Posted on 02/13/2006 8:58:59 PM PST by iPod Shuffle
Posted on Mon, Feb. 13, 2006
Cheney's companion at fault in shooting, White House says
By William Douglas
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - The White House blamed the 78-year-old man whom Vice President Dick Cheney shot during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas for the incident, as officials struggled Monday to explain why they waited nearly 24 hours before making the news public.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan tried to absolve Cheney of blame for shooting wealthy Austin lawyer Harry Whittington, saying that hunting "protocol was not followed by Mr. Whittington when it came to notifying others that he was there. And so, you know, unfortunately, these types of hunting accidents happen from time to time."
Several hunting experts were skeptical of McClellan's explanation. They said Cheney might have violated a cardinal rule of hunting: Know your surroundings before you pull the trigger.
"Particularly identify the game that you are shooting and particularly identify your surroundings, that it's safe to shoot," said Mark Birkhauser, the incoming president of the International Hunter Education Association, a group of fish and wildlife agencies. "Every second, you're adjusting your personal information that it is a safe area to shoot or it's not a safe area to shoot."
Safe-hunting rules published by the National Rifle Association and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department echo Birkhauser's advice.
Cheney has a Texas non-resident hunting license, but he failed to get a $7 stamp that's required to hunt game birds, the vice president's office said in a statement Monday night. He has since sent a check to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to buy the stamp, the statement said.
Whittington was listed in stable condition Monday at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, with birdshot wounds to his face, neck and chest. The shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch, a 50,000-acre spread in south Texas owned by friends of the president.
White House and Texas law enforcement officials haven't provided a detailed account of the incident. Katharine Armstrong, one of the ranch's owners, said Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of their vehicle to shoot a covey of quail. The third member of the hunting party was the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, Pamela Willeford, a Texan and a Bush family friend.
Whittington shot a bird and went to get it, breaking from Cheney and Willeford. Armstrong said Whittington then came up from behind without signaling, and as a covey flushed Cheney wheeled and fired his .28-gauge shotgun, hitting Whittington.
Whittington was tended at the scene by Cheney's medical detail before being taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Though the shooting happened Saturday afternoon, it didn't become public knowledge until Armstrong notified the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, her local paper, at midday Sunday. The White House then confirmed news media requests for verification.
The lag between the shooting and the reporting of it prompted questions about why a private citizen, not the government, was disclosing a shooting involving the vice president.
McClellan said Monday that Cheney's staff didn't immediately inform the media because the first priority was tending to Whittington's health.
McClellan said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told Bush around 8 p.m. Saturday that Cheney had shot Whittington, but McClellan said he himself didn't learn that Cheney was the shooter until around 6 a.m. Sunday. He said he urged Cheney's office to get the information out as quickly as possible. The news broke nationally about 3:45 p.m. EST Sunday.
Lee Anne McBride, Cheney's press secretary, talked Sunday about Whittington's condition and said the vice president had spoken with him and was pleased with his condition. But she referred most questions - from the names of everyone in the hunting party to what type of weapon Cheney had fired - to Armstrong.
"The vice president thought that Mrs. Armstrong should be the first one to go out there and provide that information to the public, which she did," McClellan said.
Cheney's office has a history of not sharing information with the public. Last month, it refused to specify the nature of a foot injury for which he was given medication that caused water retention and shortness of breath and sent him to the hospital.
"He's secretive by nature," said Larry Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "It's a dumb thing for officials to do, especially someone as experienced as Cheney. Just imagine what Jon Stewart, Jay Leno and David Letterman are going to do to him for days. It's a self-inflicted wound."
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For more information about hunting safety, visit the National Rifle Association at www.nra.org, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at www.tpwd.state.tx.us, and the International Hunter Education Association at www.ihea.com. For the first two sites, key in the search words "hunter safety" to access the rules.
Good one! He he he...
The White House and/or Cheney's office should answer every press inquiry on this by simply saying, "this is all bulls***. Next question."
I'm willing to cut the VP some slack, but come on now, you really think this 78-year old guy ran out in front of Cheney's gun just as the covey was flushed?! Did he jump in the air to make sure he'd get maximum coverage?
I didn't, but then I don't see Cheney exactly coming out and acknowledging that he made a mistake either. He did; there is no denying that he screwed up by the numbers, and he does not seem to be owning up to his mistake at all. That's damning enough evidence right there.
It's funny to watch some lefties try to make a conspiracy out of the fact that it took three hours to get Whittington to the hospital. I guess they've never been down to far South Texas, where one of their itty-bitty Northeast Blue States could fit in the distance they had to cover to get Whittington to the hospital.
I heard ten pellets. Probably caught the edge of the pattern well past where the bird was.
Note that the SS is the top, number one cop in the nation. It's not like there were no competent witnesses!
Don't have a dog in this hunt,but I'll explain what happens when bird hunting for those who don't hunt.A hunter is taught from day one that when the bird is in flight,start with the bead of the barrel behind the bird.As you catch up with the bird,you pull the trigger as the bead proceeds in front of the bird.This is called "giving a lead".You never stop the barrel,aiming,like you would with a rifle.The shotgun barrel is moving in a sweeping motion(arc) and you always follow through,past the bird.This gives you a wider shot dispersment,much like taking a water hose and swinging it from right to left.
The reasons for this is,the bird is a moving object.A tiny,fast flying, moving object.If you stopped the barrel as the bead was on the bird,you'd shoot behind him every time.With that said,depending on how far the bird was from the VP,he could well have been sweeping the gun 140-160 degrees before he made his shot.While looking down a barrel,which produces tunnel vision,it's easy to focus on the object and not behind it.(No excuse,but hopefully a little light on the subject.)
Don't have a dog in this hunt,but I'll explain what happens when bird hunting for those who don't hunt.A hunter is taught from day one that when the bird is in flight,start with the bead of the barrel behind the bird.As you catch up with the bird,you pull the trigger as the bead proceeds in front of the bird.This is called "giving a lead".You never stop the barrel,aiming,like you would with a rifle.The shotgun barrel is moving in a sweeping motion(arc) and you always follow through,past the bird.This gives you a wider shot dispersment,much like taking a water hose and swinging it from right to left. The reasons for this is,the bird is a moving object.A tiny,fast flying, moving object.If you stopped the barrel as the bead was on the bird,you'd shoot behind him every time.With that said,depending on how far the bird was from the VP,he could well have been sweeping the gun 140-160 degrees before he made his shot.While looking down a barrel,which produces tunnel vision,it's easy to focus on the object and not behind it.(No excuse,but hopefully a little light on the subject.)
169 posted on 02/14/2006 9:53:10 AM MST by quack It works better for both sporting clays and birds. You only look at the bird. I have improved my shooting by moving from
"swing thorough" and "pull away" or even
"sustained lead" to the British method called
"Move Mount Shoot".
Mount the gun without looking at the barrel.
When you sense the barrel under the bird
Pull the trigger.
Did Kerry have a hunting license for that photo op hunting outing in, I think it was, Ohio?
Yep, knew about the 'leading'. Since it's manual, it's not a science, so is not precise. Thanks for the explanation.
Cheney don't owe you anything.
No, he's just the VP. He doesn't actually have to lead or set an example. You're right. He doesn't owe the american people a little integrity and character.
I kept banging it into this other guy's fist during a fight.
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LOL
Right. So stop buying this media hyped up nonsense.
I can just imagine him getting out with his old buddies and having a belt or two.
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I am sure that Cheney has more sense and integrity than to imbibe while using firearms.
somehow Bush's/Cheney's/WalMart's fault.
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Don't forget Israel...
One of the reporters, the blonde in the second row, asked "Would this be more serious if he had been killed?"
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You are joking, right?
What the media is doing is irresponsible, and by that I mean, they're twisting the facts.
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Yeah, so? That's what they always do.
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