In Fox TV interview, Cheney accepts responsibility for shooting accident

[Roon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

[rawstory]

1. Here's the story...

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Vice_President_Cheney_tells_Fox_about_0215.html

[skooooo]

2. Well that didn't take long!!!

Christ, it's like getting a 4 yr. old to admit he stole a cookie or something.

[acmavm]

3. That's good 'cuz I doubt there was any Al Quaeda in the

neighborhood.

[mr.sparkle]

4. how typical....

appearing with his butt-buddy Brit Hume, boy I'm sure we can expect a real pressing interview there....gimme a break

[zanne]

6. According to CNN, he was "unapologetic" about delay....

According to CNN, Cheney is sorry he shot his friend, but not sorry about the way he released the information. Figures.

[brooklynite]

8. C'mon, I'm sure he'll get "peppered" with questions...

[caledesi]

5. Faux News? That's enough for me. nt

[lebkuchen]

7. I heard Cheney on AFRTS in the commissary awhile back

saying that we needed to change Islamic countries before they changed us.

What America needs is a change of VPs.

[Maine-ah]

9. quote:

Many media observers perceive Fox’s news coverage as generally favoring conservative issues and the Bush administration. David Domke, an associate professor in the department of communication and head of journalism at the University of Washington, argued in an Aug. 1, 2005, editorial in the Baltimore Sun, that Fox has “unabashedly championed the international and military policies of the Bush administration.”

:rofl:

[superconnected]

10. empty - since yesterday the white house blamed

the guy shot.

so the headline should read CHENEY TAKES RESPONSIBILITY AFTER BLAMING THE VICTIM FAILED.

So here he is sat...sun...mon...tues...and now wed the day after he blamed the victim, taking "responsibility" in the most irresponsible manner possible.

[cliss]

11. I just read the story on Yahoo news.

Notice? no apology.

Also, notice how Cheney gets the last word. Yes, he admits the responsibility is his for shooting his friend.

But -- notice how the last part is tailor-made for Cheney. This is about the question of keeping it quiet for so long. He gets to say: "I don't regret it. It was the right thing to do".

See how they do that?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. "I'm the guy who pulled the trigger..."

"I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

"I'm your worst nightmare"

"You're the disease, and I'm the cure"

"I'm BACK"

"You should not DRINK and BAKE."

[VaYallaDawg]

13. When will they get around to blaming Bill Clinton?

[0007]

84. Don't worry! They will. Probably when it comes down to public

opinion. It will perhaps be worded something like this:
Which do you think is worse

1. A man hit in the face by a few harmless BB's?

2. Or a young innocent little girl with a dirty, foul Bill Clinton stuck in her throat?

[PhilipShore]

14. Editor & Publisher:Cheney on TV: Takes Blame for Shooting..Admits Drinking

Editor & Publisher
Cheney on TV: Takes Blame for Shooting But 'Unapologetic' About Aftermath, Admits Drinking One Beer at Lunch
News
February 15, 2006

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002033578

NEW YORK In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Brit Hume this afternoon, Vice President Dick Cheney took full responsibility for shooting his hunting companion, who has until now been pictured as the guilty party. The interview will not air in full until 6 p.m. but according to Hume, in summaring the contents, the vice president remained "totally unapologetic" about the long lag in reporting the shooting to the public-- and also said that he had consumed one beer at lunch that day.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. One has to wonder

how big that beer was.

[hippiechick]

19. yeah, like a whole keg?

:eyes:

[Art_from_Ark]

62. One beer, in a VERY big can

[Connie_Corleone]

21. A forty ounce??

[papau]

25. the standard 40 oz - this was in Texas after all.

:-)

[bleever]

29. Maybe this:

It also comes in very big bottles.

[Reverend_Smitty]

16. When someone tells a cop...

that they had one beer at lunch when they get pulled over, that usually means they've had 5 or 6...I really believe that Cheney was intoxicated when the incident occurred, or at least had enough alcohol in his system to raise suspicion

[Marnieworld]

36. One beer?

A drinker that loves his booze enough to have not one but two DUIs does not stop at one beer. No freakin' way.

[Mz Pip]

17. One beer

and how many Martinis?

If it were just one beer there would have been no reason to hide for 14 hours. That would have been out of the system in a couple of hours at most.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[niyad]

18. he "took full responsibility"? how NOBLE of him, since it was his damned

fault and nobody else's. are we supposed to give him a medal for this? or for drinking? or for concealing the fact that he basically committed a crime? I am NOT impressed.

did he even bother to express regret for this?

[radfringe]

79. gee

and it only took him 4 days to do so...in the meantime he hunked in his bunker

well - a pre-taped "interview" (most likely scripted), and time for editing before it was aired on FAUX news smells more like playing politics than any sincere admission of guilt

news last night said he wouldn't go face to to face with reporters - i.e. White House press corps. Is he afraid of being asked a non-scripted question?

not to worry - he'll soon emerge from his bunker and start calling for bombing of Iran - sending our troops to do something he's afraid of doing himself.

so much for values, taking responsibility -- not much of an example is he?

[coalition_unwilling]

20. "yes ovviser I had a cupla beers at lunch" . . .

standard reply of every one pulled over for DUI.

[fiveleafclover]

22. Here's a picture of it

[gWbush is Mabus]

24. lol - perfect!

[brainshrub]

23. So what?

Assume Cheney had his beer at 1:00pm. The accident happened at 5:30pm.

One beer with lunch would not affect him much after four and a half hours.

[gWbush is Mabus]

26. then why did he have a BAC level 14 hours later that was suspicious

if he got one

[brainshrub]

28. Did he get one?

[unc70]

30. I believe he said they started hunting again around 3:00 n/t

[fiveleafclover]

32. Do we know what kind of heart medication he's on?

And how alcohol might counteract with it?

Just a suggestion, since I don't know a whole lot about heart medication.

[Karenina]

33. Cheney has at his behest

the finest liquors known to man. You actually BELIEVE he drinks BEER??? :rofl::rofl::rofl: And NOW he ADMITS to ONE??? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[yellowcanine]

49. That is assuming it was only one beer and he drank it all before 1 pm

"In my opinion it is irresponsible to have any alcohol for lunch if one is going hunting that afternoon but that is just me."

[flamin lib]

27. Hell, ossifer, had to drive. Too damn drunk to walk . . . nt

[worldgonekrazy]

31. One beer my ass

I'd bet my bottom dollar that he was thoroughly tanked. When the hell is the mainstream media going to address this obvious scenario?

[HuffleClaw]

34. "Whittington was in stable condition on Wednesday...

...hospital officials said earlier on Wednesday. But the 78-year-old was moved back into the intensive care unit because of concerns for his privacy."

'concerns for his privacy' ???? what utter crap is that. a hospital isn't going to move someone into a ICU bed because of PRIVACY concerns, when that bed could be needed at any moment for an incoming patient.

[warrens]

35. Mistakes were made, blah blah

Poor old Dickus Headus. Worst day of his life. What a putz. How about "I promise to take a gun safety course before I ever pick up another firearm?"

[against all enemies]

37. "Officer I only had one beer." Pretty much means two at least.

[lovuian]

57. Maybe he had to admit it since Whittington had blood samples

and Armstrong knew too as well as others... thats why the waiting to report it...

[erpowers]

82. Armstrong: Beer Plus

The Armstrong lady has come out and claimed that when the lawyer was rushed to the hospital Cheney went into her house and fixed himself another drink. This drink was not a beer it was something else. So Cheney had a beer during lunch and another drink after he shot the guy.

[sabra]

38. Vice President Cheney talks to Fox News about accidental shooting(preview)

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Vice_President_Cheney_tells_Fox_about_0215.html

Vice President Cheney talks to Fox News about accidental shooting

After a storm of criticism from Democrats and many Republicans, Vice President Cheney finally spoke directly to the public about the circumstances surrounding his accidental shooting of a 78-year-old lawyer on Saturday, in an interview on Fox News today, RAW STORY has learned. Excerpts were shown during Fox's 2 p.m. broadcast, with the full interview set to be aired at 6 p.m.

"Ultimately, I'm the guy who pulled the trigger. It was not Harry's fault. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger" that hit "my friend," Cheney told Britt Hume on Fox, "it's a day that I'll never forget."

Cheney told Hume that Katharine Armstrong made the call to the local media because she was an "acknowledged expert," a former official with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and also since she was an eyewitness to the shooting. Cheney also said that Rove communicated with Armstrong since he knew her, and had hunted at the Armstrong Ranch.

Cheney said, "I thought it was the right call," and that he still believes so, then added, "I had no press with me."

The Vice President "guessed" that Whittington was around thirty yards away when he shot him, and that it was one of the "worst" days of his life.

[Punkingal]

39. Personally, I hope he has worse days....

Like the day Patrick Fitzgerald indicts his sorry ass for outing Plame.

[Burried News]

40. And everybody thought the Idiot King would bring this regime to

an end. Oh the irony - the VP shoots a Texas Kingmaker on an oil ranch - Tom Wolfe where are you?

[harlinchi]

41. Wow! I just finished that book yesterday!

Dadgum good read with, I thought, a disappointing ending! My kids dislike the picture of Charlie Croker on the cover -- they think he's scary!

[Burried News]

42. I enjoyed it - I lived in GA at the time but his Bonfire of the Vanities

is even better.

[harlinchi]

85. I'll get it.

I'm not from Georgia. I spent Basic Training in Ft. Benning, though, and while I understand that the post is hardly representative of the state, I have foul memories of Georgia to this day, and I was there in June - July, 1981. I loved Mr. Wolfe's text representation of the various dialects to which he exposed his readers. As I say I'm not from the South but I (did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!) am Black so many of the patterns were easily understandable to me. If ever I were to write I'd like to do so in a similar manner.

[alarcojon]

43. Related link (BBC)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4715232.stm

[alarcojon]

44. Cheney Accepts Blame for Shooting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4715232.stm

US Vice-President Dick Cheney has taken full responsibility for accidentally shooting a hunting companion.

Mr Cheney had faced growing pressure from politicians and the media to make a statement about Saturday's incident, which happened on a ranch in Texas.

Speaking on Fox TV, he said: "I'm the guy that pulled the trigger."

..snip....

Mr Cheney told Fox TV that Saturday had been "one of the worst days of my life".

[Charlie Brown]

45. Then the WH was lying to the public n/t

[crankybubba]

48. just another day at the office for them

lying is standard procedure for this bunch. one beer....B.S... more like one beer at a time.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

46. and ** took blame for Katrina, and Chertoff took responsibility

for it too...

not an apology in the group

[MGKrebs]

47. SAYING he takes responsibility and TAKING responsibility

are different things.

He must pay all medical bills for whatshisname,
He must forfeit his hunting license,
He must take a firemarms safety course,
He must do community service- PSA's about gun safety
and,

He must step down as VP.

THAT would be taking responsibility.

[stepnw1f]

50. I'll Believe It When He's Held Accountable

the piece of shit he is.

[bigdarryl]

51. FOX trying to boost Cheney up over hunting incident

It figures that FOX news with that partisan Brent Hume would be the first to kiss Cheney's ass.

[symbolman]

52. If he had any conscience he'd go home and off himself

and if the SS agents were true patriots they'd let him do it..

POS.

[Raine]

53. Dead drunk

they had to keep the shooting under wraps till deadeye dick could sober up. :beer: :hangover:

[VirginiaDem]

54. He did he say what he was doing on a hunting double date? n/t

[jazzjunkysue]

55. Don't Follow link: You'll get adware: Avenue A. I get it at MSNBC ev time

Damn nazis. Every time I go go msnbc my spybot says it blocked the download of avenue a, and then it locks up and I have to cont/alt/del and lose the whole explorer.

Maybe Faux has it. It was their scoop.

Avenue A is some kind of spyware or adware and spybot doesn't like it. Bastards.

Here's a faux link:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184957,00.html

[humbled_opinion]

56. Resignation time??

The media is now investigating the secrative society that is the White House today...

Tin Foil Hat on...

Would it be coincidence for Cheney to resign now... state maybe health reasons or say he is sick over the shooting incident of his friend or some such $hit and then Bush nominate the VP who would run as the GOP nominee for POTUS in 08....

Who could he nominate?

Tin Foil Hat Off...

[humbled_opinion]

60. I just had to finish...

Jeb !!!

[jwirr]

58. If isn't the accident that is being questioned. The fact that they

would not even talk with local Texas law enforcement officials for that many hours is the problem. Any other citizen would have submitted to the ususal tests and been done with it.

This delay is what has people asking the question "Why? What was going on?". When you are totally innocent you are not afraid of the truth. Even one beer would not have been enough to make the drinker drunk - so what was the reason they failed to act at the time of the accident?

[anitar1]

59. Faux Network, the official WhiteHouse

organ for the dissemination of"news".They won't hurt Unca Dick.

[VegasWolf]

61. Cheney, "Yeppers, I shot that drunk lawyer!" nt

[mvd]

63. Wow

A full apology? Even if on FAUX News, they must know they are in trouble.

[951-Riverside]

64. Text of Cheney's interview on Fox News

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13881510.htm

Transcript of Vice President Dick Cheney's interview Wednesday with Brit Hume of Fox News Channel, as released by the White House. Cheney addresses his shooting Saturday of a hunting companion, 78-year-old Harry Whittington of Austin, at a ranch owned by Katharine Armstrong about 60 miles south of Corpus Christi:

Question: Mr. Vice President, how is Mr. Whittington?

Answer: Well, the good news is he's doing very well today. I talked to him yesterday after they discovered the heart problem, but it appears now to have been pretty well resolved and the reporting today is very good.

Q: How did you feel when you heard about that?

A: Well, it's a great relief. But I won't be, obviously, totally at ease until he's home. He's going to be in the hospital, apparently, for a few more days, and the problem, obviously, is that there's always the possibility of complications in somebody who is 78-79 years old. But he's a great man, he's in great shape, good friend, and our thoughts and prayers go out to he and his family.

Q: How long have you known him?

A: I first met him in Vail, Colorado, when I worked for Jerry Ford about 30 years ago, and it was the first time I'd ever hunted with him.

[caligirl]

65. is there a 911 tape? were the police sent out then. I assume they

said they had a gun shot wound. Did the paramedics call it in to the police? Is the ER doctor required to flie a police report by law? did he?

[ClayZ]

66. I have heard of no 911 call. Was there one? If not, why?

[proud2BlibKansan]

67. There was an ambulance there already

Why call 911?

[ClayZ]

69. Is that typical, where ever he goes?

[951-Riverside]

70. For the President yes.... I really can't tell you about the VP

...but I think its a little unusual they would help Mr. Whittington when their primary concern is the protectee.

[proud2BlibKansan]

72. From what I understand, yes

[caligirl]

71. Cheney, I think, and Armstrong said it took 30 minutes for the ambulance

to arrive.


edit: I'm rechecking this. Not sure about this. get back to you later.


You are correct, it was Cheney's standby ambulance.

[Lasher]

77. Here are some answers

I don't think there is a 911 tape. Local law enforcement officials first learned of the incident when they heard ambulance radio traffic on a scanner. Cheney was not interviewed until 8 AM on Sunday.

While there were reports, some from the sheriff himself, that a deputy had been dispatched to the ranch on Saturday night and been turned away, Mr. Zahren said that some local police officers had heard about the shooting on a scanner when an ambulance was sent to pick up Mr. Whittington. They showed up at the ranch unsolicited. Private guards, not Secret Service agents, Mr. Zahren said, turned the police away because they did not know anything had occurred.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200602150014

The ambulance was Cheney's standby.

Texas Health and Safety Code

SUBCHAPTER E. REPORTS OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
OVERDOSES

§ 161.041. MANDATORY REPORTING OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS. A
physician who attends or treats, or who is requested to attend or
treat, a bullet or gunshot wound, or the administrator,
superintendent, or other person in charge of a hospital,
sanitorium, or other institution in which a bullet or gunshot wound
is attended or treated or in which the attention or treatment is
requested, shall report the case at once to the law enforcement
authority of the municipality or county in which the physician
practices or in which the institution is located.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/HS/content/htm/hs.002.00.000161.00.htm

I'm not sure if this law required ambulance personnel to report the case to authorities, but it's clear that it applies to the ER physician. I don't know if this doctor reported it or not.

[BeHereNow]

68. FOX news? FOX news???

What does this tell us who have been
paying attention?
I repeat:
"FOX NEWS???"
ROTFLMAO!!!!
That's like saying "Mother Goose reports that..."
LOL!!!!
They have totally discredited themselves
by this very action!
FOX NEWS?
HAHAHAHAHHA!
BULLSHIT!
BHN

[kskiska]

75. Jack Cafferty said it's like Bonnie interviewing Clyde

to have Brit Hume do it.

[Lasher]

76. Somebody here at DU predicted this

It was a day or 2 ago that I read a prediction that Elmer Cheney would speak about the issue in a one on one interview with Britt Hume on Faux Snooze.

[HuffleClaw]

73. "after they discovered the heart problem"

nice spin attempt. and there's this:

"Q: How far away from you was he?

A: I'm guessing about 30 yards, which was a good thing..."

forgetting for a moment that this 30 yards claim has been well and truly debunked, it has been made clear WHY they made this claim; because a charge of negligance would be possible if the shot was made from any closer. but they've really erected a whole messy web of lies in this ugly affair.

[sam the dawg]

74. questions

no doubt, someone like veep or pres is not expected to behave like john q public in these situations. for example, veep can't go to the hospital with him because of security issues, etc.

However, the questions I have are about witnesses.
1). the lady first said she saw the commotion and thought something had happened to vep such as a heart problem.
SO, how come is it she is now a "witness" detailing all the events????
2). two other people were positioned with vep (one hunter, one hand).
SO, how come is it their names have not been mentioned. why are not they witnesses????
3). holding news for accuracy was not important when they rescued jessica lynch.
holding for accuracy has not been important many times before. why now????

[lovuian]

78. ya well you mean it wasn't that Whittengton who snuck up on him

[hadrons]

80. Cheney: Shooting Victim Is Not to Blame

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney rejects any notion that his victim bears any responsibility for the shooting accident that turned a weekend hunting trip into trauma. "I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend," he said.

Cheney ended four days of silence about the accident Wednesday, telling his version of how he accidentally shot 78-year-old Harry Whittington, a longtime acquaintance.

A contrite Cheney did not apologize in an interview on the Fox News Channel, but he accepted responsibility for Saturday's accident on a private Texas ranch. He also defended his decision to keep it from the public until a day after it happened.

"We really didn't know until Sunday morning that Harry was probably going to be OK, that it looked like there hadn't been any serious damage to any vital organ," he said in an interview with Brit Hume. "And that's when we began the process of notifying the press."

....


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney

nice of Cheney to point how how blameless his shooting victim is :rolleyes

[w13rd0]

81. Interesting...

...in the interview, he said he wasn't a "friend" so much as an aquaintence.

Dick is a bastard. And this is just one of the MANY crimes he's perpetrated on the people of this nation.

[erpowers]

83. Where is the Outrage

I am wondering where the Republican outrage is over this admission. This is a guy who has had four heart attacks and has a internal heart defibulator and he still chooses to drink during a hunting exursion. Where are the calls for him to step down from his position due to lack of judgement and setting a bad example for young people.

[Efilroft Sul]

86. Being Dick Cheney means never having to say you're sorry.

Seriously. While he says he "took responsibility" for the shooting, he never apologized to his victim or the victim's family during the Faux News interview.