So According to WaPo, Matalin Coached Armstrong on Her Statement >>>

[Stephanie]

This article is HYSTERICAL. So the Bush guys are terrified of Cheney and they tell him, whatever you want to do, Dick,, you're the one that shot a guy in the face, you decide when to announce it. So Dick calls up Matalin and they get together and coach this republican rancher to be their spokeswoman and spin their spin. Plus, new details! There was another woman there - Armstrong's sister. And Sunday, while Dick did enjoy a big-ass ranch lunch, he canceled the morning hunt. Awwww....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021300452.html?nav=rss_world


White House Deferred to Cheney on Shooting
In a Break With Policy, Hunting Accident Was Not Disclosed for 14 Hours

By Jim VandeHei and Sylvia Moreno
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 14, 2006; Page A01

<excerpt>

In a telephone interview, Armstrong said that she, her mother and her sister, Sara Storey Armstrong Hixon, decided on Sunday morning after breakfast to report the shooting accident to the media. "It was my family's own volition, and the vice president agreed. We felt -- my family felt and we conferred as a family -- that the information needed to go public. It was our idea," Armstrong said.

The White House typically releases information immediately on incidents involving the president's personal life, such as bike-riding accidents, to avoid the appearance of covering up embarrassments. It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for the White House to allow a private citizen serve as its de facto spokesman.

But current and former aides said the White House rarely imposes its practices, especially on press matters, on Cheney. The vice president's office often operates autonomously in a manner that many top White House officials are reluctant to challenge.

In this case, Cheney worked with family members and former aide Mary Matalin on how to handle the fallout of the shooting accident, said a person close to the vice president who demanded anonymity to talk about internal discussions.

***

The manager of a ranch in neighboring Brooks County attended a quail lunch at the Armstrong Ranch headquarters midday Sunday with Cheney. Lavoyger Durham, manager of El Tule Ranch, said the luncheon talk was of "North Korea, India, China, Taiwan."

There was no discussion about the accident the night before, he said, but it became known at the luncheon that Cheney asked to have the morning hunt canceled. "He didn't want to shoot," Durham said.

[im10ashus]

1. K&R!

This keeps getting better!

[havocmom]

2. Cheney wanted morning hunt canceled? Couldn't take the noise?

I hear hangovers are like that. Bet he was a real bear Sunday morning!

[MrTriumph]

16. Why wasn't Cheney in church praying?

[havocmom]

23. Afraid of lightening bolts nailing him?

:shrug:

He prolly did plenty of praying at the white porcelain alter. And he preys all the time.

[tanyev]

3. I think for most people, there would have been no question

that the weekend was over as soon as the old dude was rushed to the hospital.

[Stephanie]

4. Not Dick! He went to the "quail luncheon"

OMFG it just gets worse!

[txindy]

8. Did they eat what they shot the previous day? Enquiring minds, ya know!

And I thought ol' Darth only ate babies, not elderly lawyers! :evilgrin:

Editing for clarity.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. Darth Cheney once shot 70 tame hand raised birds in one day

It's not about the eating, it's about the killing. Cheney loves to kill tame, hand raised animals for fun, preferably in large numbers. He's a sadistic bloodthirsty bastard.

[LizW]

22. They ate everything but the lawyer. ;-) n/t

[txindy]

24. Are we sure about that?

+ =



:evilgrin:

:rofl:

[LizW]

25. LOL!

:rofl:

[speedoo]

5. Just a swell job of PR, Mary.

You stupid RW slimeball, you could not have fucked this up more if you wanted to.

Honestly, I thought Carville had some smarts. How on earth does he stay married to this stupid woman?

[mikeytherat]

14. Did you hear Matlin say that Cheney did nothing wrong; in fact,

he did everything he was "supposed to."

Uh, Mary, that would indicate this was NOT an accident, and that he shot Mr. Whittington ON PURPOSE.

Twenty four hours, multiple discussions, and THIS is the best they come up with?

Wow. Just wow.

mikey_the_rat

[speedoo]

6. Oh, Snotty's gonna catch shit today!!

I can see Gregory and company sharpening their arrows already.

[C_U_L8R]

7. No wonder...

the choice of words was too familiar.. and everyone's story was
WAY too identical and complete. If I was sherriff... some folks
would be sitting in a jail cell by now.

[txindy]

9. The difficulty with that is that the 'persons of interest' have left TX

The big fish, anyway.

[rodeodance]

15. We still are waiting for the Sherif's report.

[Stephanie]

26. the article says the investigation is still open!

look for it - a part I had to snip out

[Plaid Adder]

10. OK, so I have a question.

If Cheney ever did shoot and kill someone...you know, on purpose...would anyone ever report it?

It just makes you wonder,

The Plaid Adder

[Tin Man]

12. Under the inherent, unary powers of the Vice Presidency

Cheney can do whateverthefuck he wants. Some talking head said its expressly implied in the margins of the Constitution somewhere. :)

[Arkansas Granny]

19. I have a question along the same line. If I were to shoot someone,

purely accidentally, on my own property, could I decide when to report the shooting to the public? Would I be required by any law to report the shooting to the appropriate law enforcement in the area where the shooting occurred. If the victim of this hypothetical accidental shooting is taken to the hospital, isn't the hospital bound by some sort of law or regulation to report the incident to authorities?

This story just doesn't wash.

[Tin Man]

11. No shit, the RW Spin Machine was clearly behind Armstrong's "statement"

Especially the selection of the word "peppering" - a totally inappropriate euphamism intended to minimize the true nature of the accident. The moment I saw Armstrong deliver her "statement", it was clear to me that she was coached. Every bird hunter knows that "peppering" doesn't happen at distances less than 100yds - Cheney SHOT Whittington due to NEGLIGENCE !!!

[lpbk2713]

13. Chapaquid-DICK ............ Where is their outrage now?

They knew alcohol was involved in the Kopechne incident and they didn't want to take any chances. That would be the only reason for the delay. To allow Cheneyburton to sober up and to choreograph all concerned in order to get their stories together. Don't forget how sleazy these uber-rethugs are by nature.

[japple]

17. Keep repeating: ChapaquiDICK, ChapaquiDICK, ChapaquiDICK

You're right, lpbk2713.

[flordehinojos]

20. CHENEY's guilt showing up in his actions.

1. doesn't report the accident until hours later.
2. doesn't want to talk to the press.
3. doesn't talk to sonny boy 'till monday morning.
5. runs to matalin's skirt on how to handle the shooting of whittington and hides behind matalin's and armstrong's skirts.
6. cancels the morning hunt the morning after.
7. talk in the armstrong breakfast room sunday morning is anything but ....


show me a man running away from his sin and i'll show you o.j. in a white a suv on the california freeway AND i will also show you cheney running away from the press, sonny boy, his own self, and i will show you him hiding behind the matalin and armstrong skirts.

what is lynnie girl saying about all of this? i bet she is as quiet as a dead mouse in a church corner.

[SillyGoose]

21. This is SOP for this Administration....PR, carefully scripted speeches

and statements, canned audiences, choreographed events, etc etc etc. Its all one big stage show managed by people like Matalin, Hughes and Rove. They've been campaigning since 2000 and they never stopped. Anything that surfaces that has even a slight negative edge, the stage managers stampede out in full force spinning away. Its always someone else's fault, blame the victim, blame the liberals, blame it on 9/11, blame the media, blame Clinton and on and on it goes. Its enough to drive anyone insane.