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KENEDY COUNTY, Texas - Vice President Dick Cheney has finally been cleared of any lingering suspicion in the February 2006 hunting incident that landed 78-year old Texas lawyer Harry Whittington in the hospital and put the eyes of a skeptical nation squarely on America's second-in-command. The Kenedy County sheriff's office, having reexamined the case due to pressure from the citizenry, determined that, contrary to initial reports, Whittington actually shot first in the fracas, endangering Cheney and prompting the retaliatory shot that lodged shotgun pellets in the lawyer's torso, face and neck. Cheney's response was described by the sheriff's office as...

Feb. 27, 2006 issue - Like Dick Cheney, veteran hunter John Freck knows the feeling of raising a shotgun to a covey of quail. "You get a huge adrenaline rush when the birds flush," says Freck, who regularly pursues quail with his German shorthaired pointer, Gunnar. That rush is one of the reasons hunters love the sport. But it's also the cause of accidents. No matter what else they may think of Cheney, hunters around the country agreed last week that the vice president, known as a careful sportsman and a good shot, broke a cardinal rule: in that exhilarating...

What really happened in the brushy South Texas wild that day? How one shot turned a genteel quail hunt into a political crisis? The delicate and the dangerous meet in the ranch lands of South Texas. In the winter, quail gather in the soft gold of prairie sedge, but snakes, scorpions and wild-boar-like javelina lurk too. In 1999 a fourth-generation South Texas rancher named Tobin Armstrong testified before Congress that he sometimes found illegal immigrants dead of dehydration in the unforgiving brush of his 49,300-acre ranch. It was there that Vice President Dick Cheney, out with a hunting party that...

News sources are constantly abuzz and saying that Cheney did not meet with police for hours after the incident. I remember hearing (on Fox or elsewhere) that the sequence of events is not at all how the media describe it, and that the police came and spoke with Cheney, or were the ones who decided what time they came to speak to him. I've been searching news sources, and cannot find it (as one would expect if it were the truth about Cheney). Any Freeper help in reference?

Brit Hume was in his morning staff meeting at Fox News yesterday when his cell phone rang. It was Dick Cheney. The network's Washington managing editor had been pressing for the interview that every news organization was hotly pursuing, and now the vice president was saying that he would talk to Hume -- and only Hume -- about the hunting accident that has put him at the center of a fierce Beltway storm. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Vice President Cheney discusses his accidental shooting of friend Harry Whittington for the first time. "I felt the need...

by Mark Finkelstein February 18, 2006 Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, Neal Gabler's gotta take outlandish swipes at the Bush administration on Fox Media Watch. And, perhaps in a form of childish defiance, Gabler also has a penchant for biting the Fox hand that feeds him. On tonight's episode, Gabler: Claimed that Vice-President Cheney "doesn't believe in a free press." Described the shooting accident as "idiocy" on the VP's part. Accused Brit Hume of not asking the 'major question' in his interview of Cheney [having to do with the timing of notification]. Seconded the notion that the shooting might...

Sorry Democrats, your latest attempt to lynch the Bush Administration fell short, again. In the classic style of today’s left wing attack machine, they overreached and the media got left with their pants down. How embarrassing it must have been to find out that Dick Cheney took the correct steps to make sure his friend received the proper medical care, the police were notified, and that the supposed cover up amounted to the local paper scooping the White House Press Corp. It is a case of reporters who have become accustomed to having the news spoon fed to them. Where...

It's been a rough and tumble week in the White House press room over the Cheney hunting story. Many viewers have written me with praise and plenty of criticism about my questioning of press secretary Scott McClellan. Let me say at the outset that I was wrong to lose my temper at Scott McClellan. I've worked well with Scott since we first met during the 2000 campaign. Monday, he suggested my aggressive questioning about the disclosure of the hunting accident was a stunt for the cameras. He said this during a morning OFF CAMERA briefing, which undercut his point. Furthermore,...

by Mark Finkelstein February 17, 2006 It wasn't enough for Chris Matthews to analogize the Bush administration to a family of Mafia killers. He had to call President Bush "Fredo," the weak brother. Matthews' theory was that Bush was unable to control Cheney's handling of the shooting incident in a manner similar to which Fredo was unable to control his wife. As he amply demonstrated at his press conference today, Harry Whittington is not on life support, but Matthews was working as feverishly as an EMS on a heart attack victim to keep the Cheney story alive. And in doing...

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,And I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, For I am gentle and humble in heart, And you will find rest for your souls,For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Natthew 11: 28-30

Some of wackiest of the wacko left are now saying that the accidental shooting of Harry Whittington by Dick Cheney last weekend wasn't an accident after all, but rather a warning to "Scooter" Libby not to testify against Cheney in the upcoming "Plamegate" trial. Barry Saunders at newsobserver.com writes: Accident my eye. Or rather, Harry Whittington's eye. If you believe it was just an accident that Vice President Dick Cheney shot his hunting companion last weekend, you obviously have never seen "The Godfather" movies. Just as surely as a fish wrapped in a bulletproof vest means "Luca Brasi sleeps with...

Vice President Dick Cheney returned to his home state Friday, getting a standing ovation from lawmakers shortly after the lawyer he accidentally shot made his first public comments about last Saturday's hunting trip. "I want to thank you for that welcome home," Cheney told the Wyoming lawmakers. "It's a wonderful experience to be greeted by such warmth by the leaders of our great state. It's especially true when you've had a very long week. Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well."

Breaking on Fox.

THE INVESTIGATION into Richard Bruce Cheney, vice president of the United States, president pro tem of the Senate and potential future ruler of "the Federation," continues amid the possibility of a host of charges, including assault, criminal negligence and excessive grimacing. It's safe to say that the random violence that Richard Bruce "Shooter" Cheney committed last weekend on Harry Whittington may forever change his life, his and, let's not forget, the life of his daughter, Mary (who, according to Democrat sources, is a lesbian). The Armstrong ranch is now a crime scene. As congressmen and other GOP officials scramble frantically...

The irregular heartbeat suffered Tuesday by the 78-year-old lawyer shot by Vice President Dick Cheney — apparently caused by a birdshot pellet lodged in or next to his heart — likely will not require surgery or long-term medication, a Ben Taub trauma surgeon said. "We see a shotgun wound almost once a week here," said Dr. Kenneth Mattox, chief of staff at Ben Taub General Hospital, one of Houston's leading trauma centers. "For a bullet the size of a birdshot pellet to create atrial fibrillation would be a little unusual. I'm not saying it didn't happen. Theoretically, it could happen."...

It was unfortunate that Dick Cheney had to go and shoot a lawyer. Really. He gets a lot of criticism for waiting several hours to tell the public about it. I wonder how it would be if he were a Democrat, would he have spoken up any quicker? This items looks at that possibility. http://www.staggeron.org/universe.html#dick_dem

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by Mark Finkelstein February 16, 2006 - 07:29 An unsuspecting viewer watching this morning's Today show would have thought that Fox News failed to disclose that in his interview by Brit Hume yesterday, VP Cheney acknowledged having a beer at lunch on the day of the shooting incident. But when it comes to the MSM, it pays to be 'suspecting.' Here's how NBC White House reporter Kelly O'Donnell artfully chose her words: "The official White House transcript of the interview shows Cheney said 'I had a beer at lunch.' Fox News did not show that particular clip during Brit Hume's...

Such morbid speculation has crept into the mainstream media as well. A writer for Time magazine offered this last night: He's 78. He got hit in the face and body by a spray of tiny pellets. He's back in intensive care. It's not inconceivable that the vice-president may have accidentally killed someone. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I don't know Texas law; and I'm not a lawyer. But wouldn't this be a case of something like negligent homicide? This morning's New York Times picks up the theme: In Texas, Carlos Valdez, the district attorney in Kleberg County, said...

by Mark Finkelstein February 15, 2006 - 22:50 I suppose that quoting Al Franken for evidence of liberal media bias is, if you'll excuse the expression, like shooting fish in a barrel. Nevertheless, perhaps it's useful for the archives to record one of Franken's remarks this evening in the course of his appearance on MSNBC's 'Scarborough Country.' Commenting on Vice President Cheney's failure to follow Harry Whittington to the hospital, Franken stated: "It's inconceivable that you don't go to the hospital unless there's a reason you don't go to the hospital. If you had been drinking, you wouldn't go to...

MIDI - STAYIN' ALIVE Well, see that look that is in reporters' eyes...they are hoping that he soon will die If Whittington should breathe no more...they will all be thrilled down to the core For now he's all right, he's all right...but they are checking day and night If on his screen there's no more blip...the liberals are all gonna flip For his death they're praying, they want no more delaying But he's staying alive, Harry's alive They all want the story and want it to be gory But he's staying alive, Harry's alive Ah ha ha ha....stayin' alive...Harry's...

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...

With all the bs coming out of the media about Vice President Cheney's hunting accident last weekend I wanted to get a better handle on what really happened. I have searched around for a while to find a well-sourced timeline for Cheney's hunting accident and subsequent actions but I haven't been able to produce one. Here is what I have been able to come up with: Approx 5:50 pm on 2/11/06: Cheney accidentally shoots hunting another member of his hunting party. Emergency medical aid is immediately provided and the injured person is transported to the nearest hospital. Local authorities are...

Should the White House have informed the media about the shooting on Saturday night when they found out?

Subnani saw Whittington in Kingsville: An Alice surgeon was one of two doctors that first treated Harry Whittington, an avid hunter that was pellet sprayed by Vice-President Dick Cheney Saturday evening while quail hunting at the Armstrong Ranch in Kenedy County. "We usually don't take care of gun shot wounds, but they wanted to come to the Kingsville hospital," said Raj Subnani, a surgeon for CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice and CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg. "We immediately, including all the nursing staff, took care of him (Whittington)." He said that about 15 to 20 Kingsville hospital staff members helped care for...

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- A source described as close to the Bush administration said people inside the White House are "livid" about the way Vice President Dick Cheney's office has handled the hunting accident he was involved in over the weekend, CBS News reported Tuesday. According to CBS News, the source said the issue was no longer Cheney's view of press management but rather about Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and a range of other issues that play into the public's view of the administration's arrogance. CBS News reported that private signals were being sent that the matter has been handled...

by Mark Finkelstein February 14, 2006 - 19:52 Thirty-six minutes into tonight's Hardball, host Chris Matthews finally permitted a Cheney defender, former Cheney aide Ron Christie, to grace his program. Even then, Christie was not given an unobstructed opportunity to make his case, having to share the segment with hyper-partisan Dem consultant Bob Shrum - he of the record-breaking number of losing presidential campaigns - who tried to drag in everything from Iraq to Hurricane Katrina. Until Christie's belated appearance, Hardball was an absolutely ceaseless calvacade of criticism heaped on the Veep and his handling of the shooting incident that...

The vice president's office just released the following statement: "The Vice President was told when he arrived at the White House this morning that doctors had decided, based on overnight monitoring, to perform a cardiac catheterization on Mr. Whittington. The Vice President's chief of staff passed him a note at about 12:30pm ET to inform him that Mr. Whittington's doctors would brief in Texas about 1:00pm ET on complications in Mr. Whittington's condition. The Vice President was on Capitol Hill when he received this information. When the Vice President returned to the White House, he was able to watch part...

Perhaps this duel is the most famous in history. Its results certainly meant the end of both Hamilton and Burr. They carried Hamilton from the field and the next day he died. Burr lived for years, but the shadow of his own doom was ever before him. It is reported that late in life he observed that, had he been wiser, he would have known that there was room enough in the world for both Hamilton and himself. Had Hamilton been equally wise, he would have known that calumnies and lies bring forth but bitter fruit. When the news of...

I just heard from a local radio reporter (during Rush newsbreak at approximately 1:00 p.m) that Whittington "may have taken a turn for the worse," and was put back into intensive care.

First Doctor to Treat Cheney Victim Tells Texas Paper He Wanted to Send Him Home By Joe Strupp Published: February 14, 2006 12:05 PM ET NEW YORK While news reports from The New York Times to the Austin American-Statesman have been describing the injuries to Harry Whittington, the victim of Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting, as more serious than first believed, as he remains hospitalized today, the tiny Alice [Texas] Echo-News Journal will offer a different version later today, E&P has learned. According to the afternoon daily, located about 60 miles from the shooting site, the first doctor to...

11. It took a while for The Wolf to arrange the cleanup 10. Thought Federal law mandating 24 hour cool down period for firearms was for AFTER they were fired. 9. Didn’t want to be distracted by a lot of questions until after the Men’s 20km biathalon 8. Cheney wanted to make sure he hadn't taken Whittington out of season. 7. Didn’t want the press to immediately declare the hunting trip a quagmire

The most heated public moment occurred during McClellan's off-camera "gaggle" with White House reporters yesterday morning. It featured NBC's David Gregory, one of McClellan's most persistent inquisitors over the last year, who raised his voice while asking a question about the incident. "Hold on," McClellan interrupted, pointing out that "the cameras aren't on right now. You can do this later." "Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras," Gregory replied. "Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question." "You don't have to yell," McClellan said. "I will yell," said Gregory, jabbing his...

by Mark Finkelstein February 14, 2006 - 07:33 Imagine you're a member of the media, and in your heart you believe that a major official wouldn't mind seeing you burn to death. Think that might affect the way you cover him? A comment this morning by veteran CBS reporter Bill Plante, while perhaps intended to be light-hearted, pulled back the curtain on just how antagonistic the White House press corps believes VP Cheney to be toward them. But more importantly, it suggests how antagonistic they likely feel in return. The topic was the Veep's accidental shooting of hunting partner Harry...

<p>Let the record show that it took the MSM less than a day to float the possibility that Dick Cheney intentionally shot Harry Whittington.</p> <p>And who better to surmise that the Vice-President might have been trying to bump off his buddy than Ron Reagan, that primetime speaker at the Kerry convention who moonlights as an MSNBC "political analyst"?</p>

11. Whittington bears a remarkable resemblance to a quail 10. Just to watch him die 9. Whittington had just filled his SUV and Cheney wanted the oil 8. Cheney tired of Jesse Ventura's taunts about him for never having hunted man

by Mark Finkelstein on February 13, 2006 - 08:06 Good Morning America took took a double-barrelled blast at the Vice President Cheney this morning over his accidental shooting of a quail-hunting companion, suggesting the White House might have tried to cover up the incident, and also calling into question his version of events. GMA did at first describe the accident as having occurred because the victim, attorney Harry Whittington, failed to observe the quail-hunting rule by which hunters remain in a single line as they advance, indicating that the accident occurred after Whittington left the line to retrieve a bird...

<p>WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday.</p> <p>Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets on Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.</p>