After years of a political landscape that considered it open season on Democrats, apparently things have taken a lethal and possibly fatal turn.
As the White House attempts to claim that they intentionally waited for a public citizen to report the story to the press–as convincing an argument as Pee Wee Herman announcing that he “meant to” take a header over his bike handlebars–Harry Whittington is (let’s face it) fighting for his life as pellets are apparently making a bee-line for his ticker.
Here’s what I don’t get:
Today’s newspaper ran a picture of Cheney from an earlier quail hunting incident. As one would expect, the rifle was tilted at what appeared to be an angle of about, oh, fifty degrees or so, as Cheney prepared to blow helpless birds out of the sky with his WMD–weapon of mass defowling.
Now the reports claim that Whittington wandered “into the line of fire.” Which I would believe if Cheney were trying to kill, say, Bambi’s mother. But he was trying to kill birds that were–unless I missed something–in flight.
I fully admit I’ve never hunted, but how the hëll does one step “into the line of fire” of a gun elevated at fifty degrees toward the sky? I don’t know how close Whittington was standing, but if he was at point blank range he’d probably be dead, and if he was any distance, he’d have to be ten feet tall. I just don’t get it.
It should be interesting if, in addition to stonewalling Congress whenever investigations are launched, the White House attempts to stonewall the Texas sheriff.
PAD
• 
DicKKK Cheney really blew it. After the “accident”, he spent time worrying about his friend instead of taking a poll like The Real President Wiiliam Jefferson Clinton did after the Re-Thugs tried to connect MoniKKKa LewinsKKKy to him or running away and hiding like The Monarch of Massachusetts, Edward Kopechne-Kennedy did. Cheney = Chump. He is sooooo politically naive.
A few of my Lyberal, I mean, Progressyve, fryends and Y are are going to use a private jet that my Lyberal, I mean, Progressyve fryend doesn’t actually own. Hys family owns it. We will fly down to where Mr Whittington is being unnecessarily kept alive, in a Frankenstein-like state, by Fox News, HitlerBurton & Rush Limbaugh so that The Walking Evil With The Mechanical Heart, DicKKK Cheney won’t be arrested, impeached, investigated, impeached, tried, impeached, convicted, impeached, and executed…and impeached. Ðámņ Der ChimpenReichsFuhrer. Impeach Bu$Hitler!!!
Then, we will hold a vigil until Dr Kevorkian, Andrea Yates & Michael Schiavo are allowed visitation rights to Mr Whittington.
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!!!
>>SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!!!
See, isn’t America great?
Even guys like this can “express” themselves…
I see Byb has had another vowel movement…
I’ve been a hunter (not necessarily a successful one, but a hunter) since I was big enough to hold a .30-06 steady. I was always taught four cardinal rules of firearm safety:
1) Never point your weapon at anything you don’t intend to kill.
2) Until you’re certain what you’re aiming at, don’t let your finger touch the trigger.
3) Never carry your weapon with the safety off. It’s called the “safety” for a reason.
4) There’s no such thing as an unloaded gun. Until you’ve opened the breech, examined the weapon, and closed it up yourself, treat the weapon as loaded. If at any point you put it down, someone may have reloaded it without telling you – check it again.
Sounds like Cheney violated at least two of these precepts (and the man mentioned above who shot himself in the foot while deer-hunting blew #3 – and he was an idiot who should never have been given his firearm in the first place). Keep in mind that Cheney is the man only a cliche away from the Presidency. I think I’d want him paying a bit closer attention than that to what he’s doing…
On another front, was I the only one who laughed when I heard the shooting happened in Kennedy County, Texas? Or, for that matter, that the officer who told the county sheriff about the incident was Capt. Kirk?
Crap.. here I was defending Cheney, and now with Bob Jones posting, I want to switch sides…
Someone please tell me that Senator “I didn’t know Vince Foster’s FBI file was in my office” Clinton hasn’t chimed in about the so-called “failure to provide timely information.”
I DID think, however, that I lived in a country where people could publish cartoons without fear of death.
I think we still do. I don’t think the networks and the papers in the US are as afraid of their personal safety as much as they are afraid of appearing insensitive to minorities.
But, I’m hard headed ášš, so I say, screw their feelings until they reign in the extremists of their religion.
So I guess that’s the issue that seems more serious to me at the moment. Right now my own government does not seem like the most dangerous thing we face.
That’s just what they want you to think. 🙂
Interesting that this discussion has shifted to whether this is good for the Democrats. Personally, I think the best thing for the Democratic party in the long term would be for every current member of their party in the Senate to lose their seat. They have proven to be so cowardly and ineffective as an opposition party that they might as well not even show up for work anymore.
I’ve felt that way for a long time now, but the Alito nomination clinched it for me. Now, first let me say that I think Alito should have been confirmed because he was qualified, but if people think it should be about the nominee’s views, then they should stick to their guns. But the Democrats response was along the lines of, “Well, we think he’s going to be the worst justice ever, but we’ll let it go with only a token opposition and posturing on our part. Let’s not risk the GOP pulling the nuclear option on us. We’ll save the filibuster for something really important.”
Screw them, too.
It is amazing that everyone turns anything that happens into a political debate. Not withstanding it also seems to me that it should be hard for people to criticize what happened if they have never in fact hunted. A few small facts for those of who have not hunted, and for those that still deem this as a political issue I am not defending Cheney but defending a hunting accident. First off they are using shotguns with bird pellet in it, which is for small game. It is used basically for the wide dispersal pattern but small shot so it will not obliterate the animal which you are trying to kill and if a true hunter clean, cook and eat. Also the farther away that you target is the less damage that the shot will do. This is proof where the lawyer had bird shot in him and not had an entire section of his body blown completly off. So he was very lucky that he was thirty yards away and not 15 feet away, which probably would have been instantly fatal rather than listed as “Very Stable.” Also when is the last time that anyone has seen a bird take off straight up into the air. When a bird is “flushed” from its roosting spot it will take off in a horizontal flight pattern gradually gaining altitude as it goes. So a hunter will need to shoot the bird before it gets to high and far away and out of the range of the shotgun they use.
This is about two days late but I just got off two back to back 16 hour shifts…..
When I said that it should be dropped (way back up there) I was afraid of what did happen happening. Cheney had an accident. The press went ape and made Cheney out to be public enemy #1. The facts become clear a few days later and the press, not so much Cheney, is looking major stupid.
Cheney made more then a few screw ups here but the press went so far into overdrive that they may have put Cheney in a good light in the eyes of some. He said he screwed up, his buddy wished him well with this and his fight with the press and the press kept gleefully kicking at him when he was down and made him look somewhat sympathetic to moderates. Way to go.
Bill,
From transcripts of:
Rush’s TV show, 1/12/94:
“The Vince Foster death – and I say death, not suicide. I’m choosing my word very carefully there. I really think there’s something really rotten here.”
Rush’s radio show, 1/27/94:
He spent most of the three hours going on at length about doubting the suicde note, blood, fingerprint and forensics evidence and links to the Clintons were thrown in whenever he could.
Rush’s radio show, 3/10/94:
“There’s a Washington consulting firm that has scheduled the release of a report that will appear, it will be published, that claims that Vince Foster was murdered in an apartment owned by Hillary Clinton and the body was taken to Fort Marcy Park.”
There was no such report stating that and the only source I have ever been able to find for the Hillary’s apartment bit has been from that broadcast of Rush’s. He made it up and threw it out there because that was the kind of thing he did when the Clintons were in office.
Rush’s radio show, many of the March 94 shows:
Speaking about the Clintons and Foster… “The only difference between Watergate and Whitewater is that Whitewater has a dead body.”
ABC Veiwpoint, 4/19/94:
After being challenged on his bûllšhìŧ – “Never have I suggested that this was a murder.”
He then went right back to doing just that for years to come on his radio program. He even makes jokes about how people shouldn’t upset Hillary or else they may be the next body found in Fort Marcy Park. The nature of the joke implies that Hillary and Bill had something to do with Foster being found dead there.
I think we still do. I don’t think the networks and the papers in the US are as afraid of their personal safety as much as they are afraid of appearing insensitive to minorities.
Newspapers, maybe. I have no doubt though that CNN and co are very afraid of having their people attacked. It’s the same reason they admittedly withheld info of Saddam’s tortures.
Personally, I think the best thing for the Democratic party in the long term would be for every current member of their party in the Senate to lose their seat. They have proven to be so cowardly and ineffective as an opposition party that they might as well not even show up for work anymore.
I can’t agree. There is no third party alternative. For better or worse these two are the ones we have. If one becomes too dominant it will be a disaster.
I don’t think that the Democrats really believed that Alito would be a bad justice. That was just red meat for the base.
Not withstanding it also seems to me that it should be hard for people to criticize what happened if they have never in fact hunted.
Someone had a poll from Washington State (I think) that said 48% of all hunters have been at least slightly wounded by pellets while hunting. That sound like a terrifyingly high percentage but my informal polling at school (I asked 6 hunters) gave similar results. Who knows? And I’ve managed to hook myself with fishing lures more than once so who am I to judge?
Jerry, I have no doubt that Limbaugh will continue to needle Hillary and Bill with Fort Marcy park jokes but I doubt he still believes, if he ever did, that Foster was killed. It’s been too well investigated. One thing I did find–supposedly the bit he reported about the carpet fibers was from a newsletter from Johnson Smick International (whoever the hëll THEY are) that made the claim about the upcoming report. Obviously, he was being totally irresponsible to rely on so dubious a source but it’s not quite the same thing as totally making it up.
Now does anyone doubt that if Gonzales turned up dead under identical circumstances the left would have just as much fun with the evidence? One thing about Foster’s death–it illustrates just how easy it is to make something appear to be more than it is. People are so used to hearing CSI and other detective shows that when you tell them that there were no fingerprints on the trigger of Foster’s gun they immediately assume there must have been something more to the story (the reality is, a textured gin handle doesn’t always make for good prints).
As for your assessment of how this has all shaped up…you’re a brilliant guy. Especially since it makes me look prescient.
Here’s the thing though; if the press makes TOO big a deal out of this and continues to ask stupid “Would this be much more serious if the man had died?” type questions it will end up not hurting Cheney at all. Quite the opposite. Bill “Criswell Predicts!” Mulligan, Feb 15
I don’t think that the Democrats really believed that Alito would be a bad justice. That was just red meat for the base.
And the base … aren’t Democrats? Martians, then?
This Democrat believed and continues to believe that Alito’s justiceship is going to be a terrible, terrible era for the country when all is said and done. Obviously, history will tell on that down the line.
As for your assessment about Rush — in other words, when he says “I think there’s something really rotten here” your claim is that he was flat-out lying. Yes?
TWL
Hey now, Tim, I own every album Rush ever made (even Presto!), and I don’t remember them ever saying —
Oh, you mean Rush Limbaugh! Sorry, my bad. Yeah, he’s just a big fat liar, who claims to be reporting the news (“I couldn’t make this stuff up, folks!”), but who, when called on his bald-faced alterations of consensual reality, tries to play the “I’m just an entertainer” card.
Sorry to interrupt, go on…
And the base … aren’t Democrats? Martians, then?
I meant the Democrats in the Senate, the ones who matter about these things. They may not have liked his personal politics but that is not the same as being a bad justice. Justice Ginsberg and I may disagree on many many points but I think she has done a fine job. To me, a “bad” justice is one who pulls legal decisions out f thin air, even if I happen to like the results of those decisions. But you are correct, history will tell.
As for your assessment about Rush — in other words, when he says “I think there’s something really rotten here” your claim is that he was flat-out lying. Yes?
Oh no, that was what he believed. Don’t you? It’s become pretty much accepted fact that after Foster’s suicide there was a frantic search of his office for anything that might embarrass the President. They were so busy looking for that they managed to miss the suicide note, even though they searched the briefcase where it later turned up. Now honestly, if the exact same scenario happened, God forbid, to a member of the current administration, do you think Air America would sit back and avoid speculation? Especially given the “Cheney was drunk and probably shooting with a girlfriend” meme that popped up based on the erroneous belief that the cops didn’t get called for several hours.
But as I’ve said, I don’t listen to Rush or Hannity or Air America so for all I know the Vince Foster suicide is a segment on every show. I just couldn’t find it. It IS amazing to me how such a cottage industry of websites has sprung up detailing every small bit of evidence. It’s like the Kennedy assassination and it proves, to me, the belief I have that virtually ANY event will look like a huge conspiracy if you examine it close enough. real life is never a neat and predictable as fiction, which is why Sherlock Holmes could only exist in a world of unnatural order, a place where, if a man was missing a button on his sleeve it meant that his wife no longer loved him.
Incidentally, lost in the news of Cheney, an attempt to hold up the Patriot Act to incorporate changes by Senator Feingold failed. 96 to 3. As I recall, it originally passed 98 to 1. That’s some progress, huh? When all those Democratic politicians were raising money by appealing to liberal outrage over the bill I’ll bet most of the donors thought they might get more bang for the buck than an additional 2 whole votes. At this rate, how many decades will it be before the Act gets repealed?
(Note: there were some cosmetic changes to the Act, so watch its critics try to claim they “fixed” it. then read the changes and see for yourself. The Democrats have just taken the Act off the table as a campaign issue. Amazing.)
SOME ARE MORE EQUAL–OR ARE THEY?
1) Was there a crime–and obstruction of justice?
2) Was there a cover-up–from the media?
CRIME?
There are conflicting news reports: Secret Service blocked the police, the sheriff arranged to take the veep’s statement Sunday morning, the hospital didn’t report the shooting to the cops. The remaining 11 Virginia miners were found alive, Gore won the electoral vote for Florida and Dewey defeats Truman.
Oft times the early news reports are conflicting or incomplete. That said, later reports have storyline the Secret Service notified the sheriff of the shooting and he arranged to take the veep’s statement in the morning, while a deputy sought out the statement but was informed the sheriff had already made arrangement and the hospital didn’t make a report since the cops had already been notified.
That’s A storyline that’s fairly plausible and explains the seeming conflicts. Whether it’s true, or more to the point, whether it is believed … is up to the mind of the beholder.
Moreover the victim doesn’t blame Cheney and isn’t pressing charges. In many cases that would be the determining factor but one could argue that “pressure” had been applied so even Whittingon’s declaration that Cheney is not to blame won’t assuage some.
COMMUNICATION?
Even if there was no underlying criminal act, much of the furor is over the lack of reporting, the delay in reporting, the method of reporting the … incident … to the public–and to the president. Moreover the lame excuses by the Presidential Spokesperson, that somehow no one in the entire group could have reported the information Saturday night because they were all focused on Whittington’s health … sheesh, that didn’t help. At least just say Cheney chose not to report until Whittington’s condition was known, or do what he did Tuesday, say you have to ask the VP’s office. Monday’s tapdance was sad, ludicrous, pathetic–but makes for a great resume in 2008 to join THE DAILY SHOW.
COMMUNITY?
That all said, was Cheney treated differently than the average person? in a small town where hunting and hunting accidents are as common place as drunk and disorderlies in college towns? “Great, yet another dufus peppered someone out on a ranch near sunset.” For all the blame hurled at Cheney for either a criminal act, criminal coverup and / or media coverup, could it be yet another case of small town police treatment?
Can you say “Jon Benet Ramsey”? Obviously not all small town law enforcement are Keystone cops, I mean we’ve had over half a dozen prisoners successful make half as many jailbreak in as many weeks here in Chicago. But could the major media simply be overlooking a more relaxed, small town attitude by cops in a town where … (wait for it) … “everybody knows everybody else”?
Maybe if it were any other citizen involved in a “peppering” another then the cops would have just as (re)laxed in their investigation. Maybe Cheney really was equal to other citizens.
— Ken from Chicago
P.S. True that doesn’t explain the “style” of notifying the public. Tho the average person wouldn’t announce to the White House press. >=^>
I meant the Democrats in the Senate, the ones who matter about these things. They may not have liked his personal politics but that is not the same as being a bad justice.
Fair enough — but I would appreciate if you explained who you meant by “the base.” If your position is that Senate Democrats are only saying things to appease the rank-and-file Democrats and not meaning them, then frankly (and depressingly), I agree with you more often than not. This is why I’d be happy to toss most of them over the side.
Oh no, that was what he believed.
That’s interesting in light of
but I doubt he still believes, if he ever did, that Foster was killed.
As for the Patriot Act — yes, I know. Hence my statement above about Senate Democrats. You say that one-party rule “would be” a bad thing for this country, as if it’s not already happening.
TWL
Oh, and speaking of things lost in the Cheney story, the following links might be of interest to some here (and by “some” I mean “anyone who doesn’t try to say that global warming is a panicky myth”)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/science/17climate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4727528.stm
TWL
Oh no, that was what he believed.
That’s interesting in light of
but I doubt he still believes, if he ever did, that Foster was killed.
Not really. Believing that Foster was murdered is quite different than believing “I think there’s something really rotten here”. “Rotten” would be a fair description of the initial White House response to the death of Foster.
There’s an interesting, though obviously biased article comparing the press response to the Foster and Cheney situations. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5257
It states, among other things, that “White House Chief Counsel Bernard Nussbaum was eventually rebuked (for the way the Foster situation was handled). I don’t know if that’s true. I can’t find any official record of a “rebuke” whatever that means. But removing papers from the office of a public figure right after he has been found shot to death certainly reeks of cover up, wouldn’t you agree? Certainly seems worse to me than a 1 day delay in reporting an accident to the White House press corp (Which, I’m pretty sure, is not illegal in ANY of the 50 states).
But I’m willing to compromise here. Let’s agree that the press has acted just like Rush Limbaugh, these last few days. Boy, THERE’S a standard for journalism.
Bill,
I have no doubt at all that Rush didn’t believe what he was saying. I doubt he really believes a full half the hot air that comes out of his mouth. That’s why I included the bit where he backed off of the statements when he left the safe little bubble world of his show and his fans.
I was just pointing out, in response to your statement way up top, that he and others did in fact say crazy, too far out things about how Foster was murdered and that they linked the murder directly to the Clintons and to Whitewater cover ups coming out of their offices at every chance they got. I never really wanted to try and make the point that he believed it himself. Only his fans were that stupid.
Here’s the thing though; if the press makes TOO big a deal out of this and continues to ask stupid “Would this be much more serious if the man had died?” type questions it will end up not hurting Cheney at all. Quite the opposite. Bill “Criswell Predicts!”
Mulligan, Feb 15
Yeah, well… Godlike minds think alike.
Yeah, well… Godlike minds think alike.
If we could only convince the others of this truth…
http://www.dickcheneygunclub.com/
Newspapers, maybe. I have no doubt though that CNN and co are very afraid of having their people attacked. It’s the same reason they admittedly withheld info of Saddam’s tortures.
Which is why I don’t watch CNN anymore. Piss on them for being such cowards.
I can’t agree. There is no third party alternative. For better or worse these two are the ones we have. If one becomes too dominant it will be a disaster.
Well, we alread do have one party rule and I agree the worst possible thing for the country would be for the neocons to believe they even more unrestricted and all-powerful (if that’s even possible) then they already do.
But I said it was the best thing for the Democrats because they need a kick in the ášš to make them stand and fight for something rather then just talk about fighting.
I don’t think that the Democrats really believed that Alito would be a bad justice. That was just red meat for the base.
In the game of politics, it really doesn’t matter what the Senate dems really believed, what matters is that they start backing up their rhetoric with action instead of hot air. I believe the biggest problem with Democrats right now is not so much that they’re out of ideas. It’s that they seem afraid to actually stand up for their ideas.
Jerry, I have no doubt that Limbaugh will continue to needle Hillary and Bill with Fort Marcy park jokes but I doubt he still believes, if he ever did, that Foster was killed.
Again, it hardly matters what he truly believes. Pretty much every that comes out of his blowhole is, what did you call it? Meat for the base.
What matters is that he can keep drawing connections in his listeners minds between Hillary Clinton and murder.
See, I believe that it DOES matter whether or not they believe what they are fighting for. They aren’t good enough actors to pull it off. People see through them and don’t trust them. Jesse Helms was able to get away with all kinds of idocy because he could say that love or or hate him you knew where he stood. Not the greatest attribute but it got him re-elected time after time.
If you elect someone who promises to fight but you can’t be sure of what he believes, isn’t it possible he will fight for something you don’t want?
See, I believe that it DOES matter whether or not they believe what they are fighting for.
It may matter to you. It just doesn’t matter to them.
If you elect someone who promises to fight but you can’t be sure of what he believes, isn’t it possible he will fight for something you don’t want?
Of course. Which is why the Democrats are the minority party on the national front. No one is sure what they believe in anymore.
My apologies – I wasn’t directing that comment at you, personally Peter. You clearly were just using this situation as a springboard for your own thoughts.
That comment was directed at later posters who might try to set these guys up as heroes (again, I should have made this more clear). When I think of all the hard work, dedication, and LOVE that goes into making The Daily Illini the independent, award-winning newspaper that it is, it saddens me that these guys are trying to smear the reputation of the paper, its staff, and its publisher after their crass attempt at creating controversy backfired on them.
I suppose its hard for me to be more clinical about it, which is probably why I shouldn’t have tried to respond in the first place. It’s very frustrating when one side gets to say whatever they dámņ well please while muzzling the other side with threats of lawsuits.
Again, it has very little do with your original post. I did have some initial dissapointment with your using the situation, as it really doesn’t correlate with the point your trying to make since the editors aren’t being punished for printing cartoons. But I’ve begun to realize that this isn’t really important to your overall point (which I agree with and applaud) even if it does further the myth these two editors are trying to create about themselves as being helpless victims to a cruel publisher.
I suppose my whole point was to just say before people start putting these guys faces on their free-speech-forever flags, be sure they’re worthy of it. But I was far too bitter about it, but its hard not to be when people you care about are caught in the debris.