Newsweek: No effective response to becoming butt of late-night punch lines

[kpete]

Gatekeepers
Even Republicans are criticizing the White House’s penchant for secrecy on issues like the Cheney hunting accident. Can the veep ever emerge from the twilight zone of political ridicule?
THE OVAL Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey

Feb. 15, 2006 - For two days, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has offered up a wink-and-nod defense over the handling of Dick Cheney’s shooting accident. McClellan has never criticized the vice president or his staff directly. But he has also never missed an opportunity to remind reporters that he would have handled dissemination of the news far differently.


According to McClellan, once he learned of Cheney’s involvement in the shooting of lawyer and fellow hunter Harry M. Whittington, he urged the vice president’s office to get the information out as soon as possible. “ the way we have typically approached things,” McClellan told reporters on Monday. “ I typically approach things.”

The only problem for the White House: McClellan’s statement doesn’t exactly ring true. Administration officials long ago cemented a reputation for withholding information until even news that wouldn’t necessarily be damaging to the White House turns into a bombshell. Its penchant for secrecy has proven time and again to be an Achilles' heel for an administration admired even by political opponents for its unfailing ability to stay on message. Yet the secrecy strategy has increasingly become a subject of ridicule, even from close GOP allies of the White House.

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What’s worse, Cheney’s image as the dark, brooding protector in chief has been punctured forever. When he next appears in front of the troops, will his TV audience be thinking of his experience with a shotgun? The jokes may be merciless and repetitive. But there’s no effective response to becoming the butt of late-night punch lines. Cheney can’t get self-righteous about the subject. He can’t even suggest this is a partisan attack. (He may try to do both, but even Trent Lott was poking fun at Cheney on Tuesday.) As Al Gore can testify, there’s no return from the twilight zone of political ridicule.

2 pages at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11366583/site/newsweek/site/newsweek/

[Eric J in MN]

1. For the past five years, I've consider Dick Cheney my "protector,"

but not anymore (end sarcasm.)

Actually, I've considered Dick Cheney responsible for failing to stop the 9/11 attack (his terrorism task force never met before 9/11/2001), for pressuring low-level CIA agents to produce dubious intel on WMD in Iraq, and for torture.

[central scrutinizer]

2. cut the bullshit, Snotty

Just like you "approached" the Valerie Plame thing, right? Talk a blue streak about it when it looks like nobody in the maladministration will be indicted, then once the shit hits the fan, fall back on the old "I won't comment on an ongoing investigation" excuse. How does this slime ball sleep at night?

[Kagemusha]

3. So Dick Cheney is turning into a Dan Quail?

(Note: Reference to "Quayle hunting" and not meant to disparage that former VP)