Senior White House Officials Urge Cheney To Make Public Statement On Shoot

[JABBS]

Vice President Cheney's tepid public response to the accidental shooting of a fellow quail hunter is prompting senior White House officials to press Cheney to publicly address the issue, several prominent Republicans told the Washington Post 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 Republican fund-raiser Harry Whittington.

Cheney has avoided public comment on the shooting other than to release two short statements. The first stated that he would be issued a warning for not paying a $7 hunting fee in Texas. The second, released Tuesday, detailed when he learned of Whittington's worsening condition -- Whittington suffered a heart attack earlier in the day as a result of one of Cheney's pellets -- and said his "thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Whittington and his family."

"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.

"If I read Dick Cheney right, he's got to be just devastated" by the shooting incident, said Robert H. Michel, a former House Republican leader from Illinois and a longtime friend. But Michel said he is mystified that the vice president has not come out in public to express his feelings.

***

This item first appeared at JABBS.

[Theres-a]

1. He shoots a guy in the face

And has to be threatened,begged and cajoled into making a statement.Outrageous.Even the runaway bride came forward quicker than this guy.

[C_U_L8R]

2. yeah right.. real devastated

I bet he's hiding in his bunker throwing tantrums.,,,, "i don't wanna do a press conference. I don't wanna"

[rodeodance]

3. so, Jr just can not demand---Cheney to get with it. (guess we knew that

now hope all know it)

[rodeodance]

4. this shows who is in charge and it ain't jr.

[snacker]

5. Frankly, at this point,

I think it is too late for that. This should have been done right away. The damage is done :)!

[wtmusic]

6. "It's unsurprisng that the vice president would not make a public

statement, as he is an unrepentant asshole," said wtmusic in a public statement today which shocked GOP leadership.

:p

[Theres-a]

8. *HA!*

:spray:

[Canuckistanian]

7. Mystified, yeah , right

This is entirely in keeping with Cheney's demeanour. He may be a nice guy to his closest pals, but he's a lying, murderous bastard to the rest of the human race.

[Mme. Defarge]

9. What if Cheney didn't shoot him?

This whole story is so nonsensical that that would explain a lot. At the very least it's a huge diversion.

[JABBS]

10. what if the neighbor hadn't called the local paper?

Is it possible we still would not have known about the shooting? There was no press corps, just secret service a few GOP buddies.

Or how about this: what if the neighbor hadn't called, and then whittington died of the heart attack, and then the news broke?

This is just another example of personal need (Cheney's disdain for the press) trumping national need (the right to know what the President and Vice President are doing).

[MrBenchley]

11. Deadheart Dick puts Lynne in a cloth coat and weeps on camera....

LOL!

[JABBS]

12. LOL

[bluedog]

13. "This is the federal government, and they run the show," Medellin said

**********yep, I'd say its a cover-up from the start.....the SS said it was an accident.....and police took their word!


15. Secret Service SAID it was accident.... They are in charge




Sally May, Whittington's daughter, said Tuesday that she is concerned about her father's change in condition, but remains "very confident with this hospital."

May said she still regarded the shooting as an accident.

"Just because of Cheney's profile, it's getting all this attention," she said. "It does not change anything. It was just an accident.

"snip

Kenedy County sheriff's investigators ruled Monday that the shooting was an accident.

And Ramiro Medellin, a county constable who also works at the ranch, said he had no doubts it was an accident. But it did not surprise him that Salinas did not question anyone the evening of the shooting.

*******Secret Service agents told the sheriff that it was an accident, and he trusted their word.********




"This is the federal government, and they run the show," Medellin said Tuesday. "They say who comes and goes. They are in charge. I know from experience."

A spokesman for the Secret Service declined to comment about the sheriff's investigation. But he said federal agents acted properly by informing the sheriff of the shooting within an hour of its occurrence.

"It was at the sheriff's request that somebody come out the following morning, which we facilitated and passed through to the vice president's office," said Eric Zahren, a spokesman for the Secret Service.

And Cheney spokeswoman Jennifer Mayfield said "the vice president was available immediately after the incident for questioning."

"Our**** Secret Service (detail) reached out to the sheriff's office," she said. "The sheriff's office suggested 10 a.m. (Sunday). The vice president wanted to do it sooner and the meeting happened at 8 a.m. He was always available for questioning,"

Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens also have responsibility for investigating hunting accidents in Texas. A report by game warden Jason Duke does not indicate that he got a statement from the vice president.

Tom Harvey, a spokesman for Parks and Wildlife, said Duke did his duty.

"The facts regarding the hunting accident were gathered and reported," Harvey said.

But Ronald R. Scott, a retired Massachusetts state trooper who now consults in ballistics cases, said the investigators erred by not going to the ranch on Saturday night. Investigators probably lost their chance to recreate the scene of the shooting, he said.

"I think that is improper to be quite honest," Scott said. "Even if there was no wrongdoing, it is still improper not to do it."


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/1387...

[JABBS]

14. of course it's improper

just as it was improper to allow the neighbor to break the story.

Some people follow laws. And then there's other people ... you can fill in the blanks.