Question: Why does Mr. Whittington say Friday?

[freedom_please]

Just as I'm ready to move on from this train wreck, I did a double take when Mr. Whittington said that the accident occured last Friday.

Here's the video... also, take a look at the guy over Mr. Whittington's shoulder when he says, "Friday" -- seems a bit stunned, too:

http://snipurl.com/Whittington_Friday

Is this just a slip up?

[TomInTib]

1. The page has already been moved nt

[GreenPoet64]

2. Whoa . . . they moved the page. n/t

[GreenPoet64]

3. Does anyone have another link? n/t

[txindy]

5. Folks here who saw it live were discussing it.

If this helps at all (not an official transcript, but several witnesses): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x452759#452793

[freedom_please]

12. Here's the updated video link...

http://snipurl.com/Whittington_Friday

This is exactly why I use a free redirect service like SnipURL.com -- it allows us to edit a URL:>)

[spuddonna]

4. Oh, here we go again!

Will these transcripts and videos disappear just like the last ones? JMJ

[cliss]

6. What, Friday?

I always thought it was last Saturday.

Something's rotten.... in Washington.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. This is getting weird

Obviously, Whittington didn't get the script right. Now I'm wondering what really happened. Did Cheney really shoot that Swiss Ambassador or someone else and Whittington volunteered to help with the coverup?

[emdee]

8. Oh my goodness! You're right....

I watched it --- HE DID SAY FRIDAY!
It slipped right by me.
emdee

[Bobbie47]

9. CNN is showing it now he said Friday n/t

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

10. And he read it off his speechpaper.

No media heads point it out?

[elehhhhna]

91. Matalin was prolly drunk when she wrote it. Big surpise.

[Spazito]

11. Hmmm, interesting! Let's say, for interest sake only, that he was

telling the truth and it was, in fact, Friday when the shooting happened. That would explain a great number of the lies, covering up currently being done and the constant changing of the facts.

If, indeed, it did happen Friday then:

they did not report it until the next day

they did not get him medical help beyond that which was on site for 24 hours

they lied to the authorities about much more than we already know

I have NO doubt his comment re the shooting happening on Friday will be explained away as a simple 'misspeak' but it sure leaves another question to linger, imo.

[GreenPoet64]

14. Kicked n recommended. Do we have video yet? n/t

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

21. All these speeches today, hopeing to confuse the Truth?

~they did not get him medical help beyond that which was on site for 24 hours~
that is a chilling thought.

[japple]

52. They act guilty as hell, don't they? n/t

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

54. Who all gave speeches in the same time frame today?

Cheney, Lawyer Victim, Bush. Did Rummy speak also?
Bombarde us to bamboozle us?

[Marie26]

92. Notice the little dig he gets in about

how "prompt medical attention" is so important to someone his age? The public wouldn't notice it, but Cheney & Co. sure would.

[dancingme]

13. MSNBC statement

still has Friday

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11409731/

[GreenPoet64]

16. It does say Friday. n/t

[npincus]

28. screen shot, anyone?

just in case.

[malaise]

47. Randy's talking about that now n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

67. ***SCREENSHOT of part of MSNBC page with "Friday"***

[LeftNYC]

15. The guy behind him definitely shoots somebody a look...nt

[GreenPoet64]

19. This story still smells. n/t

[marions ghost]

31. no question that guy reacted ... good catch

and then it looks as though someone else on the left reaches over and removes the sheet of paper. I've seen that ploy before too.

[BR_Parkway]

36. I saw that - he cut his eyes over at someone else in a panicky sort

of way!

[Pachamama]

74. Yep, the guy behind him got startled eyes as big as saucers....

...wiped the smirking grin right off his face for a minute....

Always watch the eyes....it gave him away.....

Meanwhile, my guess is that Whittington is a professional and he took notes for himself and prepared them himself BASED on what "they" PREPPED HIM TO SAY....but, he in writing his notes put down Friday, because that's when it happened and sure enough, that's a detail "THEY" don't want us knowing.....

Another inconsistancy in the story....

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

77. That guy was surprised with the Friday statement

That day Cheney looked so awful at the WH, had he found out Whittington refused to lie? hence the multiple press conferences by Bush, Cheney, Rummy, and Whittington in the same time frame?

[mirandapriestly]

37. yeah, panic city..nt

[sabra]

17. this was a prepared statement....hmm....

[peacetalksforall]

18. Just in - Fox cut off tape just as Whittington says "last Friday". nt

[GreenPoet64]

20. Scrub, scrub n/t

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

23. lather,rinse,repeat n/t

[spanone]

22. Just rolls right off his lips as if he was actually speaking the truth.

No one connected with this administration lies, they mis-speak.

[GreenPoet64]

24. Did you catch the guy behind him . . . his eyes dart to the side n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. Proof that Cheney owns a time machine?

;)

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

26. K&R

:kick:

[wryter2000]

27. ICU can make you crazy

I'm not exaggerating. I was in ICU once, and I was completely out of my mind. Hallucinations and everything. My doctor told me later that's quite common.

I was in way worse shape than he was, but he's a lot older than I am.

[Warren Stupidity]

41. OK that is fair enough.

The victim is reading a prepared statement and he has no idea what he is saying. So why are we supposed to consider this little act anything other than just that?

[marions ghost]

55. lawyers consider such 'slips'

to be significant...at least until disproven.

We all know there was motive for delay and evidence of delaying tactics, so it's a fair assumption there COULD have been even more delay than we realize.

[txindy]

68. You were hallucinating and out of your mind on the day they released you?

What kind of doctors would let you go like that? He was in a suit, well outside of his room, and talking to the press off a prepared statement. They were preparing to release him today.

This is past bizarre.

[cassiepriam]

79. Yes in all fairness he could be disoriented and/ or have poor memory

of the event. He is elderly, he has been traumatized,
he had a mild heart attack which could have affected blood supply to the brain etc.

That said they are all a pack of lying no good thieves so anything is possible.

[npincus]

29. it gets curiouser and curiouser....

if he read from a written statement, then I presume he MEANT to say 'Friday". If he were speaking, I would just say he misspoke. But the guy is a LAWYER for G-d's sake, and the statement was WRITTEN.

[spuddonna]

30. EXACTLY! What the heck is going on here?

He's reading from a prepared statement! This is NOT a mistake!

He's telling the world he got shot on Friday night!

[GreenPoet64]

32. So odd. n/t

[pushycat]

88. Yes! He said Friday for a reason. Does he need help?

[Marie26]

93. Yes he is

Some other people have noted that he's an attorney. That's very important here. Whittington is a smart, experienced attorney; and most attorneys learn to choose their words carefully. If he wrote a statement with the word "Friday," it's because he meant Friday. He also stated the importance of prompt medical care for someone his age. Why? He says that his age is one thing the press "did get correct" (implying there are other things that are incorrect). He also stated that he hopes Cheney "gets the rest he deserves."

OK, these statements, taken together, would not mean much to the general public. But let's say Cheney did actually shoot him Fri., and waited a day to take him to the hospital. Pretend that you're in Cheney's shoes for a second - and then read those statements again. They take on a whole new meaning, don't they? In contrast to the fawning apology most people saw, Cheney would see it as it was - a warning. (this is just a theory, though)

[marions ghost]

35. did you see the guy

behind him react? And somebody else then removes the sheet of paper.

OMG -- he has just read from a prepared statement and says he was shot on Friday.

Seems to me a victim who is doing THIS well after being shot may also know exactly on what day it was that he was shot....

and FOX chops the tape exactly there? :tinfoilhat:

[spuddonna]

45. Yeah... Whit knows exactly what he said...

And he said it for a reason... He IS extremely lucky to be alive...

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. I'm going to go with Pain Medications...being hospitalized.

I couldn't tell you what happened on what day when I was in the ICU either. :hi:

[spuddonna]

44. Yeah, but he's not speaking 'off the cuff'...

He's reading from a statement... Not only that, if you watch the video, he's much more focused on his statement as he's reading the words that lead up to "Friday". Also, as he does seem to refer often to his words, don't you think he would have caught a misstatement and corrected himself?

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. Not necessarily. It was only last weekend. I'm going to give the benefit

of the doubt on this one. Only because I've been medicated before and have thought that I sounded completely serious when I actually didn't.

[txindy]

72. You're absolutely right. I've been on pain meds, too.

It doesn't mean that he was loopy from them. He appeared very focused and direct. He looked mentally competent to me. No doubt the man could read a paper right in front of him..

[LunaC]

34. Sent this tidbit to Olbermann nt

[Skidmore]

38. The bruises on his face were yellow in that picture.

How long does it take bruises to get to that color?

[marions ghost]

42. a doctor might be able to tell

by the pictures if he could have had an extra day of recovery...

[janx]

39. As someone pointed out , he's a LAWYER

and it's a prepared statement! That's what makes it doubly strange.

[txindy]

69. A lawyer who refused to sign an affidavit yesterday

He told that interviewer yesterday (the interview he refused to let be recorded because his voice "was raspy") that he had yet to sign an affidavit about the incident, but would when he returned to his office. Now, I admit, this story sounded to me as he was too weak to even sign anything shoved in front of him. Now I'm thinking he knew better than to sign anything.

[npincus]

40. someone needs to hook the old man up to a polygraph

and ask him about (1) booze consumption, and (2) WHEN did he get shot!

[rodeodance]

49. the weekend gathered started on Friday--I think just a mistake.

[spuddonna]

53. Here's exactly what Whit said...

"We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen – and that’s what happened last Friday."

Now, to me that says "I got shot Friday." Do you really think he was referencing the beginning of the weekend? :shrug:

[rodeodance]

43. k and r.

[rodeodance]

48. here is good timeline.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/16/politics/16tock.html

[marions ghost]

50. CHECK OUT the video clip you all...watcha think?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2006/02/17/VI2006021701126.html

It's working fine for me...

[maddiejoan]

57. whoa

Now the video stops before he says Friday!!!!

(edited)
never mind --mine just skipped out for a sec -- I'm getting to expect this stuff to happen

[Catchawave]

70. They just cut the audio on Tweety's show

right after Whittington said "accidents will happen"

[rainbow4321]

73. Look at the expression of the guy's face behind him when he said Friday

Just before/around the 1 minute mark when the word Friday is used...the guy was smiling and looking chipper before "Friday" was said, then as soon as it was, the guy shot a "oh shit" look to his left and stopped smiling, more of a worried look. As if he knew the "wrong" day was mentioned.

[tridim]

51. If the VP shot me in the face, I'd certainly remember the day it happened

I'm so sick of this bullshit. Nothing is as it seems any more.

[spuddonna]

56. Check out the Reuters version...

I'm looking at google news, just to see what all the various press covered from the press statement Whittington made, and look what I found...

First off, here's the full text from MSNBC from the transcript they put up:
"We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen – and that’s what happened last Friday." (my emphasis added)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11409731/

Here's the text the AP is running:"We all assume certain risks in what we do, in what activities we pursue," the 78-year-old Austin attorney said. “Accidents do and will happen."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/02/17/national/w123441S04.DTL

But check out what Reuters added to the end of this (again my emphasis added):
""We all assume certain risks in whatever we do. Regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen. And that's what happened last Friday," Whittington said, meaning on Saturday.
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-18T020053Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-237197-1.xml

Did Reuters actually get to ask Mr. Whittington to clarify this remark?
(ETA link to Reuters.)

[marions ghost]

58. ACK

OMG...more instant revision. I want to see Mr. Whittington's spoken clarification, and nobody else's

Any more examples of "adjustments" to the text?...we should collect em.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

60. The more it gets covered up

The more I believe it really was Friday that he was shot on. No talking heads seem willing to speak of it.

[Marie26]

94. probably not

Did Reuters actually get to ask Mr. Whittington to clarify this remark?


Whittington didn't take any questions from reporters then, and I doubt he has since. He won't even sign an affidavit. He's keeping his cards very close to his chest. The reporter probably realized the discrepancy and "fixed" it to fit the established story.

[arikara]

59. Save screenshots...

Might be a good idea to save screenshots of every anomaly. They are scrubbing faster and harder than ever these days.

[spuddonna]

61. I just sent this to Reuters...

"I have a question concerning the following Reuters article: "Lawyer hit by Cheney says shooting was an accident"
Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:07 AM IST by Jeff Franks

The article states the following:""We all assume certain risks in whatever we do. Regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen. And that's what happened last Friday," Whittington said, meaning on Saturday."

In the previous paragragh, your reporter states that Mr. Whittington "...took no questions because doctors said he was still not at full strength."

Yet in the statement about the date of the accident, your reporter says "meaning on Saturday". How can your reporter say this when he did not have an opportunity to ask Mr. Whittington directly is he had misspoken?

I look forward to your answer."

Think I'll get an answer? I sent it via their"Contact a Reuters Editor" link...

[SpiralHawk]

62. Good work Spud

press the press

[spuddonna]

63. Thanks! I'm not holding my breath though... :) n/t

[marions ghost]

64. kick

we should DOG the press about this....

what gives?

[spuddonna]

65. I just emailed Media Matters about this too...

I dunno who else to contact... any ideas? I sent Olberman and Cafferty an email...

[marions ghost]

78. I did a couple more

the more the better to liberal sites and blogs...

[WinkyDink]

66. He was using his moment IN the SAFETY of being PUBLIC

to tell us the TRUTH.

He PREPARED; he no doubt REVIEWED his statement; and he did NOT correct himself when speaking.
The man knows he was almost killed. He might not yet know if it was 100% accident.

[Raine]

71. Confusion...

that's what is going to be claimed, that he misspoke and was confused about the day because of the trauma he underwent and all the medication.:banghead:

[Catchawave]

76. But it was written, and he read from it .....

..being confused would be endearing to the public after all he's gone through, but that's being covered up too, based and all the audio/video editing. Yes, very confusing :)

[AndyA]

75. Hmmm...I'll bet he really got shot on Friday

The guy standing behind Whittington in the clip definitely looked at someone off to the side, as if to say, "Friday? Did he really say Friday? The official story is Saturday. What the hell?"

Even if the guy was cloudy from pain killers, he was reading a prepared statement. One I'm sure was gone over thoroughly beforehand. I think we're safe to say the shooting happened on Friday, and the announcement was delayed until Sunday, probably when they knew for sure the guy was going to live.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

82. Fella thought maybe he was going straight to the Morgue

~Whittington was in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial. His daughter said after he was shot, the 78-year-old Republican supporter was unsure whether he was being taken to the hospital or the morgue.


http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1616143&page=1

[Marie26]

95. Never even thought of that aspect

OMG, that never even occured to me. What were they going to do if he died - bury him on Armstrong Ranch? How could they possibly cover that up?

[thecrow]

80. Older patients can get very disoriented in the hospital

My father has done this at least twice in the last year.
One time he told my mother that all of the hospital personnel were just actors, as he was, and that he'd have to stay in the hospital until the play was over.
Once he came home all this cleared up in about a day.

[glitch]

81. Did the nasty * pressure this poor old man to apologize for getting shot?

Actually, I don't think he is a poor old man, probably a nasty old man if he's a friend of Cheney's.
Just trying out a meme. :)

[Trevelyan]

83. Get that poor guy protection! Molly Ivins and the links to old news

articles show that this is one of the good republicans who has fought hard for those trapped by the prison/industrial system to quote murdered Gary Webb. He also was fighting eminent domain and with his law background and millions was a thorn in bushco/cheneyco's side.

I think maybe he went shooting with Cheney to iron out some details in really helping people and Cheney who was under the gun for much more serious (in terms of the damage to all Americans and our intelligence communities' ability to do their jobs) in the Plame outing.

There were a number of scary things going down beginning with the passage of the "Patriot" Act by the threatened Congress with only 2 Dems and one Independent voting against -- Feingold, Byrd and Jeffords who is retiring from the Senate.

I remember the runaway small plane when a version of the Patriot Act was due for a vote and WaPo said that the Secret Service grabbed Nancy Pelosi out of her shoes and I did not think it was a bit funny because later that night in an unsual nighttime Congressional meeting almost all the Dems who had been opposed to the "Patriot" Act VOTED FOR IT.

[freedom_please]

84. Update on Friday

So that's it? Nothing new about the Friday comment?

[Pathwalker]

85. You've never lost a day?

If you've ever been so sick, or hurt that you end up hospitalized for several days, you're damned lucky if all you lost was a day, and not a body part as well.

[freedom_please]

87. I agree with you, but

It's apparent Mr. Whittington was reading from a script... and again what's with that memorable look from the person standing behind him?

[Marie26]

86. Cause that's when Cheney shot him

I do believe. Could be a simple slip-up, too, but he was reading the statement, so that seems less likely.

[freedom_please]

89. Here's more about it...

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=84576B03-F8DF-FA0C-EDCBD89A510ECE9B

[spuddonna]

90. Update: Reuters sends me a 'thank you for your input'

"Thank you for contacting Reuters with your comments and feedback. Your comments have been passed on to our editorial team at [e-mail] . If you have further comments or suggestions on any Reuters articles, please send them to this email address. Please note that due to the huge volume of emails sent to the Editor daily, we may be unable to provide a response. However, all comments are read and taken into consideration, some of which can be viewed on our homepage http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsRoom.aspx."

I don't expect to ever get an answer to this at this point...

Has anyone heard of ANY reporter following up with Whittington on why he said Friday? Anyone?!