February 15, 2006

While the White House blames the victim...

MR. McCLELLAN: I think if you've got specifics about that, probably direct them to the Vice President's Office. I don't know all the specifics about it, but I think Mrs. Armstrong spoke publicly about how this incident occurred. And if I recall, she pointed out that the protocol was not followed by Mr. Whittington, when it came to notifying the others that he was there. [WHPB - 02-13-06]

American hunters interviewed by the conservative Washington Times blame Cheney.

Every local hunter interviewed by The Washington Times yesterday said the vice president violated hunting's cardinal rule: Never pull the trigger unless you are 100 percent sure of your target. And, they said, he violated Rule No. 2, as well: Never swing on game outside the safe zone of fire.

"I just want the guy to say, 'Hey, I screwed up, I made a mistake,'?" said James Harris, 51, a hunter and taxidermist from Mechanicsville, Md., who said he fears that the accident will make people think hunting is unsafe.

"He apparently was overzealous or too excited about the shot, and he didn't practice safe measures to make sure he didn't shoot his friend. He should have, and he was wrong," Mr. Harris said.
[Experienced hunters put Cheney at fault in shooting - Washington Times - 02-15-06]

Isn't the Vice President's history with being "100 percent sure of your target" and "overzealous or too excited about the shot" enough for American hunters and responsible gun owners to realize an admission of a "screw up" won't happen anytime soon by this faultless and unaccountable Administration?

UPDATE 2:45p.m. - After wide bi-partisan pressure for the Vice President to publicly take responsibility for shooting an American citizen, Dick Cheney talks with FOX News.

"Ultimately I am the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. You can talk about all the other conditions that existed at the time, but that's the bottom line. It's not Harry's fault. You can't blame anybody else. I am the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and you can say that is a day I will never forget."

With regard to cowardly hiding behind a citizen's account of the shooting for days, allowing the White House Press Secretary to join in and blame the victim, and not informing the President or the American people directly, Dick Cheney still believes he did the right thing.

CHENEY: "I thought that made good sense because you can get as accurate a story as possible from somebody who knew and understood hunting, and then it would immediately go up to the wires and be posted on the web site, which is the way it went out, and I thought that was the right call."

QUESTION: What do you think now?

CHENEY: I still do.

The only part missing from the process Dick Cheney orchestrated was any direct acceptance of responsibility or personal apology. That had to come days after the American people demanded better, to the regret of many within his own party.