WP: Cheney's Response A Concern In GOP

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021402137.html

Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the Bush administration and is prompting senior White House officials to press Cheney to publicly address the issue as early as today, several prominent Republicans said 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 Harry Whittington, a GOP lawyer from Austin. Whittington was hospitalized Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Tex., and was moved back into the intensive-care unit after suffering an abnormal heart rhythm yesterday morning.

"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. Weber said Cheney "made it a much bigger issue than it needed to be."

Marlin Fitzwater, a former Republican White House spokesman, told Editor & Publisher magazine that Cheney "ignored his responsibility to the American people."

<snip>

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said he referred to Cheney as the "shooter in chief" in a meeting with members of Congress yesterday morning.

[henslee]

1. BOO-YAH!!!

[Wickerman]

2. Fitzwater finally notices that Cheney is negligent in his duties to

the American people? Give me a fucking break. It's all he's done since he came into office - screw the individual citizen and reward certain corporate citizens.

This "outrage" tells me they are going to use this episode to set Dick free. It's all over but the paperwork, I'd say. The old party folks have seen the opportunity to dispose of the Dick and they are seizing it.

[aquart]

4. Which means we can impeach.

Unless you can promise me a Hastert indictment first?

[Geoff R. Casavant]

13. Hastert won't move up.

Amendment 25 -- If a vacancy in the VP office, the Pres. nominates a replacement, and both houses of Congress must approve by majority vote.

[Mz Pip]

3. Rove orchestrated this response

Maybe he figured no one would be paying attention. NOthing to see, no big deal, just a little accident. No one would sort of wonder about the 14 hour delay in reporting it.

Rove blew this one. Big time. :evilgrin:

Finally.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[shanti]

23. rove thinks that ALL americans

are stupid enough to fall for the okey-doke.

nuh uh.......

[deadparrot]

5. I'm amazed that he hasn't apologized yet.

Even though he wouldn't mean it, I'd expect his press secretary to issue a release saying he offers his apologies to Whittington and his family. :shrug:

[LibDemAlways]

16. The words "I'm sorry" or "I regret" have never

crossed Cheney's evil warped mind, much less his thin, snearing lips. He'll never apologize. He doesn't know how; and if he did, he'd refuse. Besides, he's not sorry he shot somebody, only that he was caught.

[deadparrot]

19. Well, I said I didn't think he was sorry.

And I certainly don't expect him to do it publicly. But putting a vaguely-worded "apology" through a press release would certainly go a long way towards getting the media off his back. :shrug:

[LibDemAlways]

28. I agree with you. However, I'm very

familiar with the type of person whose arrogance won't allow them to express an apology (I've lived with one for many years), so I'm quite confident that even if the WH begged him to do it, it would be only with the greatest reluctance and couched in carefully worded, quite unapologetic terms - "Hey, I'm sorry the guy got in my way."

[shanti]

24. those words

have never crossed the chimp's lips either. they are congenitally incapable of feeling remorse for humans.

oh wait...

[LibDemAlways]

29. Before the 2000 selection I read an interview with

Pickles where she was asked about the classmate she mowed down back when both were teenagers. She said it was sad and she'd rather not talk about it, but it particularly struck me that she offered no regret or remorse. Perfect wife for chimp.

[Bridget Burke]

35. Laura may have been quite upset at the time....

But her family assured her it was being taken care of. She should just think about other things. And, oh, by the way, the doctor said these pills will help.

She disappeared into the mist years ago. Sometimes she starts to wake up--but the reality she perceives is so unpleasant that she goes back to sleep.

[rodeodance]

21. I expect him to speak in first person (not in 3rd person!)

[kskiska]

6. This says it all

(snip)

…Cheney, he added, is virtually immune to public criticism and image problems: "I don't think he really cares."

[depakid]

7. It's plain to see that man's a sociopath

Look at is record and his behavior. He's been like that for years.

What does anyone expect? Remorse? LOL.

When pigs fly.

[Rex]

8. Wow, wake up Repukers...he don't care

PNAC owns the country now. The BFEE owns the gummit now...whatcha gonna do Gopers? Nada, ziltch.

[Canuck55]

9. You would think their donors would take notice...

Even if you are:

a) a near octogenarian lifelong republican millionaire,
b) a Bush/Cheney ’04 ‘Pioneer’
c) politically connected enough to be 1 of the 2 guns in a Dick Cheney Quail Hunting
Trio.

It will still be your fault if the Vice President somehow fucks up while in your presence.

[symbolman]

10. Remember, if this guys dies then Cheney MAY be

held liable for involuntary manslaughter, even tho they own the world right now and all the judges there is always the off chance (look at Delay) that he could get jacked up with some charges if the White House cuts him free.

His Lawyers are telling him to shut his yap, no accountability, no apology.

The defense is, I DIDN'T DO IT or IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, if he apologises it may be seen as an admission of guilt..

Oh and one other thing, I have NO HEARTS! NONE! After all the work I've done and nobody love me.. sniff.. maybe I'll just go hunting with Cheney and end it all :)

[shanti]

25. hey symbolman

you have lots 'o' friends! :hug:

[jobycom]

11. Good ole Trent Lott. Sitting back, waiting for the right time...

"I have a cask of Amantillado in my cellar, Mr. Cheney. Would you like to see it?"

:rofl:

[GOPNotForMe]

12. Hee. Good one.

Cheney cemented behind a wall of fresh bricks... Time for a remake?

[maxfisher]

14. no more Sanchez

The sexual maneuver formally known as "The Dirty Sanchez" will now be referred to as The Dick Cheney".

[Roon]

15. the dirty sanchez

I can't think of anything more repulsive.

[lovuian]

17. Its been a disaster ...and what is very obvious is that

Cheney shoots somebody and is not sorry... Blames the victim Suppresses the news media and walks away with no ramifications!!!

[shanti]

26. and that is the MO of the neocons

they are like automatrons. scary...

[Lorien]

18. Procrastination on every unplanned event is becoming as much a hallmark

of this administration as lying and corruption is. How can anyone see such a group as "leaders"?

[DearAbby]

20. This is the hot tamale...this is going to be what unravels this mess

The people are not buying this, the Vice President's manner is being questioned. Reports of him not acting in a responsible manner. Even tried to blame the victim (one trick * pony show) And it has backfired horribly. The people are starting to see the Emperor with no clothes. Via thru the actions of the VP.

All the other scandals...sure they are very important and should be investigated...But difficult for the person that is just fed news via the media to understand fully...

But this scandal is very easy for everybody to understand. Gut level, something isn't right here.

This is the hot tamale that brings the whole thing down.

[shanti]

22. too little, too late, crashcart

your heartlessness is VERY apparent. :(

[tanyev]

27. Cheney is like Fonzie in that Happy Days episode where

he was physically incapable of saying the word "wrong". It kept coming out "I was wr..wr..wr..wr".

[leesa]

30. He didn't lie fast enough. "Ignored his responsibility to the American

people"...about THIS flippin' episode?? How about lying us into a war to scam profits for Haliburton? How about doin'9-11?

[kayice]

31. The morning news reported that Cheney had a press release

stating that he wished Mr. Whittington well, or best wishes.....something that sounded goofy. THERE WAS NO APOLOGY OR REGRETS, EXCUSES,...... NADA.

[intheflow]

32. K&R'd for "shooter in chief" comment.

That alone makes this worth reading, the fact that Lott said it is just pudding. :rofl:

[JoFerret]

33. Even Murdoch's New York Post: Dick Ducks

[supernova]

34. They expect Cheney to apologize?

For shooting a guy accidentially? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! :spray: :spray:

These are the same people who didn't say a peep and actually yelled "woop woop" for all kinds of unnecessary executive priveledge.

These are the same people who think his cozy relationship with Halliburton is just hunky dory. Billions of dollars out the window to God only knows where. No questions asked.

These are the same people who think its OK that 99% of the time Cheney is at an undisclosed location. No questions asked.

These are the same people who even now think its OK he directed the outing of a CIA operative. Clearly a treasonous act. No questions asked.

And they actually expect him to explain himself now? NOW? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I will wallow in major schadenfreude here. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Wow, they really are clueless. Get a clue. Cheney hasn't been acountable to anyone since the Nixon administration! Cheney doesn't give a rat's ass about you conservatives. He only wants you to vote for him so he can make more money. He doesn't care that you go to church. He doesn't care that you want "more moral values in society". He doesn't care that you have to work at Wal-Mart and get by with no health insurance. He doesn't care that you worry about how to come up with the money to put your child through college. He doesn't worry that you pay more in state taxes every year to make up for his reduced federal 1040 bill.

And if you think he's all that sorry about shooting a guy, supposedly a friend, wow you aren't clueless. You're delusional.

[grace0418]

36. I hope at the very least Whittington is taking a good hard look at

who he's chosen to align himself with (if he's even alive that is). If my "good friend" accidently shot me in the face, then pretty much ignored the situation, even BLAMING ME for what happened, I would be really questioning my judgment in choosing friends.

[cassiepriam]

37. He had no choice but to cover it up since he was drunk.

Cops would have noticed that fact. It was the smart thing to do from that standpoint. Also since he has no conscience apologies would not be in order either.