Thread: Cheney shoots man on Texas quail hunting trip

John Podhoretz: http://corner.nationalreview.com/06_...ive.asp#089912

This story is a very big deal, despite all the mitigating factors -- the accident involved a friend, his medical team was right there to help, and all that. Something like this has never happened before, and it is a genuinely disturbing thing to think that the vice president of the United States actually shot somebody last weekend, even for fans of his. It's disturbing as well that there was a news blackout that lasted nearly a day about this serious incident. It seems beyond question that the vice president is going to have to go before the cameras, explain what happened, and show genuine remorse for his actions, however inadvertent. It's a difficult challenge for someone as reticent as Dick Cheney. But unless he does so, and makes a good showing of it, he will be damaged goods for the remainder of the Bush presidency.

Bryan Preston dissects left-leaning Editor and Publisher's coverage over at Junkyard Blog and says "Get a grip."
http://junkyardblog.net/archives/wee...12.html#005396

Sheez Louise, “genuinely disturbing,” “news blackout”, “remorse for his actions”? It may well be the other guy’s fault. When you’re out hunting and you get shot, it’s usually because you were unclear about your intented movements or because you snuck up on somebody who was amped up looking for the quarry. I’m not saying it’s Whittington’s fault, but it may well be. So how can Cheney express remorse for some other guy’s mistake, if that’s what it was? JPod wants Cheney to shed Sally Field tears in front of a snarling Washington press corps. That sounds like a bad idea to me.

Along the lines of Bryan's point about uncertainty over whose fault the accident was, Jeff H. sends along some important info included in Fox News's coverage:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184657,00.html

According to Armstrong, who is friends with both the Cheneys and the Whittingtons and set up the two for the hunting trip on her property, a group of hunters was traveling in a vehicle on the ranch when it spotted a covey of quail in the late afternoon.

Armstrong, who remained in the car, said Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it in the tall grass, while Cheney and a third hunter walked to another spot and found a second covey.

Armstrong told FOX News that Cheney, thinking he was the last hunter on the right of the party, turned and fired at a quail. Whittington was standing on lower ground with the sun to his back. He was knocked to the ground, but not knocked out. All members of the hunting party were wearing blaze orange, she said.

"Mr. Whittington decided to join them. He came up from behind the other two hunters, and unfortunately, he did not announce to the hunters he was there and trying to join the line ," Armstrong said. "The vice persident and other hunter believed that Whittington was 200 yards away, when, in fact, he was 30 yards and behind the line."

Dan at GayPatriot: http://gaypatriot.net/2006/02/13/msm...tter-how-minor

Scott McClellan calmly made clear that the Vice President, not on an official trip, was not traveling with his normal entourage and that the first priority of those there was tending to Harry Whittington, the man injured. There’s no scandal here, no attempt to cover up. It doesn’t seem a decision was made not to report this, but that the Vice President’s staff handled this in a clumsy manner. Given that this is not a matter of government policy nor of national consequence, it is only a minor misdeed. For the hunting accident is merely an indication that the Vice President, like all his predecessors, is human and makes mistakes.

I would hope the White House Situation Room serves to address issues of national security and domestic policy — and not the imperfections of the Vice President on his own time. The press’s persistent baiting of Mr. McClellan says far more about them than it does about the Vice President or the delay in reporting the story. From the tone of their questioning to the content of those questions, it seemed they were certain this delay amounted to scandal.

That the Vice President — and his staff — did all in their power to see to the health of Mr. Whittington after the accident occurred is evidence enough that there is no scandal here, merely a good man concerned for the health of a hunting companion whom he had accidentally injured. With angry Islamicists stirring up Muslims and an anti-American tyranny trying to get nuclear arms, the press should not dwell so much on an inconsequential delay in reporting an error (unrelated to his official duties) the Vice President made on his own time. And so we add one example of the MSM’s bias against this Administration — and its zeal to find scandal in every Administration mistake.

What Mark Levin said: http://levin.nationalreview.com/archives/089919.asp

The local sheriff's office has investigated and concluded it was an accident — which, of course, it was. And don't give me "the public's right to know." Not from this media — which still refuses to publish those Danish cartoons. I'll leave it to others to split hairs about who knew what and when, as I know they will, but I just don't care.

"I'd still rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy ."

Cheney Violates Cardinal Rule of Hunting
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/13863786.htm
Feb 13, 7:32 PM (ET)
By NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney apparently broke the No. 1 rule of hunting: be sure of what you're shooting at. Cheney wounded fellow hunter Harry Whittington in the face, neck and chest Saturday, apparently because he didn't see Whittington approaching as he fired on a covey of quail in Texas.

Hunting safety experts interviewed Monday agreed it would have been a good idea for Whittington to announce himself - something he apparently didn't do, according to a witness. But they stressed that the shooter is responsible for knowing his surroundings and avoiding hitting other people.

"We always stress to anybody that before you make any kind of a shot, it's incumbent upon the shooter to assess the situation and make sure it's a safe shot," said Mark Birkhauser, president-elect of the International Hunter Education Association and hunter education coordinator in New Mexico. "Once you squeeze that trigger, you can't bring that shot back."

Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not commented publicly about the accident. He avoided reporters by leaving an Oval Office meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan before the press was escorted in.

President Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday - about an hour after it occurred - but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions. Press secretary Scott McClellan said he did not know until Sunday morning that Cheney had shot someone.

Facing a press corps upset that news had been withheld, McClellan said, "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."

,,,Despite all the safety tips and training, hunting accidents are an unfortunate part of the sport. In Texas, there were 30 accidents and two hunting deaths last year, according to the state Parks and Wildlife Department. National figures kept by the International Hunter Education Association show 744 shooting accidents, with 74 deaths, in 2002, the last year for which figures were available. Twenty-six accidents involving quail hunting were reported.

The association estimates there are 15.7 million hunters who will spend about 250 million days hunting in the United States this year.

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

"I'd still rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy ."

I saw that quote by T.S. over at M. Malkin's site and darn near wet my pants laughing at the humor.

But seriously, I can't believe the hoo-haw over this incident. The MSM news people asking the questions of why was it a day before the incident and that the White House is trying to squash the story. Sixty five questions about this incident at the briefing. Questions that even included "is the VP handing in his resignation".

Who gives a rip that it was 24 hours before the public found out...
A few decades ago, this news would of taken just as long if not longer to reach the public...
that would be before Mass Media and the Internet.

Never-mind that it was more important to make sure that Whittington was alright, ask the property owner how far her privacy is to be invaded, how upset a the VP would be after a hunting accident that involves a good friend. Ignoring the fact that the VP was a private citizen during this hunting trip. The history that the VP is normally pretty tight lipped with the media. Which I do not blame him at all.

Whittington did not announce his approach to a group of hunters. A basic hunting safety rule was violated. His wounds are superficial. Wounds that are expected with a 28 gauge birdshot at that distance. If the man had been critically wounded and his life was in the balance, I imagine that this story would of unfolded differently. It is so much better to blow things right out of proportion than to deal with it as it is...

Oh and BTW: I have been shot in the behind with 28 gauge birdshot by a seasoned hunter. It was a hunting accident and it was my fault for not disclosing my location.

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

"I'd still rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy ."

omg, love it

See Dick. Run!
First official report released in Cheney hunting accident

FEBRUARY 13--The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department today issued a report on Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting Saturday of a fellow quail hunter on a sprawling Texas ranch. The hunting accident report, a copy of which you can find below, briefly recounts how Cheney plugged Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Austin lawyer, with birdshot in the face, neck, and chest. According to the state report, Cheney was wearing a "blaze orange" cap and "coat/vest" and brown trousers and was toting an Italian-made Perazzi 28-gauge shotgun.

In addition to the document's release, wildlife officials reported today that while Cheney had purchased a valid non-resident hunting license, he did not obtain a required "upland game bird stamp." As a result, a warning citation--which carries no fine or penalty--will be issued to Cheney, which state officials described as "routine." And as for whether Cheney would have needed to previously take a hunters education course, state wildlife officials noted that such classes are only required of hunters born on or after September 2, 1971. Cheney was born January 30, 1941.

While yet to release its report on the shooting, the Kenedy County Sheriff's Office this afternoon issued a press release noting that an "investigation reveals that there was no alcohol, or misconduct involved in the incident."

In an interview with deputies, Whittington "collaborated Vice President Cheney's statement," according to the release, which concluded, "This was no more than a hunting accident." (3 pages)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...61cheney1.html

Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank turned up on an MSNBC show to talk about the Cheney accidental hunting trip shooting wearing this costume:



Download and watch the video (Windows Media .wmv file). http://michellemalkin.com/

Hat tip: Tom Elia at The New Editor, who rightly raises his eyebrow at Milbank's display of less-than-objective journalism. http://www.theneweditor.com/index.ph...ournalism.html

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank just appeared on Keith Olberman's MSNBC show, wearing a reflective hunting vest while talking about Vice President Cheney's shooting accident in Texas.

Classy.

This is the face of the professional media. Michelle Malkin has the video of an utterly pathetic attempt to mock a near tragedy. I can only imagine Milbank enjoys popping balloons near Jim Brady and making gargling noises near the Kopechne family.

What does the Post have to say about Milbank's stunt?

Write the ombudsman: [email protected].

***

More reaction:
http://newsbusters.org/node/4025
Newsbusters' Dave Pierre, "Think back to 1998. Imagine a female newspaper reporter (not an opinion columnist, but a reporter, mind you) showing up for a television interview dressed in a beret and looking like Monica Lewinsky. Or a male columnist wearing a Clinton wig and holding a cigar."






Quotes on Cheney's Hunting Accident
By The Associated Press

"I know that Vice President Cheney has been hunting a long time. He's an experienced veteran. But an accident with a firearm is just like an accident with a vehicle. If he looks left one time, somebody comes and crosses the center lane." — Rocky Evans, president, Quail Unlimited, Edgefield, S.C.

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"We always stress to anybody that before you make any kind of a shot, it's incumbent upon the shooter to assess the situation and make sure it's a safe shot. Once you squeeze that trigger, you can't bring that shot back." — Mark Birkhauser, president-elect of the International Hunter Education Association.

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"The shooter is responsible to make sure there's nobody in the way. ... When you bird hunt like that in a group or you change your plan, typically you would announce, 'Hey, hey, everybody.' When you rejoin the hunting group you would announce your presence." — Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

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"Birds don't always get up right in front of you. A lot of times you'll just pivot and if you don't consciously know where everybody's at, that's when someone gets hurt." — Duane Harvey, president, Wisconsin Hunter Education Instructors Association.

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"I would be proud to hunt with the vice president — cautious, but proud." — Democratic Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal.

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"When a bird gets up, you sort of lock into this `I want to get this bird,' and for a split second you can forget what is around you." — Thomas Baumeister, head of education programs for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

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"Typically when you are coming back to a line, you would say, `I'm coming up,' or whatever. It was completely unbeknownst to the vice president or the other shooter that Mr. Whittington was coming back up." — Katharine Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch and witness to the accident.

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"You can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job." — White House press secretary Scott McClellan, when asked if he was satisfied with the way the incident was handled.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/...MzBHNlYwM3MDM-

White House Finds Humor in Hunting Mishap
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The White House has decided that the best way to deal with Vice President Dick Cheney's shooting accident is to joke about it.

President Bush's spokesman quipped Tuesday that the burnt orange school colors of the University of Texas championship football team that was visiting the White House shouldn't be confused for hunter's safety wear.

"The orange that they're wearing is not because they're concerned that the vice president may be there," joked White House press secretary Scott McClellan, following the lead of late-night television comedians. "That's why I'm wearing it."

The president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, took a similar jab after slapping an orange sticker on his chest from the Florida Farm Bureau that read, "No Farmers, No Food."

"I'm a little concerned that Dick Cheney is going to walk in," the governor cracked during an appearance in Tampa Monday.

Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not been joking or saying anything publicly at all about the accident Saturday, when he accidentally sprayed a hunting partner with shotgun pellets when aiming for a quail.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a report Monday that found the main factor contributing to the accident was a "hunter's judgment factor." No other secondary factors were found to have played a role.

The department gave Cheney and the victim, prominent Republican attorney Harry Whittington, warning citations for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing them to shoot upland game birds. A department spokesman said warnings are being issued in most cases because the stamp requirement only went into effect five months ago and many hunters weren't aware of it.

Cheney's office said Monday night in a statement that Cheney had a $125 nonresident hunting license and has sent a $7 check to cover the cost of the stamp. "The staff asked for all permits needed, but was not informed of the $7 upland game bird stamp requirement," the statement said.

The state's report said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

Whittington remained in stable condition Tuesday at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial. He was moved from intensive care to a "step-down unit" Monday after doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them. The hospital planned a news conference for 1 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Katharine Armstrong, owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, said it happened toward the end of the hunt, when it was still sunny but as darkness was encroaching and they were preparing to go inside. She said Whittington made a mistake by not announcing that he had walked up to rejoin the hunting line, and Cheney didn't see him as he tried to down a bird.

Armstrong said she saw Cheney's security detail running toward the scene. "The first thing that crossed my mind was he had a heart problem," she told The Associated Press.

She said Cheney stayed "close but cool" while the agents and medical personnel treated Whittington, then took him by ambulance to the hospital. Later, the hunting group sat down for dinner while Whittington was being treated, receiving updates from a family member at the hospital. Armstrong described Cheney's demeanor during dinner as "very worried" about Whittington.

Pamela Willeford, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, another member of the hunting party, told The Dallas Morning News for a story in Tuesday's editions that she and Cheney didn't realize Whittington had picked up a bird and caught up with them.

Willeford said she has hunted with Cheney before and would again.

"He's a great shot. He's very safety conscious. This is something that unfortunately was a bad accident and when you're with a group like that, he's safe or safer than all the rest of us," she said.

But the accident raised questions about Cheney's adherence to hunting safety practices and the White House's failure to disclose the accident in a timely way.

Several hunting safety experts interviewed agreed it would have been a good idea for Whittington to announce himself. But every expert stressed that the shooter is responsible for avoiding other people.

Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday — about an hour after it occurred — but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions.

Facing a press corps upset that news had been withheld, press secretary Scott McClellan said, "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/...ltBHNlYwM3MTY-

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On the Net:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

[b]Birdshot = WMD?
The Nation

The Nation -- For Bill Clinton it was a stain on a blue GAP dress; might Cheney's Waterloo be an errant spray of birdshot? The way the normally dormant Washington press corps has seized upon this so-called "scandal," you'd think the country's lifeblood (and this administration's credibility) flowed through Harry Whittington's 78-year-old veins. Finally succumbing to pressure from Democrats (Nancy Pelosi demanded Cheney "come clean on what happened in Texas"), the nation's editorialists, and even fellow Republicans like Ari Fleischer, Dick is going to make a rare public appearance in a few hours on FOX news. Not exactly enemy territory, but give the man a break. He shot a buddy and hasn't held a press conference in 3 1/2 years.

The folks over at HuffPo though have really gone bananas over this one though. Torture proponent Alan Dershowitz hypothesizes that the VP must have been up to something really bad (like drinking and hunting). Bob Cesca repeats Sirius radio's Alex Bennett's rumor that Cheney's missing hours gave the administration time to cover up his own private Lewinsky. It's like mock trial club meets Weekly World News over there.

The only voice of reason in the lot is Harry Shearer's Eat the Press which attributes the whole brouhaha to a little "psychological theory called displacement." The lesson the Bush administration might actually learn from all this: Lie about uranium to provoke war (no big deal), don't report a minor accident for a few hours (get strung up). The next time someone stubs a toe in the White House, I'm sure they'll convene an emergency meeting of Congress. I suppose politics by proxy is better than no politics at all, but I just want to scream: It's the war, stupid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20...A2BHNlYwM3NDI-

Cheney Breaks Silence on Hunting Accident
By NEDRA PICKLER and LYNN BREZOSKY, Associated Press Writers


WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday accepted full blame for shooting a fellow hunter and defended his decision to not publicly disclose the accident until the following day. He called it "one of the worst days of my life."

"I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry," Cheney told Fox News Channel in his first public comments since the shooting Saturday in south Texas.

Cheney described seeing 78-year-old Harry Whittington fall to the ground after he pulled the trigger while aiming at a covey of quail.

"The image of him falling is something I'll never ever be able to get out of my mind," Cheney said. "I fired, and there's Harry falling. It was, I'd have to say, one of the worst days of my life at that moment."

Cheney has been under intense political pressure to speak out about the shooting incident, which has become a public relations embarrassment and potential political liability for the White House. Until Wednesday, Cheney had refused to comment on why he withheld information about the shooting, which prolonged the controversy and made him the butt of jokes.

Cheney was soft-spoken and somber during the interview with Fox's Brit Hume.

"You can talk about all of the other conditions that exist at the time but that's the bottom line and — it was not Harry's fault," he said. "You can't blame anybody else. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend."

Cheney said he had had a beer at lunch that day, but nobody was drinking when they went back out to hunt several hours later.

Texas officials said the shooting was an accident, and no charges have been brought against the vice president.

A report that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued Monday said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney.

"Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

"I ran over to him," Cheney said. "He was laying there on his back, obviously, bleeding. You could see where the shot struck him."

He said he has no idea if he hit a bird because he was focused on Whittington.

"I said, `Harry, I had no idea you were there.' He didn't respond," Cheney said.

Whittington was reported doing well at a Texas hospital Wednesday, a day after doctors said that a pellet entered his heart and he had what they called "a mild heart attack."

Hospital officials said the Texan, though still listed in intensive care, had a normal heart rhythm again Wednesday afternoon and was sitting up in a chair, eating and planning to do some legal work in his room.

Cheney has been roundly criticized for failing to tell the public about the accident until the next day. He said he thought it made sense to let the owner of the ranch where it happened reveal the accident on the local newspaper's Web site Sunday morning.

"I thought that was the right call," Cheney said. "I still do."

Cheney said he agreed that ranch owner Katharine 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?" he was asked.

"I still do," Cheney responded. "The accuracy was enormously important. I had no press person with me."

Armstrong told reporters that Whittington made a mistake by not announcing himself as he returned to the hunting line after breaking off to retrieve a downed bird. But Cheney, an avid and longtime hunter, said Whittington was not to blame.

Through hospital officials, Whittington has declined to comment.

"He still kind of wonders what all the hoopla is about," said Peter Banko, administrator of Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.

Cheney was using No. 7 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun. Shotgun pellets typically are made of steel or lead; the pellets in No. 7 1/2 shot are just under one-tenth of an inch in diameter.

The pellet that traveled to Whittington's heart was either touching or embedded in the heart muscle near the top chambers, called the atria, officials said.

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Lynn Brezosky contributed to this report from Corpus Christi.

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On the Net:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060215/...MzBHNlYwM3MDM-