Dick's Press People COACHED the Ranch Owner on Her Statements >>>

[Stephanie]

They hoped to pass her off as an impartial witness. They COACHED her on what to say. I wonder if they gave her a makeover? Did she get a backdrop?

Q The Vice President has a Secret Service detail and has communications which are up to date, operating and in place. How is it that the word of the shooting and the fact that the Vice President was involved could have been confused or delayed, given the fact that that was almost --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the initial information is coming from his team on the ground with him, and they're just providing an initial report, an accident has taken place. They might not know all the facts at that point, Bill.

Q Are you kidding? They're right there, they're out there with him. They have communications --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the ones that are providing that information may have not been right there, physically, with him and saw exactly what happened -- I don't know. But I'm telling you --

Q And it also --

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on. Can I finish? Okay. But I'm telling you the facts as they occurred and as I know them. And if there is additional information you want, you can direct those questions to the Vice President's Office.

Q And it also sounds as though your suggestions about how to handle this were disregarded by the Vice President's Office.

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I'll keep those conversations private.

Q Well, you might as well say that.

Q I just want to clarify one thing. Is it appropriate for a private citizen to be the person to disseminate the information that the Vice President of the United States has shot someone?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's one way to provide information to the public. The Vice President's Office worked with her -- I should say, the Vice President -- the Vice President spoke with her directly --

Q You make it sound like it's up to her to decide when this comes out.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and agreed that she should make it public and that they would provide additional information.

Q But why should it be up to a private citizen to decide when it comes out?

MR. McCLELLAN: It came out Sunday morning. I've told you the way that I've operated and the way I've provided information in similar circumstances.

Q This is certainly different.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060213-4.html

[livetohike]

1. I hope the press keeps digging at this story

It's very odd that the hospital didn't call the police. Or did they? I haven't kept up on the story other than the news on the radio.

There's more to this, imo.

[Patsy Stone]

4. Apparently, in Texas

you don't have to report hunting accidents unless there's a fatality.

Don't mess with Texas!

[Stephanie]

7. I think that may have been debunked.

They have stats on the accidents so there must be reporting.

[Patsy Stone]

18. That would make sense

and it's what I assumed to be true, but I've not been able to find that law/statute.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. All gunshot wounds must be reported to the police

If it's a 911 call they have to dispatch a cruiser along with the ambulance. If it's a walk in at the hospital the hospital has to notify the police.

The owner of the ranch should also have notified the police of the shooting.

[Patsy Stone]

17. And I thought this was the case

But I wasn't (and still am not) sure this applies to hunting. I've been looking a Texas law and can't find it.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. I asked our local sheriff deputy today

I wasn't sure either, but he came by so I asked him. He told me that all gunshot wounds must be reported. There is no qualifier for hunting or not that he mentioned.

[Patsy Stone]

24. Cool!

Thanks for that. That's the way it is in most places, but I always consider Texas "different". :)

[HooptieWagon]

12. Tonight's news

said Crashcarts SS detail notified the sherriff's office immediately. A sherriff's deputy interviewed Crashcart the next AM and got a statement from him. The ranch owner (who looks a lot like Cruella deHarris (Katherine Harris, ugh)notified the local paper - not specified when, it appears the article went up on the paper's website sun just after noon sunday. Sherriff's office reportedly to cite Crashcart with a warning for not having a bird stamp on his hunting liscense.

Unasked, or unanswered, questions:

Did sherriff's office attempt to interview Crashcart sooner? If so, were they hindered by parties to the accident?

Were statements also obtained from other witnesses (ranch owner, other hunters, SS detail)?

Were any blood alchohol tests given?

just wonderin...

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Why did they call a local paper?

What was the purpose of getting them involved? So they care more about PR than this man?

[FreedomAngel82]

19. I think so too

It's all so strange.

[Patsy Stone]

2. This does not surprise me

I heard on Ed Schultz that she's a long-time Bushie, that her mother was a diplomat to Great Britain, and that she and the "gang" decided to leak it to the "local paper" (like you do when the VP shoots someone on your property). Hmmm. ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC?? Nah, let's just call the Podunk Picayune Gazette! :crazy:

My favorite thing Scotty said was that they "tried" to get the news out. Yes, that's one problem from which this administration certainly suffers: an inability to get the media to pay attention.

Oy.

[Triana]

3. did she get a nosejob too?

(re: Paula Jones)...

;)

[mac56]

5. What the hell keeps this guy going?

Anyone with a conscience, or even a normal functioning nervous system, would have ditched this shitty job months ago.

[WinkyDink]

13. Two words: Jeff Gannon. Three: Austin.

The WH knows all.

[FreedomAngel82]

22. Which makes me wonder

if they're blackmailing him into staying.

[AzDar]

6. Didn't the initial (and perhaps current) reports have her viewing the

shooting from a VEHICLE??? How the hell could she have known what was going on, really, let alone what was or was not said???

[YDogg]

8. Excellent point.

McClellan almost blew it all, I'd say.

[Stephanie]

9. yeah he slipped up

they got him flustered. :rofl:

[CrazyOrangeCat]

11. Two things . . .

1. BULLSHIT !!!!!!

2. Snotty is now working on a TRIPLE chin.

carry on.

[HooptieWagon]

15. I agree the story is fishy

The delay in releasing story - was it an attempt to keep the story quiet, stalling to get story straight, or to dispose of evidence (liquor bottles, etc)? It doesn't seem "straight" that that the task of informing the media inre to an accident involving the VP would be left to a private citizen.

Did Cheney or his SS detail stall the interview with sherriff's deputiy (time for Crashcart to sober up maybe?)?

The WH is deinately not telling the truth, but since when is that a surprise <shrug>.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

16. yup, they were probably pouring coffee down his gullet like mad . . .

[Paladin]

14. Trust Me On This One:

If you're a prominent Republican involved in a shooting incident on the Armstrong Ranch in South Texas, you don't have to do jack shit in the way of reporting it. The Armstrongs are at the top of the stinking heap of Texas Republican insiders; the Bush Gang has been shooting birds on that ranch for decades. I'm amazed the story came out at all---must be some details we don't know about.....

[FreedomAngel82]

23. Interesting

Maybe it's because of WHO it happened to or something? Quite strange how this came out than if they're very tight with the republicans. :shrug:

[sandnsea]

25. The guy was near death, that's why

If they hadn't reported it and the guy had died, it would have been a real mess. If the guy hadn't been flown to Corpus Christi, we may well have never heard a word about it.

[cami715]

26. And the last report I heard said he was still in intensive care.

Obviously his wounds were not superficial.

[Avalux]

27. You're correct about the Armstrong family.

And if Whittington's wounds hadn't been serious enough to require hospitalization, we never would have heard about it.