" are not monolithic faceless alien oracles.

THIS IS THE FACE OF THE ENEMY

They are run by the the likes of the leftist homosexual on the right, ARTHUR SULZBERGER JR, and the socialist crook on the left, DONALD GRAHAM, Chair and CEO of Newsweek and Washington Post, son of CATHERINE GRAHAM MEYER, former owner of the Washington Post.

Every day these 2 enemies of the state unleash a horde of minor league propagandists on the American psyche in a blatant attempt to topple any GOP government that is elected by the American people.

They do not care if innocent civilians or soldiers die as a result and national security be damned.

2006 is the year they will be stopped.

They will no longer be able to hide unde a cloak of annonymity.

They will be exposed and their names equated with treacherous acts.

They and their komrades will be surveilled and brought up on charges.

OFFICERS

Chairman Emeritus: Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger, age 71, $1,397,200 pay (prior to title change)

Chairman; Publisher, The New York Times: Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., age 46, $960,200 pay (prior to promotion)

VC and SVP: Michael Golden, age 48

President and CEO: Russell T. Lewis, age 50, $882,235 pay (prior to promotion)

SVP Operations and Acting CFO: John M. O'Brien, age 54

SVP and Deputy COO: David L. Gorham, $796,000 pay

[Cicero]

Yada, yada, yada. The only person he has to apologize too, possibly, is the fellow he shot, and maybe his hostess. The press has nothing coming to it.

[MJY1288]

All Cheney has to do is say that he was completely distraught over injuring his good friend and was not concerned about who in the White House Press Corps might feel they were left out of the loop for 16 hours while he was deeply concerned about his good friends condition.

Then he needs to say, "let me give a clue to the White House Press Corps, the health of my good friend is far more important than their need to be debriefed on my every movement, if they are that interested, they should have been camped outside of the Ranch we were hunting on and they would have had the scoop"

[Doctor Raoul]

This suggestion is a nocturnal emission from a Washington Post wet dream.

Mister Vice President, consider the source and ignore it...

[Herford Turley]

You can always find a few Republican pussies who will talk to the Washington Post

How dare you question their manhood! :-)

[oldbrowser]

...................several prominent Republicans said yesterday.

These are who they represent as "prominent republicans" ? a former congressman from 14 years ago and a former white house spokesman from 16 years ago ?

They must have dug long and hard to find these guys.

[hole_n_one]

VandeHei and Olbermann are "buds" in every sense of the word.

[Doctor Raoul]

So that's their "love child" in the middle?

[schu]

Al Gore trashes the US while paid by the BinLadin group in Saudi, no one says boo.

The MSM is so predictably lame and anti-American.

schu

[Republican Wildcat]

Unapologetic? Shew. Reporters are dumber than dirt.

[txroadkill]

Why should he give a statement, "Tort Reform" was a campaign promise.

Come on, nothing??? He shot a Lawyer!!!

"Tort Reform" THat's funny..Tort reform..aw to hell with it.

[EricT.]

Those two "Republicans" are about as prominent as a couple of pimples on my ass.

[TheCrusader]

Frankly, I don't see why Cheney should have felt it necessary to dash off and report to the media as though they are his superior or something. The msm are not a sacred diety, though they may believe they are. Perhaps the family needed to be notified first, and they didn't want the media to run with a family tragedy and politicize the he!! out of it. This was not a national security issue or the like, so where does the media get off thinking it was their absolute right to be notified before the man's family?

The report filtered through the media in less than a day anyway, so it's just a situation where people today want everything to move like lightening. As with Katrina, no response from the Bush Administration will ever be fast enough or good enough for the hate-filled rats in the media.

And this 'coverup' theory is absolutely ridiculous, because there were so many people there, (security details/police types), that if any one of them told a different story than Cheney, the Bush Administration would be in very deep doodoo. They are not that stupid.

[txroadkill]

It's not like he shot his long time law partner (vince Foster) in the back of the head twice or anything.

[Soul Seeker]

See MSM throw tantrum they didn't know first.

See Beltway elites hyperventilate at the MSM's tantrum.

See Americans smack their heads at the absurdities of the tantrum of the MSM and hyperventilating of the elites.

See hardworking patriotic God fearing and kind people of all political persuasions, backgrounds and faiths say a word of prayer for the Vice and his friend, or offer good thoughts their way.

The discontent couldn't be more stark.

[Controlling Legal Authority]

You mean no "controlling legal authority"

[faithincowboys]

The Media is evil. Van De Hei looked like an extra in Brokeback Mountain in his too-big suit at the WH Presser. These Media Guys are such weenies. We apparently all have to pay that they were dorks in high school with unrequited love-hate crushes on the jocks.

[Torie]

Cheney's failure to "meet the press" hurts him. If he had, this incident would be done with, and folks would feel his pain. Cheney for all his smarts, has a tin ear. JMO.

[faithincowboys]

Well, I would vote untroubled GOP in '06 if the Bush administration decided to not turn port Security over to the Oil Thugs that run the United Arab Emirates. Until Bush has a change of conscience, I stay home on Election Day. The Rats are AWFUL, but Bush can't just continue to squeak by by being slightly less awful. Bush's UAE gambit is the last betrayal as far as I'm concerned. Unless it's righted, I stay home.

[p23185]

Why bother? There is nothing he can say to satisfy the MSM.

Oh I think "Let's have an investigation with a special prosecutor, and bring up articles of impeachment in the House" would satisfy the MSM and RATs for the time being.

[p23185]

The "New York Times" and "Washington Post" are not monolithic faceless alien oracles. THIS IS THE FACE OF THE ENEMY

Fifth Column

[goodnesswins]

Actually, I kinda like what someone else here said....we haven't heard about "illegal wiretapping" etc for a couple of days.

[p23185]

It's not like he shot his long time law partner (vince Foster) in the back of the head twice or anything.

And then obstruct the FBI from entering Foster's office and to stop the FBI from talking to the relatives at Vince's home immediately after his "suicide".

[p23185]

Cheney's failure to "meet the press" hurts him. If he had, this incident would be done with,

Are you for real? This won't be done with until Cheney is out of office so they can go after GWB with Impeach Bush and Cheney and Impeach and Demand Censure for Bush-Cheney Misconduct

[NutCrackerBoy]

President Bush has allowed Cheney to become perhaps the most powerful vice president in history and has provided him with unparalleled autonomy. Early in Bush's first term, Cheney developed the administration's energy policy, largely behind closed doors, and then heavily influenced Iraq policy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. -Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker in a news article

The MSM and the Moonbats have always thought that Cheney was W's puppetmaster. Stopped reading this BS at this line.

Yes, I thought the reporting was pretty much fair until they went right over the cliff. As straight news, not an editorial, these reporters sketch some kind of ridiculous parallel and we hear the bias blaring out.

[Daralundy]

Maybe. I think the press would have found something to complain about anyway.

[Howlin]

Exactly what I was thinking.

He only owes one man an apology, and I"d bet my house those were the first words out of his mouth while they were still out there in that field.

And I'll say it again: it is not the place of Scott McClellen, Dick Cheney or anybody in the White House to give UPDATES on Whittington's condition.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Just what is it that the homosexuals, pedophiles and drug addicts on the Left want Cheney to say? I don't get it. I know most DemocRATS are wishing and hoping that the old lawyer guy dies but I just can't figure out what they think needs to be said. Democommies engage is some REALLY weird thought patterns when they are not busy pondering their genitals.

[danamco]

The propganda wing of the DNC swings into full steam ahead.

They have no shame and will stop at nothing to damage the GOP

They act like a bunch of lunatics.

Cheney is right to totally bypass them and continue to treat them with the disdain and lack of respect they deserve.

They are hoping for Whittington to die, there will be a celebration in the newsroom.




How much mud have these leaches of the LSM tried to sling on the WH walls, and nothing so far has stuck???
This is nothing but just ANOTHER try from the dumbocRAT'S play-book, and that will not stick either!!!

[ClaireSolt]

This is feeling like wag the dog to me. Great economic news is scuttled to discuss whether Cheney has to brief the press on his private time off. Cut the show biz and cover the news.

[Howlin]

Charles Krauthammer just said about the same thing; they want an "Oprah" moment, with Cheney all contrite; they hate Cheney and they think they can humiliate him.

And we both know NOTHING Cheney says will ever satisfy them.

[Howlin]

Just what is it that the homosexuals, pedophiles and drug addicts on the Left want Cheney to say?

They could care less what he would or could say.

They just want him in a position where they can immediately say

"Why didn't you tell ME?"