This doesn't bode well for the local investigation of Cheney's shooting-a-guy-in-the-face-with-a-shotgun incident: Decisions on inquiry are his own, official says: Salinas based his actions on witnesses who he trustsCorpus Christi Caller-Times by Nancy Martinez 02/16/06. This pretty much sound like the local sheriff is taking the attitude of, aw, heck, Cheney's a good ole boy, I know he didn't mean to hurt anybody so why get all detailed with the investigation?
Sheriff Ramon Salinas III said no one in the federal government has told him or his deputies how to do their job. He was the one who decided not to go to the ranch to investigate until Sunday, the day after Cheney shot and wounded Austin lawyer Harry Whittington on a quail hunt. Salinas based the decision on witness accounts and advice from people on the ranch he knows and trusts, including a former sheriff. ...
Soon after [he was notified of the shooting], Salinas said, Kirk [officer from his deparment] called him from the Armstrong Ranch gate. He told him he was there with a U.S. Border Patrol agent who didn't know what was going on.
"I told him don't worry about it. I'll make a call," Salinas said.
Salinas called Precinct 3 Constable Ramiro Medellin Jr., a former sheriff who lives on Armstrong Ranch and works as a ranch hand. Medellin called Salinas back and confirmed the incident was an accident.
It was at this point that Salinas decided to wait until the next morning to send Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr. to investigate.
And this really made me do a double-take:
"They [the national media] don't want to believe it's just an accident," Salinas said.
Say what? I would like to think our "press corps" was investigating this aggressively. But I haven't seen anybody, including bloggers, much less national reporters or Big Pundits, even suggest that the shooting itself was other than an accident.
I would emphasize again, unless Cheney's victime dies, this particular incident is not likely to result in charges against the Dark Lord. But it has made Cheney's secrecy, and his attitude that the rules that apply to ordinary mortals don't apply to him, much more accessable to the general public, the average voter.
That means that things like the following look even shadier. Commenting on the recent Republican committe report on the Katrina fiasco, the one that turned out to be surprisingly critical of the Bush administation, the St. Peterburg Times editorialized:
The committee, which was boycotted by Democrats, failed to get even minimal cooperation from the White House. Bush has claimed he didn't get early warnings about the breeched levees surrounding New Orleans or the lack of coordination of federal response. Yet Brown had 30 communications with White House officials before, during and after the storm, the substance of which the White House refused to release to the committee. (Awash in accusations 02/17/06; my emphasis)
And the local sheriff has essentially exonerated Deadeye Dick already (Shooting ruled accidentalCorpus Christi Caller-Times by Jaime Powell 02/17/06):
The Kenedy County Sheriff's Department released its official report Thursday confirming that the shooting was accidental and that it is closing its investigation.
And will that now-famous local paper the Corpus Christi Caller-Times be aggressively investigating this using their local contacts? Now if this columnist's take is any measure: Blame the media? We are making it easier: Cheney hunting accident brings out the worst in some by John Allen www.Caller.com 02/16/06. This guy reads like he's hoping for a shot as a propaganda reader on FOX. He expresses sympathy for poor Scottie McClellan, the White House press flack, who was being picked on by those nasty journalists: "They went into full "kill the messenger" mode..."
Yeah, poor Scottie. Those reporters are just so mean to him. Allen concludes his column:
I hate it when people blame the media. As a member of this group, I like to think that we are part of the solution. But in this case, we look like the problem.
This problem itself may blow over. But the manner in which Cheney reponded to the incident gave anyone who is capable of seeing a good look at what's been so destructive about Cheney's role on the Iraq War, the NSA spying, energy policy, torture, secret prisons and more.
And there is clearly a lot yet to be told about the outing of Valerie Plame and the leaking of signals intelligence to Iran.
