Therein lies the difference between liberals and conservatives.

Liberals find focus and purpose in a private hunting accident while conservatives find focus and purpose in protecting the security and economy of our country.

You people sound like a boring re-run Hollywood soap opera that needs to be shelved.

It was nice having you here.

If some low-level staffer had dinged up Cheney's car while parking it, you can be darn sure they'd have had that kid booze- and drug-tested eight ways to Sunday. But Cheney blows a shotgun into a guy's face and it's no biggie, apparently.

BTW, if someone from the NSA could send me a receipt for my Google searches for the rest of my life, I'd appreciate it.

Yes, isn't it interesting how accusatory, conspiratorial and vociferous that the liberals have become in relation to this incident? Automatically assuming the worst? ignoring the fact that it actually COULD HAVE BEEN truly an accident?

Nope, it's a conspiracy, it's a Nixonian cover-up, etc.

The Democrats see things like this as ways to capitalize and improve on their situation. It's an opportunistic attitude, that they want to try to use to turn public opinion against conservatives and the president.

Thank goodness that our President has his priorities straight and doesn't waver from them and kowtow to petty political opportunism.

Jack, no matter what you think, the American people are smart enough to see right through this opportunistic strategy and pandering. Democrats are masters of assuming that people are stupid enough that they will see things the Democratic way. They take the black and Hispanic vote for granted.

The last two elections have proven that people are fed up with the Democrats' strategy -- like Jimmy Carter's presidency, it just DOESN'T WORK... time to craft a new strategy, and time's running out.

I'm sure that Jack is paid under the table by some lefty fatcat to publish this blog.

Yes, I'm sure if Al Gore did this seven years ago, you would have just taken the high road.

Hey, I'm ashamed of the Democratic Party. But not as ashamed as I am to be living in a country where Bush and Cheney are running things.

Look at the bright side. Maybe he'll take Rumsfeld hunting with him on the next trip. Bottoms up !!

You do know in your heart that the liberals are hoping this poor ole boy goes to meet his maker. I can see it now. Howard Dean screaming for a homicide trial. Paul Begala on TV, calling the VP a murderer, suggesting that the shooting was an intentional act to cover up an illegal contribution scandal. Fat Teddy Kennedy asking why the 18 hour delay in reporting ? John Kerry in Rio, calling for hearings. Rev. Al speaking out about the inhumane treatment of qwail.

Opportunists, hypocrites, and plain old sore losers. The roll call will include Hillary, Barbara Boxer, horsehead Al Gore and former coke-runner for John Belushi, Al Franken.

I mean when the day comes when you can't put down your Bloody Mary, and get out of your heated SUV to shoot at a bird or whatever else is in the way, it's time to hang it up.

I would be surprised if Cheney was drunk at the time of the shooting.

But when you don't talk to the police for 14 hours and you delay telling the public what happened, you fuel speculation. Speculation that perhaps you were drunk. This is exactly why you get the story out immediately, so that people can't hypothesize about what else may have happened.

I'm not sure Karl Rove is such a genius, after all.

I could see if Cheney shot the guy on purpose, but this was an accident. Instead of a bunch of finger pointing and the dems trying to make hay out of this, it ought to be a lesson to anyone who is hunting, especially bird hunting in a group. It's unfortunate that one of the shot has lodged in the gentleman's heart, and as of last night, the docs were saying that he still has a good chance to recover fully.
The incident wasn't 'hushed up' for 24 hours. The guy was taken immediately to the hospital and the incident was reported to the police. What I'm seeing of the White House press corps. leads me to think that they are throwing a fit over being scooped on a story concerning the VP by some podunk Texas newspaper. From what I've seen of the WHPC over the years, they strike me as seeing themselves as Gods Gift to everyone.

As far as giving Cheney a pee or blood test, I wouldn't think they would, although I don't know about Texas law. I could say a few things about Teddy Kennedy/alcahol/and not even getting a victim to the hospital, but I won't.....

And to the remark on your blog post regarding someone getting their rocks off trying to kill a bird, that's no different that someone getting their rocks off trying to kill a fish a crab or a clamb. There is a certain thrill in the chase/hunt, that's why people engage in that activity instead of doing like I used to and raising the birds in large flight cages and just going out and snapping a few necks when I felt like having pheasant or chucker for dinner. But just because someone choses to kill their own food, be it through hunting, fishing, or raising the animals and butchering them themselves, it doesn't make them mean or a monster. People who buy their meat at the store, and thereby wind up hiring someone else to kill, gut, cut and wrap their meat so they don't have to get their hands dirty, aren't any better than someone like my self who choses to raise and slaughter my own animals.

That should have been Chukar.

The difference between 'liberals' and 'conservatives' is that 'liberals' support laws that give the accused the benefit of the doubt--thereby occasionally letting a guilty perp off on a technicality.
'Conservatives' favor a strict approach, three strikes, throw away the key--unless, of course, you have friends in high places.

The first is driven by the better angels of our nature, the second by narcissism, rage and venality.

Hey Joanne, I have killed and cleaned and eaten my own meat too. And yes, I think that is more honorable than when I buy it at the store and pay someone else to do it. On a previous hunting trip Cheney has shot 70 pheasants at one time. To me that sounds more like getting your rocks off than getting dinner. One of the first things I learned as a hunter is never pull the trigger if you can't see everything in your range and always know where everyone in your party is. It absolutely disgusts me that they're trying to blame this on the guy that got shot. It doesn't matter if he screwed up, its still Cheneys fault. I know it would be mine if I'd shot him.
It's so typical of everyone in this administration to duck responsibility. Just like they have for our disastrous economy, the horrible response to Katrina and the immoral, illegal war that has cost us more American lives than al-qieda. I'm 63 years old and I have never seen more incompetent bunch of dingbats in the Whitehouse in my life

I don't understand where all this talk of drinking is coming from. From what I have seen there has been NO indication of anything of the sort.... seems like something just threw it out to smear the VP and now everybody is running with it. And even talking about it here like it's a possibility is giving credence to something that, to our knowledge, has ZERO factual basis.

As for why it took so long for the sheriff to interview the VP, did you see him on the news clip? He said something to the effect of "Hunting accidents happen all the time around here. Since we knew that the victim was enroute to the hospital and wasn't going to die, we just waited to do the interview the next day. We do it this way all of the time."

That's good enough for me.

And Jack, I'm glad we're off the "let's make a joke about the guy who got shot" phase... seemed a bit unsettling to me in the first place.

Larry,

The ranch owner has admitted that there was drinking at a lunch which immediately preceeded the hunt. So, it's not coming out of nowhere.

However, this does all kind of come down to, "Do you trust this Administration?" And I don't. I just don't. I voted for Bush, but he's killing me with his lack of transparency.

There have been 30 hunting accidents in Texas this season...1 fatal...FYI
With the way the press treats this administration..why the hell would you think that they are owed an exclusive. I agree that the WHPC has become a group of insufferable piss-ants....who are upset that they were "scooped".

Let's get something straight-I'm a liberal, and I'm not rooting for this guy to die. I don't think there was any sort of "conspiracy." I do think that this is one more example of an administration more concerned with cover up and concealment than with being honest and following the rules. I would think that Republicans, with all their shouting about morality and the rule of law, would want to act morally and legally, to, you know, not look like big fat hypocrites. The executive branch executes the laws-they are not above the law.

I'm wondering: if Mr. Whittington should die from this accident, are there then legal implications for the veep?

Shooting a fellow hunter, or any bystander, is always the fault of the shooter. Always. It almost certainly was a legitimate mistake, not some daft conspiracy, but it's still the shooter's mistake.

Arguments by analogy tend to suck, but here's one that I think is similar enough to be worthwhile. Imagine Mr. Cheney was driving, rear-ended another vehicle, and then blamed the victim for stopping for no apparent reason. Even if the driver ahead slammed on his brakes for no reason at all, or just to mess with the person following him, it's still considered to be the fault of the following driver if a collision occurs. The following driver should have been paying more attention or kept better following distance.

Cheney has been in just such an accident. Mr. Whitttington may or may not have made a mistake, but it is certain that Cheney did make one.

There is probably more than one reason the press have been ferocious on this story. But the reason we should all be upset is that this administration is not admitting the barest human fallability in Mr. Cheney. They are hewing to the notion that he did nothing wrong, when anyone who has any vague memories of any hunter's safety class knows that the shooter made a mistake here. If they can't admit that Cheney made a mistake even in a situation this obvious, why should we believe that they can even see their own mistakes as they occur?

That's a sufficient reason to not take this incident lightly.

(As for Mr. Rove, he's playing this excellently. By delaying, he's shifted the debate to the matter of the delay... which is essentially trivial. The real story here is that Cheney is not admitting his mistake, and the press has taken the bait and been diverted. I hate to say it, but we citizens need to stay "on message": Why can't Cheney admit to a mistake?)

Sorry, I hit "Submit" a bit hastily. My last sentence above should read "Why won't Cheney admit to this obvious mistake?"

I don't doubt for a second that it was an accident. It was one of those horrible things that sometimes happen despite our best efforts and intentions. But this was Dick Cheney's accident, and while it is not fair to condemn him for having an accident (beyond reasonable condemnation of his carelessness with a dangerous object), it is fair to condemn him for his actions afterwards.

He shot his hunting buddy. This was a moment for him to show who he is. If he had stood up and said "I had an accident, I hurt my friend, I feel awful, I didn't mean to do it, I pray he's OK, and for the hunters out there, please use this as an example to teach your kids gun safety", noboody outside the lunatic fringe would have blamed him. (Though I can't help remarking that if this had happened in a recent administration, we'd have an independent counsel by now).

Liberals are politicizing this? Give me a damn break. Cheney turned an accident into politics by (1) blocking release of the information through ordinary channels; (2) releasing it in a story through a pet reporter in a small local paper; and (3) making sure that the story in that paper placed the blame squarely where it belonged, on his 78-year-old buddy who was lying in the hospital with birdshot in his liver. This is political because Cheney chose to treat it like a political event. If he had stood up like a human being and a friend, there would be no story here.

I guess I don't get it. What duty does the White House Press Office have to immediately release information concerning a private accident? How does disclosing this 18 hours after the fact prejudice the public? A release of info 18 hours after the fact seems rather reasonable given the private nature of the event.

Anyone willing to shed some light on this other than "there is a systematic lack of transperancy and this is another example?"

We all know Cheney is a stoic robotron so I'm not sure why this is a surprise. Personally, I would have stayed in Texas until he was out of the hospital but that is because I would be wracked with guilt at shooting someone.

Um, Travis? Dick Cheney is the Vice President of the United States. Second in line for the throne. President of the Senate. He doesn't get to have "private" accidents—he gave up that perogative when he nominated himself for VP.

Oh, my stars, Paul Conable.

Sorry, law school chums emerging from the woodwork saying just what I wanted to say is (1) neat; and (2) creepy.

Aaaaaanyway, seriously, it's not the accident (though it's an "accident" kind of like speeding and crashing your car is an "accident," in that it can happen to non-awful people but is still your damn fault) that offends. It's the fact that the apparently impenetrable allergy to taking responsibility for anything continues in this administration, to the point where it is possible to come out and blame a guy for BEING SHOT IN THE FACE.

It is not okay to blame someone you shot for the fact that you shot him. If you're going to put a gun in your hands, and if you're going to subject yourself to making mistakes with it, then if you make a mistake with it, admit your mistake. It's not as if the administration has said nothing -- they have blamed the guy who got shot for failing to announce himself. If they weren't going to have Cheney take his lumps, they should have kept their traps shut and said nothing. I don't want to hear that he's praying for the guy unless they're going to step up and say that he has apologized.

Anyone with any degree of character -- ANY -- would have immediately insisted that public speculation about who was at fault cease, because the shooter is at fault, forever and always. No decent person would allow his mistake to be pinned on a friend he just SHOT. Even a pasty suburban pacifist like me knows that much.

I wonder if Chaney has ever considered asking the president to go hunting with him.
For some reason, that old phrase comes to mind...Killing two birds with one stone! Gee, I wonder why?

To the victim Chimmler said 'go duck yourself.'

To the breathalizer administrator CHimmler said 'go suck yourself.'

To the reporters CHimmler said, 'go muck yourself.'

To the admitted corruption crimes which brings in a Special Prosecutor for Abramoff, Chimmler said, 'no luck yourself.'

It's amazing how the libs are turning an unfortunate personal situation into a broohaha. The lawyer wasn't an intern, Cheney didn't mean to shoot him, it didn't happen in the Oval Office, he didn't lie about it for 2 years, and Cheney had his you-know-what in his pants the whole time. I guess the "it's a personal situation" thing only applies to Clinton.

We didn't impeach him, Bob. Not yet, anyway.

Libertas and others,

I get the fact he is the VP, but I don’t agree that holding office automatically means that every act is open to public scrutiny. If we adopt your theory, then any spat he has with his wife, every website he visits, all books that he reads, and in short every nuance of his life should be made available to every American. That theory would certainly simplify the analysis as to whether the VP has a duty to release information immediately.

But notice I said, “Duty to release,” not whether the material can or should be reported. If a news source picks up a story, private or public, then they certainly have the right to publish it.

To the issue of “duty to release,” I personally hold the position that any action or omission by the VP is open to scrutiny and debate, which may reasonably be related to his responsibilities of office or otherwise may have an impact on the public. Otherwise, it is a private affair and is between the office holder and whoever else may be involved. If the person injured by the office holder feels abused or maligned, they can release the story if they so desire.

As opposed to those who reacted by reading into the VP’s response their own personal vendettas, biases, and apologies concerning the Bush Administration, the issue is simply (1) is this a private affair or does it have a legitimate public interest, and (2) if there is a legitimate interest, did the VP act appropriately in releasing the information 18 hours after the accident?

How does the issue concerning how well he demonstrated his emotions related to his ability to be VP? I cannot stand the man as my VP but for issues more substantive than whether he can issue a heartfelt apology on television.

As a side note, does anyone else go back and read their posts and think, "Dang, that kinda sounds angry," when you really just were adding your two cents?

So, happy, sunny-day vibes to everyone.

-
Wayne Madsen (Report dot com) invariably posts fast fresh facts, because he's an ex-NSA Signal Intelligence officer(?) and he lives and networks in that D.C. town with much the same invested affection as Jack props for PDX. He's a local.

So, on V.P.CHimmler and the hunting drunks, Madsen had this Monday, with updates since then worth reading through on you way down Wayne Madsen Report to this dateline:

February 13, 2006 -- Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot fellow hunter,...
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WMR has learned that this incident is not the first involving Cheney and hunting accidents. According to informed sources on Maryland's Eastern Shore, two years ago Cheney was shooting at ducks from a duck blind in Trappe, a Maryland Eastern shore town where former Secretary of State James Baker III maintains a residence. The sources reveal that Cheney nearly accidentally shot half of his hunting party and Secret Service detail. Eyewitnesses to the Maryland duck hunting incident claim that Cheney is "trigger happy" and a "maniac with a gun."
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Cheney has since purchased a vacation home in St. Michael's on the Eastern Shore where he often hunts on weekends and extended stays.
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SIDEBAR: Did Cheney violate Texas law? According to a March 14, 2005 article by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, "law violations are common in accident scenarios . . .

and Cheney had his you-know-what in his pants the whole time.

Not if you believe the accounts that Lynne Cheney is not thrilled with Dick's "friendship" with the female ambassador to Switzerland, who just happened to be with him for his weekend hunting trip.

I’m surprised more comments didn’t consider the symbolic nature of this thing. Here’s a chicken hawk with a reckless shoot-first foreign policy, and he’s out hunting birds recklessly. It’s perfect.

I think Cheney had a Vietnam flashback--he thought Whittington was a draft board official coming to quiz him about one of his five deferrments.

to chief whigims. clintons whole deal was an accident too. do you think he got stuff on the dress on purpose? in fact that may have been monicas fault. ok just kidding but cheney is clearly irresonible and i would guess if he wasn't drunk he was under the influence of many "medications" for his many health problems. he shouldn't be handling firearms but then then that's gun control ...it's also responsible. i understand he now calls this one of the worst moments of his life....what about all the bodies coming home (under cover of darkness) from his war of choice? or does he only feel his own pain...the selfish twit. also how dark was it at the time of the shooting?

A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested.

Now that is more like it. See guys? It is possible to admit you made a mistake without the world coming to an end.

Unbelievable.

A "private act"? The VICE PRESIDENT of the United States SHOT SOMEONE. Yes, it was an accident. Yes, the first thing to do is make sure the guy is safe.

And NEXT THING you issue a press release. It's not like Cheney does not have DOZENS of staff members around him EVERY SECOND. How much effort does it take to issue a short paragraph saying "there has been an unfortunate hunting accident in which Cheney accidentally shot someone."

I am stunned and disappointed that the conservative defenders on this thread don't recognize how the White House's response to this event symbolizes a dangerously secretive White House.

Do none of you conservatives remember Nixon? Do none of you read William Safire? Do none of you realize how vital open and honest public discussion is to our democracy?

None of "us liberals" are suggesting this is a conspiracy or that Cheney did it on purpose. What we, and virtually *all* of the press corps, are shocked at is why the White House failed to notify the press for 24 hours, and let a Washington lobbyist and personal friend of Cheney choose the time and place of notification.

Actually focussing on hoe thye notified the press is missing the bigger issue. When to notify the press is an arguable question. Not letting the sheriff talk to Cheney until at least 14 hours later is a legal matter.

Jack's question is very vaild, if you, me or just about anyone else accidentally shot someone while hunting the police would demand to question us immediately and undoubtedly would require a breathilizer.

In his chat with Hume Cheney says he "had a beer at lunch" Sure that is what people always say. You can dimsiss our suspicions that there was more than a beer involved as biased; but it is a little hard to simply right them off when basically every action Cheney took is consistent with them.

Paul,

Let me first wish you a nice, sunny day. But, you also made my poin so let me address a few things:

(1) “None of ‘us liberals’ are suggesting this is a conspiracy or that Cheney did it on purpose.” So explain to me why Cheney has a duty to release this information within 24 hours.

(2) “…the White House's response to this event symbolizes a dangerously secretive White House.” This is really the issue isn’t it? Your issue is not that Cheney shot somebody or that he failed to release information immediately, which was somehow prejudicial to the public.

(3) “Do none of you realize how vital open and honest public discussion is to our democracy?” Yes of course, but setting aside your hyperbole and hysterics, I fail to understand how this incident subverted our democracy.

(4) “I am stunned and disappointed that the conservative defenders on this thread…” I am neither a conservative nor a member of the republican party, and I said in the comments that I cannot stand Bush and Cheney. Instead, I pick my battles and refuse to jump on very bandwagon that comes along the road. It was a hunting accident and did not effect domestic or foreign policy. This administration has given us enough ammunition (except that shot by Cheney) to attack them substantively on many issues. This is not one of them.

(5) “and let a Washington lobbyist and personal friend of Cheney choose the time and place of notification.” This never happens in Washington.

Ski Hard. No Brakes.

And I'm long beyond my comments limit so I'm done for the day.

Does Cheney take prescription drugs for his medical conditions? How do they interact with alcohol? How is his vision? How generally healthy is he to be stomping around in the woods carrying a shotgun? The guy seems to be in the hospital a lot, and wouldn't his physician say something like:

"Dick, maybe you shouldn't go hunting anymore. Why not take up water volleyball. It's healthier for all concerned."

The delay in reporting the incident pretty much leaves anyone to speculate anything. That's the downside to a delay.

As for making the VP an object of ridicule, turnabout is fair play.

The Republicans generally, and Cheney specifically, repeatedly dropped sly and vicious innuendo about John Kerry's duck-hunting trip during the 2004 campaign. And Kerry didn't even shoot an attorney or friend.

Those who are claiming that ridiculing the VP about this "accident" is unseemly are gross hypocrites.

And yes, it was Cheney's fault. Anybody who has attended Hunter's Safety training and paid attention knows that. He sounds trigger happy, particularly given the earlier reports of his hunting shenanigans.

The interview trancript I read this afternoon has Cheney describing the unfortunate victim as first an "aquaintance" and then deeper into the interview he becomes "My friend Harry."

If Cheney can't get THAT right, how can we have confidence in his story?

But then Bush says he doesn't even know Abramoff. And Abramoff says Bush knows his kids' names. Relationships seem to be pretty hard to pin down in this White House.

This breaks my heart to say, but Our Dear Deputy Leader (ODDL) Cheney must resign. Caesar's wife's probity must be beyond question. The ODDL hid from the sheriff for 24 hours after the shooting -- gulping dirty martinis the while.

I yield to no one in adoration of Our Dear Deputy Leader. ODDL Cheney's strong hand at the tiller has guided us to higher deficits and debt than any preceding administration or all of them put together. He overruled the nattering nabobs of negativism and slapped a bear hug on the Iraqi tarbaby, tripling the number of world-wide terrorist attacks and victims of terrorism. Most of those victims were foreign fuzzy-wuzzies so who cares.

Karl - I don't know if it's more honorable to be able to kill and butcher my own animals. It just means that I know how to do the more unpleasant parts of getting meat ready to eat. I don't have a problem with people who don't eat meat, I do have a problem with people who eat meat, and who also can't stand to kill the animal it came from, or dress out/process the carcass, and then also - the very most important ALSO - procede to denigrate those of us who chose to do all the work ourselves. I'm going to raise a calf for slaughter this year, and while I'll hire a fellow to kill and dress out the animal as the guy I know has the equipment to handle the offal, etc. I'll hang the carcass and cut/wrap it myself. It's not that I like being self sufficient, which I do, it's that I'm poor - not as in poor baby, I'm genuinly poor, I have very little money - and can't afford to pay $5/pound for hamburger, much less steaks. I'm on property where I can raise a beef, and if I do it right, I'll wind up will around 250lbs. of very young, tender, and natural raised beef in the freezer for around 50 cents a pound. Can't beat that with a stick.....

Travis,

1) Writing "obligation" is tendentious--they had no *legal* obligation. But how do you explain the presumption it is not important to notify the public when the vice president has accidentally shot and seriously wounded another individual? I can only think of two explanations, both of which worry me, arrogance or incredible detachment.

2) This leads to your 2. Yes, that precisely *is* my point. This White House has lost touch with its public responsibilities. Yes, I see this as part and parcel of an administration that is secretive, limits public debate, and squelches dissent. I don't think it is a "liberal" position to be worried about these tendencies--in fact, well-known conservative voices have criticized the Administration on these grounds.

3) Third point is illustrated by two. This event taken in isolation, no. But combined with lying over a war, lying over Medicare pres. drug, apparently lying over Katrina, paying for phony propaganda. This is the most conspiratorial and secretive administration I have seen since Nixon.

4) It may not have been you, but posters above blamed "liberals" for getting worried about this event.

5) You name me one instance where an Administration chose to let a private citizen and lobbyist release to the press information like this.

Did you see the press conference? The press was not just surprised, they were flummoxed and dumbfounded. This event is utterly bizarre.

You may not believe it reveals something much deeper and more threatening about how this White House treats the press and the public. I think it does, and this is why this even has gained such traction.

Indeed, if you rely on the evidence -- and if you ignore it you are out of touch -- demonstrating consistent pathological lying, then the very first view of the 'news story' could see it as not an accident; the most reliable first assumption is that "accidently" is a lie.

Actually, my first reliability filter took the fact to be that no one was shot, (that CHimmler "shot" someone is a lie since lying is his pattern), and I was waiting to see the corpus habeas'ed, brought forth, or, I figured, I might settle for the medical report if it gave a number for how many pellets they tweezered out.

Lo and behold, the next day that number popped up in 'news stories.' One said "100," another said "more than 200." Which is startling, 200 is about every shot (b-b) in the load of an entire shell !! Then it was added the subcutaneous penetration news, even into the chest cavity -- the procedure for that is NOT tweezering. (And now I really want to see photos of the body, and video even better ... so I can make a 'distance diagnosis.' (mocking Frist)

Those things -- 200 pellets sub-c. -- didn't sound right (that's not 'being peppered,' that's full blast), and the disturbiness keeps bringing me back to the "28-guage" detail, there's something funny about that, 28-gauge don't sound right.

The finest birdshot we used to use was 24-gauge but hell we'd shoot 14- or 16-gauge on pheasants and chukker if that was what was in the cab. 28-gauge? It's probably right for quail, we never looked to shoot them. There's sure no reason to hunt them, they're always around, almost underfoot. Texans' idea of 'game hunting' is a sick mcpuppy, definitely a deprived existence, definitely definitely yes definitely. Look eat what you kill. Rule One. There's no such thing as 'sport' killing.

So 200-shot 28-gauge in a close torso-sized spread through the muscles ... folks, that about describes point blank. Maybe the 'accidently' part of it is he survived, (let's assume, but still require photos to verify). Which puts a new light on a different way of looking at it. If a gunblast was some diabolical (self-)assigned mission for CHimmler, then he blew it, he failed, his target survived.

What his motive could be needs some consideration, and that gives me something to do while I wait for further information. But holding my alternative narrative for news accounts -- it wasn't an accident -- so far does better than the official mass media narrative in finding connections and making sense out of CHimmler's behavior and statements since the incident. Like, them (Rove, Armstrong, CHimmler, at least) huddling to decide whether or not even to report it! For an accident ??

The story keeps not 'holding together' and there's the strong and indelible pattern of lies in EVERYthing that has come out of the Evil Office in The Fright House. 'Churly accidently shot a man'? -- nope, at least one of those words is a lie. Depend on it.

I've had it up to here - holds hand over eye brows...
I've heard 'Cheney should've called the police first - I'm sorry, but if someone ever shoots me I'd like a FLIPPIN' DOCTOR called first please....
The authorities were notified as soon as the shooting victim was treated, as there were secret service on hand for the grand event....and they follow the law.
When the victim's family was notified and his condition had seemingly stabilized the press was notified. OMG a PODUNK LITTLE FLIPPIN' MUDDY LITTLE STOOPID newspaper....OMG the WHPC was snubbed. WAAAAAAAAA.

I'm sorry, but no laws were broken here, except - gasp - a $9.00 upland bird tag fee wasn't paid, which, by the way, I've heard from the Texas authorities, is such a new requirement that hunting license buyers aren't always told about it, and they there fore don't know that they need the tag....But the EVIL CHENEY had to know that and circumvented the requirement using his plotical clout....It's my understanding that a hunter without the proper upland game bird stamp - even tho he not be the EVIL CHENNEY, will be required to buy a stamp before the harvested birds are removed from the property....OH, THE HORROR OF IT ALL......

I hope you enjoyed your last post here.

Mr. Cheney's conduct is perfectly compatible with that of someone who was drunk and needed to sleep it off before facing anyone. No one will ever know for sure.

In the interest of helping to disseminate the truth, because this blog appears dedicated to spreading propaganda in favor of the Democratic Party and other collectivists, I append the following for your edification and enlightenment:

"Feb. 13, 2006

"Media AWOL When Hillary Clinton Injured a Cop

"The press is devoting blanket coverage to Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident on Saturday, where he injured a friend while the two were quail shooting in Texas.

"But the media didn't think it was such a big deal five years ago, when Sen. Hillary Clinton injured a police officer who was manning a security post at the Westchester County Airport while she was rushing to a fundraiser.

"On Oct. 14, 2001, Clinton's Ford conversion van blew past a security checkpoint manned by Officer Ernest Dymond, who said later that he immediately feared a repeat of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"'The van went by me and we ordered them to stop and it continued going and we continued to yell to stop,' said Dymond. 'I didn't know if we had a terrorist,' he told the Washington Times.

"The quick-thinking cop grabbed the door of Mrs. Clinton's vehicle and hung on for dear life - banging away on the window until her Secret Service driver stopped.

"Injured in the process, Dymond was unable to return to work for weeks.

"Two weeks after the accident, NewsMax caught up with Officer Dymond and asked if Mrs. Clinton or anyone from her office had bothered to apologize - or even check to see how he was doing.

"'I can tell you, no,' the hero cop said.

"In contrast, Vice President Cheney was described as "very concerned" about the incident and spent Sunday checking on his injured friend "almost on a minute-by-minute basis," the New York Times said.

"'Despite the fact that Mrs. Clinton was the leading elected Democrat in the country, the episode received almost no media attention, with only a handful of local news outlets picking up the story.'"

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/2/13/131728.shtml?s=et&s=us

Joanne,

They waited 14 hours between getting the guy toi the hospital and Cheney seeign the Sheriff, not to mention the deputies who came to the ranch to interview him Saturday night were turned away.

Excuse me, you find this perfectly normal and legally acceptable behavior? Try that one out yourself sometime, you don't even need to shoot someone, just do something that requires the police to interview you about it and try telling them, "uh not right now please come back tomorrow."

Please give me a break with the right-wing blinders; it is you Cheney supporters that are straining logic here not us skeptics. Ever hear of the concept of Occam's Razor?

Did anyone notice that Chenney was careful how he reported he had drunk one beer? He said he drunk one beer for lunch under an oak tree. This sounds like a lawyer talking. It most likely is true he had one beer under an oak tree but how about more elsewhere?