Posted on 02/15/2006 1:52:05 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Brit Hume this afternoon, Vice President Dick Cheney took full responsibility for shooting his hunting companion, who has until now been pictured as the guilty party. The interview will not air in full until 6 p.m., but according to Hume, in summarizing the contents, the vice president remained "totally unapologetic" about the long lag in reporting the shooting to the public -- and also said that he had consumed one beer at lunch that day.
Speaking on camera and disclosing some of the unaired footage, Hume said Cheney was "utterly unapologetic" about the reporting lag but "a shaken man" in his interview. In comments on the cable channel just minutes after ending a 25-minute interview with Cheney, Hume described the encounter as revealing, but with little contrition on Cheney's part.
"He didn’t blame anyone else, he blamed himself [for the shooting]," Hume told Fox's Shepard Smith during a brief conversation. "But he didn't take blame for the way it was handled…the White House press corps be damned."
Hume indicated that Cheney called last Saturday's accidental shooting "one of the worst days of my life," but that the vice president was certain that he handled it correctly by waiting nearly a day to make it public. He also revealed that Cheney disclosed having a beer with lunch that day, but stressed that it was several hours before the shooting occurred.
Ranch owner Katharine Armstrong has said no one hunting that day had any beer. The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that it had been told that the hunters that day "broke for a lunch of antelope, jicama salad and camp bread, washed down with Dr. Pepper." Armstrong later modified her remarks, saying there may have been beer in coolers but she didn't think anyone who was hunting that day had any.
"Ultimately I'm the guy who pulled the trigger, that fired the round that hit Harry," Cheney said in his Hume interview. "I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and that's something I'll never forget....
"The image of him falling is something I will never be able to get out my mind," Cheney said, somberly. "It was one of the worst days of my life."
After days of White House and other administraton offiicials, and Katharine Armstrong, faulting the victim, Cheney said, "It was not Harry's fault. You cannot blame anybody else."
Whittington was in stable condition on Wednesday, hospital officials said earlier on Wednesday. But the 78-year-old was moved back into the intensive care unit because of concerns for his privacy.
Cheney said he agreed that ranch owner Armstrong should make the story public, because she was an eyewitness, because she grew up on the ranch and because she is "an acknowledged expert in all of this" as a past head of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He also agreed with her decision to choose the local newspaper as the way to get the news out.
"I thought that made good sense because you can get as accurate a story as possible from somebody who knew and understood hunting and then it would immediately go up to the wires and be posted on the Web site, which is the way it went out and I thought that was the right call," Cheney said.
"What do you think now?" Hume asked.
"I still do," Cheney responded. "The accuracy was enormously important. I had no press person with me."
NBC News called the vice president’s office for comment four times Tuesday and Wednesday, it disclosed today, and asked whether the vice president or anyone in the hunting party had consumed any alcohol on Saturday prior to the accident. In an e-mail statement Wednesday to NBC News, the vice president’s press secretary referred NBC News to the Kenedy County Sheriff’s Department report on the incident, which said it did not believe alcohol use was a factor in the shooting.
At a news conference Wednesday outside Whittington’s hospital in Corpus Christi, reporters asked hospital officials whether Whittington’s blood-alcohol level had been tested. The officials responded with a "no comment."
I don't need to use cartoons to communicate.
Now, if you don't have anything to add to the discussion, please move on.
Again, you're ignoring the fact that you asked for a cartoon. But that's okay since it seems to be a pattern with you, ignoring things that don't fit with your agenda.
"Cheney was interviewed Sunday morning, more than 14 hours after the Saturday afternoon incident. "
That's exactly what the timeline I posted shows.
How does this impact the administration? The MSM and the Dems are using this accident to manufacture attacks against the WH. They would have done so regardless of when an announcement was made.
In this case, his failure to notify the public via the press has created a situation that will negatively impact the White House.
The public has been notified along with the proper authorities. The press had the information within 14 hours. This event does not impact the functioning of our government. It is not time sensitive or urgent. The VP has not been injured. He can fulfill his official duties.
I am part of the public, a broken glass Republican, and an ardent supporter of this administraion, and I find his incompetence unacceptable.
We will agree to disagree. You have bought the MSM/Dem spin hook, line, and sinker.
Perhaps I've failed to make my point in sufficiently small words for you to understand.
Cheney has nothing to hide...even if there was more than that one famous beer.
I have a problem with the piss poor handling of the incident as far as communicating with the press is concerned, and the fact that his ineptitude in not controlling the story better. he has people whose sole job is to avoid things getting as out of control as they did.
Cheney's staff should have reacted as McClelland did the moment he found out that Cheney was the shooter; contact the press, release a statement, and control the story.
Instead, for some yet to be determined reason, the whole matter was handled in the worst possible way, allowing for rampant speculation and questioning by the media of what could have been an open and shut case, and a story with no legs. The WH has contingencies on what to do under these kinds of circumstances, and that protocol was obviously not followed...as Marlin Fitzwater pointed out.
This President is under fire on many fronts, and it is vital that the members of his staff...INCLUDING Mr. Cheney, do not add fuel to the fire.
He handled the situation in a piss poor manner, and it impacted the White House.
You posted some ridiculous cartoon of Cheney calling for a reporter as Whittington laid on the gorund, I responded with sarcasm.
Look up the word.
Let's see, on half of your post you question the idea that this impacts the White House, and on the other half you admit that the Dems and the media is using this to attack the White House.
Mmmmmm....
Unacceptable.
Why don't you try reading? (feels like two year olds arguing doesn't it). Where were the police delayed? Where were they put off? When did they request an earlier time. If the police were called Saturday night and they request the Vice Presidnet to give a statement in the morning, why is he at fault?
The explanation is painfully obvious. It has been your contention that Cheney should have made his announcement sooner, which would have muted the criticism from the MSM and the Dems. My point is that the accident itself is the source of their attacks and criticisms. Cheney is being accused of being drunk, an adulterer, and a Machivellian attempt to deflect attention away from the NSA non-scandal scandal. I aver that no announcement, regardless of timing, could have prevented these attacks. It is the standard Dem strategy of character assassination and personal destruction.
The WH press corps hates the GOP WH. They will use any pretext to attack the WH.
It was acceptable to the local authorities. If you read the police reports on Smoking Gun, you will see that the victim states categorically that no alcohol was involved. It was an accident pure and simple that has been blown way out of proportion. If the polls are to be believed, only about 25% of the public believes that this incident is important. Talk radio and the cable news shows love it ala Aruba. Let the speculation and misinformation begin.
Pure, unadulterated, Lawrence O'Donnell caliber projection. Cheney admits to having a beer, then he doesn't talk to the cops (even though the SS did), therefore Cheney was drunk.
Sounds to me like you have a drinking problem. When was your last DUI?
Texas Reporters Who Broke Cheney Story Say Facts Are Not Being Withheld
The reporters point to several stories the paper ran Thursday, including a timeline of the Secret Service actions the night of the shooting, the sheriff's department incident report, and an interview with Sheriff Ramon Salinas--who revealed that he did not go to the shooting scene Saturday night because he wanted to spend time with his family at an ongoing barbecue.
And perhaps I've failed to point out in small enough words for you to understand that you're assessment of the situation borders on the hysterical.
Earth to Luis: This ACCIDENT happened on private property on a ranch in Texas. Our V.P. logically explained his reasons for waiting to release the statement about the accident until the next day.
If you want to get your shorts in a wad over the way the news was released and over react like the MSM, go right ahead. Just know that many of us on FR think your reaction is unduly critical of the V.P.
Morris: "Cheney needed 24 hours to sober up" after shooting
Address:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1580156/posts
I'm one of the many people who did not accept his reasons.
Our VP is not an entity unto himself, his responsibility is not to himself, but to this administration, and his decisions impact the public's perception of this administration.
President Bush's job approval rating did not break 50% all of 2005, it's in the low 40's right now. He's being attacked for his handling of the Katrina disaster, the "domestic spying" scandal, Iraq.
Cheney's actions should have been centered around the need to avoid even more controversy for the administration and the GOP as we stand on the edge of election 2006.
His handling of this was not designed with the well-being of the administration, or the GOP in mind.
Bull crap.
You behave as if I don't have access to the news.
I've seen no articles attacking the accident itself.
The accident itself was/is a story without legs, Cheney's handling of the news is what gave this story legs.
Now you and the rest want to play Dionne Warwick, and base your defense on your unprovable claim that the reaction would have been the same had his staff reported the accident faster to the American people.
Well, they wouldn't have the luxury of speculating about the delay, would they?
The problem is what DID happen as a result of what he DID DO.
But as I said, in the end, this story isn't very important.
By the way, I didn't post what you quoted. It was another poster. In fact, you should know me better, to know I would never post that. :)
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