McClellan can’t shoot straight either

February 13, 2006

I don’t necessarily believe that the controversy surrounding Dick Cheney’s hunting incident will prove to be a lasting and serious political scandal, but it’s a big story today and the White House has to realize that there are some perfectly legitimate questions about how the matter was handled.

So far, Scott McClellan has no idea how to answer them.

McClellan also said Monday, according to The Associated Press, that “Bush and senior aides were told Saturday night by the staff of the White House Situation Room that somebody in the Cheney’s hunting party was shot, but he said he was not told until Sunday morning that Cheney was the shooter. He said he contacted the vice president’s office and everyone agreed they needed to get the information to the public quickly.”

No serious person could possibly believe this. Officials in the Situation Room, the president, and top White House aides knew someone had been shot, but they didn’t know who? They didn’t find out until the next day? The White House communications network doesn’t rely on carrier pigeons; either Cheney, someone on his staff, or someone on his security detail carries a cell phone.

But McClellan added an even more entertaining talking point: there was a delayed announcement because officials at the scene needed to get Whittington medical attention.

“The first priority… was making sure that Mr. Whittington was getting the medical care that he needed. The first priority Saturday night was making sure he receiving medical care and getting to the hospital and being taken care of, and that’s what happened.

I obviously wasn’t there, but as I understand the details, Whittington was attended to immediately and then airlifted to a local hospital. I wouldn’t expect Cheney aides to start writing a press release on the helicopter, but this “first priority” response falls short. White House officials wanted to make sure Whittington was fine? Good idea. Does that explain a 20-hour delay? Not really.

Dan Froomkin asked a few more pertinent questions today.

No one is suggesting that Cheney shot his hunting buddy on purpose. But could he have been negligent? What does he say happened exactly? What do the others there — not just their hostess — say took place? Shouldn’t there be some sort of investigation? Does Cheney take any responsibility? And just when was he planning on letting the press know?

Good questions, all. Stay tuned.

Oh, there’s more than that!

You got the VP of the US of A in a group of men armed with hunting guns. Where was the Secret Service? What was Cheney doing in a group of men armed with guns? What if one of them had decided to plug him? “Accidentally” or not? What kind of clearance do you need to be in the presence of Cheney with a loaded weapon?

From Josh Marshall: Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it….

I had previously thought that in Cheney’s hunting parties he was the only person permitted a weapon.

This story smells as badly as Bush’s 2003 Baghdad Thanksgiving Turkey trip.

  • Do you suppose the country had to wait 22 hours to know the results of the Burr duel?

    I suspect more Americans knew what happened 10 hours after that famous duel… then knew what happened 20 hours after Cheney shot a man.

    One last point:

    Suppose dear reader that you were the VP of the US, and you accidentally shot someone… would you wait 22 hours to report it? Or would you feel that your position mandated immediate honesty and responisbility to communicate the fact?

    Ethically… it is a no-brainer.

  • The simplest explanation for the delay is that Cheyney was drunk as a skunk, and they wanted to give him time to sleep it off before he had to talk to anyone outside the inner circle.

  • shargash, don’t go there! It sounds like you are talking about Ted Kennedy and the bridge incident!

  • At least, by all accounts, Cheney’s concerns were for Mr Whittington. A sharp contrast to a longtime Senator. No legs here folks. The comparisions are not favorable.

  • DRoell, my understanding from a report I heard last night is that Secret Service was present.

  • We had heard more from Kennedy at this point than we’ve heard from Cheney.

    A LADY DIED FOR LACK OF ATTENTION BY THE SWIMMER, and you want to compare the two incidents?

  • A LADY DIED FOR LACK OF ATTENTION BY THE SWIMMER, and you want to compare the two incidents?

    Yes I do.

    I’m comparing only the speed with which the two men involved spoke to someone other than criminal defense attorneys.

  • AMAZING, and you wonder why you lose elections. I may have missed it but there is no report of the VP ducking the local authorities, or, of making any phone calls to defense attorneys. The only complaint I have read is he was slow to report this to the press. THERE IS NO LAW REQUIRING HIM TO REPORT TO THE PRESS; HOWEVER IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO LEAVE A LADY TO DIE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE

  • The White House communications network doesn’t rely on carrier pigeons

    If they did that would explain the delay…Cheney was mowing down everything in sight!

  • Okay, bogie, wander off somewhere else, we don’t need trolls here.

    But, CB, probably the real explanation is the simplest. Since Whittington went to the ICU, we know that there were legitimate questions about whether or not he would survive (especially considering his age). The spinmeisters probably thought it better to keep a lid on things until they were sure he was in the clear and would survive- after all, those ‘witty’ quotes from Armstrong wouldn’t look good in the press if the guy died after they were said.

    They definitely didn’t expect a loud response over their delay- and it probably never occured to them. But the original delay, I can almost guarantee, was just damage control (trying to keep the story at ‘Cheney shoots a guy’ rather than having the press rush to the hospital to provide minute-by-minute updates on the guy’s condition, which would have been almost criminal on Saturday night and Sunday morning television- a real PR disaster for them)

  • But the original delay, I can almost guarantee, was just damage control

    I think Castor Troy has it right. They wanted to keep it off the Sunday morning talk shows. It may be as simple as that. Next Sunday, it’ll be old news.

  • Has anyone noticed that when McClellan is spouting an especially unbelievable piece of info, a bit of a southern accent starts to leak through?

  • Hey Bogie,

    CBS says that Texas authorities are pissed that they were refused their request to interview Cheney. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/13/national/main1309344.shtml

    And, why would I want to go see some sleaze being hawked by Lucianne Goldberg? How long ago was Chappaquiddick? Why won’t YOUR Rethugs in Congress hold BushCo accountable? This is TODAY’s issues; let’s have some accountability today.

    One last thing: Your handle “Bogie” implies snipers with sneak attacks by the enemy. Why is it that we are no longer united as Americans, but instead you guys always seek to divide? It’s an “us vesus them” mentality, and winning is everything — even if it means that the country and our liberties are destroyed.

    If you want to lurk here, then you had better bring some intellectual honesty and relevance, too. Otherwise, you’re just more of the RightWingNoiseMachine, and will be royally flamed. This is a reality-based community, and we are protective of our ability to debate the ISSUES, and sometimes throw in a bit of partisanship and snark, too. You should be honest about all of the flaws and warts of BushCo and their cronyism, incompetence, and mendacity, and we will do the same about the rest of the problems in America and the world. Trust me, you will see LOTS of criticism of the Dems. On the other hand, if you choose to spout the “Bush is God/King” and the “Dems are evil incarnate” and the “media is liberal” lines, then you can just pack it up.

    You’ve been advised, and we hope you respond accordingly…

  • Chappaquiddick is still an issue because Ted (the swimmer) Kennedy is the moral authority of the Democratic party. When Bob Packwood groped some lady the Republicans dumped him. Tom Delay is no longer a house leader, Newt was let go as majority leader, Trent Lot said things at a party for a 100 year old man and lost his Senate Leadership. The point is that the Republican Party has better house cleaning than the Democrats. If the Democratic leadership had done the right thing years ago when Pres Clinton lied before a Grand Jury (he was found in contempt) and sent a delagation to the hill as the Republicans did with Nixon, Al Gore would have been President. The Supreme Court would now be very liberal (the Republicans are more civil on that front also ala Ginsberg) and the US would still treat the war on terrorism as a law enforcement issue.

  • Smokescreen from the swiftboats!
    It will never work in this situation because Chappaquiddick is history, and the media loves a violent mystery. What happened during those 18 hours?
    It’s actually fun to watch Fox news lately… sending out billows of thick black smoke to distract viewers from Cheney AKA Elmer Fudd, the house Katrina report, and videos of Brits beating Iraqi teens, Abramoff pictures, and sinking poll numbers.
    Ted Kennedy’s past isn’t going to distract our blood loving media from a well deserved feeding frenzy on BushCo. Swiftboating, like the hijacking of planes as bombs, only works when there is the element of surprise.

  • Please don’t feed the trolls. It is impossible to win a debate with a troll, because they throw logic, honesty, and civilty out the window. Feeding them only causes them to return more often and cause more trouble.

  • Why is this site infested with pests given to personal attacks, while whining that it’s time to move on, because it all happened a long time ago and the wench is dead?~~ SO THERE! Contrast the civility and patriotism of Thomas E. Dewey with Senator Clinton, the Next President Of These United States. I had occasionto attend a speech in Louisville, KY, on 8 September, 1944. Then Governor Dewey was the Republican (Party Of HONOR!) Candidate for President that year. (For recent products of the public schools, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the incumbent President, a terminally sick man put forward by the LEFT to seek a 4th Term as a Democrat.) Dewey had been made aware of the breaking of the Japanese wireless codes, and that Roosevelt could read the Japanese mail prior to Pearl Harbor (7 Decenber, 1941). The inclusion of this information in his campaign speech would have won Mr. Dewey the Presidency. It would also have led to the avoidable deaths of untold numbers of American Troops. Mr. Dewey was silent, for patriotism prevailed over ambition. Contrast his noble restraint with the corrupt daily smears of the Democrat Leadership, including the next President, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat Senator from New York, where Mr. Dewey was then Governor. Where once giants dwelt, now only ethical pygmies cower, shielded from the glare of TRUTH by a Left Media Trust.

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