Just because this is a fun thread and everyones having fun, here is more fun information.

Carry on with the fun.

Idol? Well, I do like him a lot more than I do Bush. At least Cheney can speak. BTW, where did I say I'm defending him? I DO think he should publicly make some kind of announcement explaining that the whole thing was an accident and shouldn't have happened. End of story.

You know, I wouldn't doubt it if you've never gone hunting. Sure, I could be wrong in that assumption, but sitting in that exalted perch of yours all day kinda makes it difficult to come down and participate in regular guys stuff.

[ February 13, 2006, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: MIB ]

Sorry, "judge," but I've been rabbit and squirrel hunting. My late grandfather took me. I know how to handle rifles and pistols. My father taught me. He kept guns in the house all while we were growing up.

Oh, and "regular guys" do all kinds of things, not just the stereotypical ones you obviously fantasize about. Project all you want; you're the one with the anxieties. Shooting people in the face is funny, you say? Mirror mirror, on the wall...

[ February 13, 2006, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

I don't have time to read through all these posts, so I apologize if anything I say here has been said before.

This story really interests me on a few levels.

One: the reported turning away of the sheriff's deputy who went to the ranch to investigate the shooting.

Two: why the story was held from the public for so long and the manner in which it was diseminated to the press.

Three: the most intriguing aspect (for me) is the significance of the WH's details of what it knew and when it knew it.

I want to state up front that I think what happened was purely an accident. I trust that Cheney is a skilled hunter and is careful in his use of guns. And I also agree that the most important thing was to get his friend the medical care he needed. But I simply cannot understand why, after the dust settled, a local sheriff's deputy was turned away from the ranch and was kept from discussing the incident with witnesses to the event. I think that Cheney believes he lives in a world where he is above reproach and is not accountable in the same way as the little people. Unless there was some risk in exposing Cheney to the deputy's questions (and do any of us believe that a skilled politician like Cheney couldn't charm the pants off some local deputy?), I can't think of why the man would have been turned away at the ranch.

Second is why it took so long to get the story out and the way in which it was put out there. This episode seems to show that people within the administration have a reflexive impulse to not be transparent, to not be honest. The public would have understood that it was all an accident and it would have been the talk of the town for all of ten minutes. Cheney could have, should have, called his people in DC (who are "on call" around the clock, I am sure) to tell them the details, indicate that it was an accident and that he's working with local authorities. His office could have easily put out a press release late Saturday evening. The problem is that they probably did not want this to be the big subject on Meet the Press, etc. the following day, and that shows an incredible degree of manipulation of the news. Managing the news cycle is nothing new, but why did they only release the story to some local, podunk newspaper? McClellan's answer that once it hits the wires it's as good as being in the main stream news flow is simply BS. There's some reason they didn't just issue a press release and I believe their basic inability to be honest and transparent is the main culprit here.

Third, for a West Wing that is committed to image control and communication flow, the reports from within the WH seem to show that Cheney and Bush didn't even talk about this till yesterday (Monday). And there are indications that various people who surround the President (Card, Rove, etc.) found out about this at various times on various days. Why? How did such skilled politicos all drop the ball on this? I do find that credible at all.

What strikes me as more credible is that the WH knew very soon after the accident that it had occured. But why would they show such an uneven timeline of who knew what and when? Two words: Scooter Libby. Last week, Libby essentially pointed the Valerie Plame outing finger at Cheney and that is a big danger to the Bush WH. By crafting such a convoluted chronology surrounding this accidental shooting, the WH is trying to further create the impression that Bush and Cheney don't share notes all the time, that they don't even speak every day. Even when the VP shoots someone in the face, Cheney and Bush don't speak. If they don't talk when the VP shoots a mutual friend in the face, why would Cheney tell Bush about "minor" political manipulations between himself and Scooter Libby. The convoluted timeline here serves the purpose of distancing Bush and Cheney's communication flow from one another.

Fan: thank you for the morning hilarity.

I wonder if this was his usual mode of "hunting" -open the pen and let the quail out.

"These quail are in their last throes!"

Poor Scott McClellan. He was the one that insisted they go public with it and Cheney nixed it. Then, Scott has to go face the press and get drilled.

I'd tell old Dick where he could put it.

Maybe Dick put it there. Then sent McClellan out to the press.

Ok, serious question that I can't seem to figure out. Katharine Armstrong, the "eyewitness" who was deemed the proper person to alert the press, was watching from inside a car nearby. She claims that Whittington did not announce his return to the group. How does she know what he did or did not say if she was a distance away in a car?

She's quoted as saying that initially she thought of Cheney's heart condition when she saw the security detail running to the group. How is that she didn't realize somebody had been shot, but is so clear that the victim approached without announcing himself?

It sounds like a bunch of people got their story "straight" before anybody went public with it.

umm-hmmm....sounds like their "story" has more holes in it than Whittington does.

[ February 14, 2006, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: HotlantaTarheel ]

And of course all you Area 51 types are running around like there IS some hidden story to this. Well, I have news for you: there isn't.

Move on now.

Spoken like a true Orwellian. If I shot somebody, I think I'd go ahead and let the world know this. Or, maybe Cheney was invited to the president's ranch last weekend and he made up some story about having to work in Washington and couldn't come and this would let Georgy know the truth. Now, he can just tell him it's made up since he was in Washington when the story broke.

Maybe in the "People who should be shot thread," but not in the real world. If I shot somebody by accident, I sure as hell wouldn't want ANYbody to know, even though I know that's not possible. I'd be too embarrassed, among other things.

Of course, I forgot you're superhuman and don't go through such feelings and emotions.

MIB, that's superhero, not superhuman. If you were a normal citizen, I might be able to understand you not wanting to let anyone know; however, when the police showed up at the hospital to question you, it would certainly be known and every local TV station would be there. Of course, as veep, he bypassed all of those mundane things regular citizens have to go through, jumped on his taxpayer paid plane and headed back to Washington to figure out his spin...much like you are doing now.


Wait, what am I thinking. You are a judge. You certainly could cover this up. Duh.

[ February 14, 2006, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: Aubie In Bham ]

But I'm not. I'm supernormal.

MIB No, you're not.

Sorry, but I am, and there's nothing you can do about it. It is a tough burden for me to shoulder, but I do it with humility, as always.

You people are STILL talking about this non story and reading all of this stuff into it.

WOW.. amazing... truly.... amazing.

Maybe you guys can also work out who shot JFK while you are at it.

Hey, PF, a question for ya: when Vince Foster committed "suicide," why did it take over 30 hours for the "suicide note" to be made public? What were they covering up, hmmmmmmm?

[ February 14, 2006, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: MIB ]

And your still here reading about it...
WOW.. amazing... truly.... amazing

Ten minutes of really funny stuff...

Jon Stewart Show from last night

C'mon MIB -- you know the answer to that one -- it took Hilary that long to forge one before they could release it (I mean, after dumping the body and all that) ...

And here's "Late Nite with Dick Cheney"

Letterman: "Good news, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction. It's Dick Cheney! ... Here is the sad part, before the trip, Donald Rumsfeld had denied the guy's request for body armor. ... I don't know what all the fuss is about, what's more American than shooting your buddy in the ass? ... We can't get bin Laden but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney. ... The guy that got gunned down, he is a Republican lawyer and a big Republican donor. Luckily, the buckshot was deflected by wads of laundered cash"

Leno: "There was so much snow in Washington, DC, Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy he thought was a polar bear. ... When people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity rating now 92%. ... I guess the guy's going to be okay, but when the ambulance got there, out of force of habit they put Cheney on the stretcher. ... I think Cheney's starting to lose it. After he shot the guy, he screamed 'Anybody else want to call domestic wiretapping illegal? Huh? Come on! Come on!' ... Turns out Cheney tortured the guy for half an hour before he shot him. ... Cheney's defense is that he was aiming at a quail when he shot the guy. Which means Cheney has the worst aim of anyone in the White House since Bill Clinton. ... The guy Cheney shot was wearing a bright orange hat and an orange jacket, and Cheney said he thought it was a gay quail. ... You know what he said to his aides after he shot the guy? 'Save his heart! Grab his heart!' ... Dick Cheney, always a capitalist, he's already capitalizing on this, he just came out with this for Valentine's Day, it's the new Dick Cheney cologne, it's called Duck"

Jon Stewart: "Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt at a political supporter's ranch, making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting Veep since Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton, of course, was shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity, and political maneuvering. Whittington was mistaken for a bird. ... [On the ranch owner's description of Whittington as 'peppered'] Peppered? Yes, Harry Whittington, seasoned to within an inch of his life. Peppered is what you do to a Ceaser salad. He shot that dude. ... [On Cheney's visit to the hospital] How minimally thoughtful. 'How ya doing? How are ya? I peppered ya pretty good, didn't I?' ... I'm not just Jon Stewart, host of the 'Daily Show' with, you know, me. I'm also a concerned parent. So moms and dads, if you're watching right now, I can't emphasize this enough: Don't let your kids go hunting with the vice president. I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land or energy regulations they're trying to get lifted, he'll shoot them in the face"

Ed Helms: "I'm here at the hospital where Austin lawyer and Republican fundraiser Harry Whittington is in stable condition after being shot by Vice President Dick Cheney during a weekend quail-hunting expedition. Doctors say he's recovering quickly after being shot in the face by the vice president. I'll be here all day with continuous coverage of how Dick Cheney shot a 78-year-old man in the face after he mistook him for a small bird. ... As you know, the vice president has a big entourage: Secret Service, and a full hospital detail, including 5 paramedics, 3 cardiologists, 2 defibrillators, an iron lung, the cast of 'ER' and that metal egg Darth Vader sleeps in. ... I'm being told that Whittington's condition has been upgraded from stable to stable but still shot in the face by the vice president. For now, I'm Ed Helms, reporting from outside Christus Bone hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, where this weekend a 78-year-old man was shot in the face by the vice president of the United States"

Rob Corddry: "Tonight the vice president is standing by his decision to shoot Harry Whittington. According to the best intelligence available, there were quail hidden in the brush. Everyone believed at the time there were quail in the brush. And while the quail turned out to be a 78-year-old man, even knowing that today, Mr. Cheney insists he still would have shot Mr. Whittington in the face. He believes the world is a better place for his spreading buckshot throughout the entire region of Mr. Whittington's face. ... In a post-9/11 world, the American people expect their leaders to be decisive. To not have shot his friend in the face would have sent a message to the quail that America is weak. ... The mere fact that we're even talking about how the vice president drives up with his rich friends in cars to shoot farm-raised wingless quail is letting the quail know how we're hunting them. I'm sure right now those birds are laughing at us. ... [On if Cheney is sorry] What difference does it make? The bullets are already in the man's face. Let's move forward across party lines as a people to get him some sort of mask. Hindsight is 20-20, Jon, as was, ironically, the shot gun the vice president used to shoot his friend, a 78-year-old man, in what can only be described as his face"

Conan in Finland: "I had to reassure her (Finnish President Tarja Halonen) that Vice President Cheney has no plans to visit Finland. They're apparently terrified of him here" (NBC, 2/14).

Jimmy Kimmel: "As I'm sure you've heard by now our vice president, Dick Cheney, went quail hunting this weekend in Texas. I'm not sure if he shot any quail, but he did manage to bag a good sized 78-year-old man. ... The vice president says that it was an accident. He claims the guy got in his line of fire, but the good news was he was delicious. Eat what you shoot! ... This is a great story. You've got the vice president, a shotgun, a bunch of rich guys hunting tiny little birds. The only thing that could possibly make this story better is if he shot Michael Jackson. ... The man who was shot is named Harry Whittington. He's a high powered Republican lawyer, he was very lucky. They say the only reason that he wasn't killed is he was wearing the body armor that never got shipped to our troops. ... But all kidding aside, and in fairness to Dick Cheney, every five years he has to shed innocent blood or he violates his deal with the devil. ... So in summary, the vice president of the United States shot a 78-year-old man in the face. Congratulations Mister Vice President, you are now a Crip" ("JK Live," ABC, 2/13).

Letterman's Top Ten Dick Cheney Excuses
10. Heart palpitation caused trigger finger to spasm.
9. Wanted to get the Iraq mess off the front page.
8. Not enough Jim Beam.
7. Trying to stop the spread of bird flu.
6. I love to shoot people.
5. Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter.
4. I thought the guy was trying to go gay cowboy on me.
3. Excuse? I hit him, didn't I?.
2. Until Democrats approve Medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly.
1. Made a bet with Gretzky's wife (CBS, 2/13).

VICTIM HAS HEART ATTACK.

Yeah, MIB and PF, we're still talking about this "minor" incident.

this story takes on a new twist!
Technical difficulties. Sorry, according to CNN the guy who got shot has suffered a mild heart attack because some of the bird shot got lodged in or near his heart now.

[ February 14, 2006, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: hockeyTom ]

That's because it IS a minor incident.

KeyWestGuy and Hockeytom, thanks for the links. The shooting isn't as minor as we've been told. Whittington had a heart attack, in part, I read today, because of some shot lodged in his chest. If he were to die from another heart attack caused by the shooting, could Cheney be charged with manslaughter?

[ February 14, 2006, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

To MIB:

The VP shoots a 78-year old man in the face and chest resulting in a prolonged hospital stay where he suffers a heart attack.

Jeez, what do you consider "major"?

[ February 14, 2006, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: KeyWest Guy ]

It is a minor incident. So let it be written, so let it be done.

You chicken littles ought to calm down already.

Even if the old geezer dies in the hospital, neo-cons like MIB will consider it "minor." Afterall, Cheney can do no wrong, and the old man's death would've been God's Will, or sumpin'.

Hey, I've got an idea. Let's shoot MIB from 30 yards away with a 28 guage (odd guage there) shotgun with birdshot and see how Minor it is. Just sayin...

Whittington's doctors: "It was an atypical heart attack. It was a minor heart attack."

In fact, afterward, Whittington said he wanted to go home today. His doctors suggested he stay for observation.

Even his doctors said it was minor. Do you dare to say you know more than his doctors?

Arrogant know-it-alls. How typical of the looney Left.

Been there, done that, but thanks for playing Aubie.

Next!

Oh, MIB, why does it not shock me that you've been shot?

Aubster and Scarlet,

What guage do you guys use when huntin for the nightly meal? Just askin..

[ February 14, 2006, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: PhillyFan ]

Well, PF, I can't speak for Scarlet, because those Atlantans are much high faluting than we country bumpkins. So, with that being said, if it is a weeknight, I'm basically hopin' that I can just find some fresh road kill so I won't have to break out the gun. Nothing is worse than workin all day and then having to shoot up some supper. Ifin I can't, I get out a 98 which is akin to a bazooka. That way, I just shot a couple of times into the woods on the way home and I"m sure to hit something.

Though, I would offer one bit of advice. With all this urban sprawl and such, you best make sure that them woods you shootin' into ain't some rich person's back yard. Damn near blowed a woman clean outta her hammock one time.

just eats some grits...

Grits with coon sausage...mmmmmm

So, PF, when you go out in the desert out there doing whatever there is to do in the desert, what guage do you use when you shootin' them rattlesnakes and illegals?

Well it wont be what cheney is using because that would only injury the illegals rather than taking them down.

Then watching my car insurance go down down down...

Your Dishonor, FYI: YOU'RE the one who started this thread - "OK, so it was only an accident, but it's still funny." Remember? It was just 2 earth days ago (don't know how much time that represents on whatever planet it is you log in from).

Now it's time for the "chicken littles" to "calm down." YES, FOGHORN.

Maybe you should ask the admins. to close this thread down, since YOU'RE finished apologizing/making stuff up/plagarizing from others on behalf of the governing sleazebags with whom you pillow-talk regularly. Besides, it's your thread, right?

Love this story. Ranks right up there with "potatoe" for V-P ® idiocy. It's like shooting fish in a barrel - or quail under a bush. And the apologists keep apologizing...

So, PF, do you think that Cheeeney was really just testing out the new border policy and wanted to see first hand if the birdshot would do it?


BRILLIANT!

I want to pose a question to MIB, and please....for this one, no snide remarks or sarcastic quips....this is something I seriously do not understand.

In my opinion, the "crux" of political parties is:

Repub: Have an ideal way of life surrounded by wealth and power, and any other way of life is wrong in their eyes. And live by the "Do as I say, not as I do" motto.

Dems: "To each his own", a.k.a...If you want to live your life a certain way, that's ok as long as it brings no harm to any unwilling participants.

Now, given this....Republicans think gay people are sinners and wrong for what we are doing and work to de-humanize us.

So my question is, How can you possibly be a Republican? I guess I don't understand the Gay Republican. Isn't it giving support to something that would never give support to you?

Careful, Big Brother Bush is probably watching, thou shalt not threaten a federal judge.

Damn, where was he when we needed some Quayle shot?

Guys, isn't this just vintage Cheney? He doesn't think that we, the funders of this joke of an administration, have the right to know anything he does. And why? Because he's a crook, and guess what? Crooks are secretive.

This is just scarier than usual because although he may be immoral, we were led to believe he was the brains behind this operation.

Foiled again.

from Judge Judy:
I ain't believing it until Sen. Frist gives his diagnosis via video!

And Judge Judy: his doctors didn't suggest he stay for observation--they put him in intensive care and said he'll be in the hospital for another week. I'm sorry but people aren't put into intensive care for minor incidents.

[ February 14, 2006, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: HotlantaTarheel ]

Pat Robertson just said that Whittington was shot as a punishment by God. God took control of Cheney's gun and shot Whittington as a warning to all republicans that this too can happen to you if you do not carry out God's will and give money to the Republicans to kill those sand people and homosexuals.

You mean the one where Dan Quayle WAS correct. Did you happen to know that the flash card he was given had the word "potatoe" written on it? Of course you didn't, because you and the rest of the foaming-at-the-mouth leftist loons get your "news" from the uber-left media. Seems obvious the teacher or whoever had written the flash card was the person who didn't know how to spell "potato." One coule easily tell from Quayle's reaction when he looked at the word on the board, then looked at the flash card, realizing something looked funny.

That's why I'm here--to inject a little common sense when it's needed, and to reveal the truth when you liberals spew such nonsense.

I'm not.

There's your answer. You asked, I answered.

In light of what happened to the Honorable Judge Joan Lefkow, even joking about this is not a smart thing to do.

Consider this your only warning.

"coule"
speaking of not being able to spell....

and your point is...?

I knew what I wrote and could have easily edited it, but I left it intact with the "e" there purposely. Of course, it doesn't surprise me that you're too dense to realize that.