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Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Fog of Cheney

"Mr. Vice President, you're doing a heck of a job." - St. Petersburg Times editorial

Will Deadeye Dick be prosecuted for blasting a guy in the face with his shotgun? It's a little hard to tell, partially depending on what happens to the 78-year-old victim in the immediate future.

But you have to wonder if those reporters actually talked to the same guy. From Man shot by Cheney has complications by James Pinkerton and Janet Elliott Houston Chronicle 02/15/06:

Regardless of who was at fault, Nueces County District Attorney Carlos Valdez said there are no plans to prosecute the case because the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department ruled the shooting an accident.

Valdez, who has jurisdiction in both counties, said his office does look into hunting fatalities. But Valdez said he has not prosecuted hunting accidents in 26 years as a prosecutor, including the last 14 as district attorney.

From Callers to DA: Will you prosecute? Waiting for sheriff's report is the next step by Sarah Viren Corpus Christi Caller-Times 02/15/06:

Whittington was listed in stable condition, but Valdez said the national media and other callers have been asking him what-ifs.

"If he died, I would take that one additional step of looking at whatever report the sheriff prepared. And based on what that says, we might do a couple of things: We might ask them to conduct extra investigations by asking for specific statements of specific persons or we might decide that a grand jury might want to look at this. Maybe one or the other, or maybe nothing at all. Maybe we will be satisfied with the report and say everything's done."

Has the sheriff's department already ruled it an accident as Pinkerton and Elliott report? That's kind of a basic fact. The quote from the same district attorney in Viren's article certainly sounds like he is not assuming the sheriff's office has reached a conclusion. What is that about?

And if that's not confusing enough, here's Shotgun victim has minor heart attack: Pellet shot by Cheney moves to heart by Elisabeth Bumiller [Bush flack] and Anne E. Kornblut, New York Times wire San Francisco Chronicle 02/15/06:

Local officials have not considered any charges in the Saturday shooting because no one in the hunting party, including the victim, has accused Cheney of wrongdoing.

"Everybody that I've heard so far has said it was an accident," said Valdez, who holds an elected position and is a Democrat. "The victim probably told the sheriff's department it was an accident.

"Now, if the worst happens and the man happens to die, we would take an additional step."

Under the law, even an accidental hunting fatality could result in criminal charges. Cheney could be charged with negligence, defined as failing to understand the dangers involved and disregarding them, or recklessness, defined as understanding the dangers and disregarding them.

Maybe Valdez is playing the national press a bit and playing his cards close to the chest about his intentions.

Pinkerton and Elliott note, in a passage that pretty much says "we think they're lying":

"We are very, very optimistic that with Mr. Whittington's strong heart, his personality, his stamina, his will, he will do very well," said Blanchard.

Before the noontime announcement by hospital officials, they repeatedly had said Whittington had not developed any complications and was moved out of intensive care Monday afternoon. And while hospital officials had acknowledged that dozens of shotgun pellets remained in Whittington's body, they did not disclose that any of the small birdshot was near the lawyer's vital organs.

And they also make explicit what a punk excuse it is to blame the victim the way the official Party line does:

Meanwhile, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said it will classify the Saturday shooting as an error in judgment by Cheney, said Steve Hall, education director for the department. Members of the hunting party have blamed Whittington for not announcing his location to the others.

The Houston Chronicle provides a link to a PDF of the Parks and Wildlife report.

It is also available at The Smoking Gun.

For what it's worth, I notice that maybe not all the eyewitness desriptions are exactly on-message. From State issues warning to VP, friend: Both did not purchase $7 upland hunting stamp by Jaime Powell and Adriana Garza Corpus Christi Caller-Times 02/14/06:

Cheney, Whittington and Pam Willeford, U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, were hunting quail on the 50,000-acre Armstrong Ranch about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when Whittington was shot from about 30 yards away.

"He's pretty bruised," Willeford said Monday. "But he was talking, laughing and telling jokes and talking about how good he is being taken care of." ...

A Texas Parks and Wildlife incident report said both Cheney and Whittington were wearing orange caps and vests when Whittington downed a bird and went to retrieve it.

Willeford, an experienced hunter, described the shooting as it appears in the report. She said Whittington and Cheney were walking beside her when Whittington stopped to search for the downed quail.

"The vice president and I hesitated and then walked on," she said. "Unbeknownst to both of us, Harry had caught up with us on the right."

That's when another covey flushed, Cheney fired and struck Whittington, she said.

"He's very experienced, very safe," the ambassador said of Cheney, whom she has hunted with before. "It's a very unfortunate accident."

Willeford carried on the line that it was no big deal, just a few bruises, for a 78-year-old man to take a shotgun blast to the face.

But one of the open questions is just how close Whittington was to the shooter (Cheney). The Texas Parks and Wildlife report uses the 30 yards figure.

But on the surface, Willeford's description makes it sound like Whittington was very near Cheney and her. Now, "caught up with us on the right" could mean that he was even with Cheney and Willeford in the direction they were walking but 30 yards out.

Still, the news accounts talk about Cheney executing a "swing around and shoot the guy behind you" move. The Parks and Wildlife report also says that Whittington's wounds are on the right side of his face and neck. But the drawing right next to that description (that's not very clear on either PDF facsimile linked above) seems to show the wounds on the left side.

Now, these things are necessarily incompatable with Willeford's description. Still, if the victim was to the RIGHT of the shooter, how is it that Cheney swung around and shot a man BEHIND him and hit him on the RIGHT side? I can picture it. Cheney could have seen the birds on his left and swung that direction and back to the right. And Whittington could have been standing looking backwards at the moment or even trying to get out of Cheney's line of fire. Still, it's something Sherlock Holmes would surely pay attention to.

This piece mentions the way in which Deadeye Dick's secretive, defensive response gives the public an insight into what a dark character he is: Cheney's Response A Concern In GOP: Public Statement On Shooting Urged by Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker Washington Post 02/15/06:

The episode is turning into a defining moment for Cheney, a vice president who has operated with enormous clout to shape White House policy while avoiding public scrutiny over the past five years.

President Bush has allowed Cheney to become perhaps the most powerful vice president in history and has provided him with unparalleled autonomy. Early in Bush's first term, Cheney developed the administration's energy policy, largely behind closed doors, and then heavily influenced Iraq policy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

No evidence has emerged to suggest that the shooting was anything more than a hunting accident, but the spectacle of the vice president wounding a prominent Republican at an exclusive Texas ranch has become the punch line for politicians and comedians alike, and has penetrated the popular culture through late-night television. Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said he referred to Cheney as the "shooter in chief" in a meeting with members of Congress yesterday morning. It has also raised anew criticism of Cheney's operating style. ...

Some current and former White House officials said Cheney's refusal to address the issue or accept any blame has the potential to become a political problem for Bush because it reinforces the image of a secretive and above-the-law White House. Top White House aides are pressuring Cheney to discuss the incident as early as today, according to people familiar with the matter.

The St. Petersburg Times editorializes on the same matter: Vice President Quail: The response to Dick Cheney's hunting accident is typical for an administration that seems unable to take responsibility for its mistakes 02/15/06:

The late-night comedians and editorial cartoonists are having a feast. But the wounded hunter's condition has proven more serious than anticipated, and the White House's handling of the situation isn't funny.

The 78-year-old lawyer shot by Cheney on Saturday, Harry Whittington, was back in intensive care Tuesday after some birdshot lodged in his heart and caused a minor heart attack. Meanwhile, Cheney stayed hidden in the weeds as the White House continued to explain why the accident was not promptly disclosed and why the vice president has not publicly accepted responsibility. The attempt to stonewall and cast blame on others is symbolic of how this administration conducts itself, regardless of the issue.

... Cheney has never accepted that he is a public figure, and he has never learned that covering up the truth only makes things worse.

That's a very good way of putting it: "Cheney has never accepted that he is a public figure". He's far more comfortable operating in the shadows. That's particularly a problem when Cheney has played such a decisive - and dark - role in this administration.

The editorial continues:

This [blaming the shooting victim] is a typical reaction from an administration, and from Cheney in particular, that cannot accept responsibility when something goes wrong. ...

... An administration that can't get the little things [sic] right, like promptly disclosing when the vice president shoots a fellow hunter, can't be counted on to tell the truth or accept responsibility when the stakes are higher.

posted at 9:34:00 AM by Bruce Miller

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