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Cheney's companion at fault in shooting, White House says
Knight Ridder ^ | 2/13/06

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."

---

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cheney; harrywhittington; hunting
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1 posted on 02/13/2006 8:59:01 PM PST by iPod Shuffle
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To: iPod Shuffle
Cheney's companion at fault in shooting, White House says

That's what Alan Simpson told Chris Matthews on Hardball today.

2 posted on 02/13/2006 9:00:03 PM PST by BigSkyFreeper (Proud to be a cotton-pickin' Republican on the GOP Plantation)
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To: iPod Shuffle

I was at fault for getting my nose broken once.

I kept banging it into this other guy's fist during a fight.


3 posted on 02/13/2006 9:00:26 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: iPod Shuffle

I read an article that the SS notified the police within the hour.


4 posted on 02/13/2006 9:01:45 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: iPod Shuffle

So was the normal risk of hunting party fratricide
increased because this was the VP, and the party
included a bunch of Secret Service folks, and perhaps
a photographer?


5 posted on 02/13/2006 9:05:40 PM PST by Boundless
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To: iPod Shuffle
They're old friends. Has the word "alcohol" been spoken out loud yet?
6 posted on 02/13/2006 9:07:48 PM PST by IRememberElian
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To: CindyDawg
read an article that the SS notified the police within the hour.

Jahwol, herr Rove.

7 posted on 02/13/2006 9:09:06 PM PST by neodad (Why does every cartoon article refer to the "Prophet" Muhammed?)
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To: iPod Shuffle

Always be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.


8 posted on 02/13/2006 9:09:15 PM PST by joesnuffy (A camel once bit our sister..but we knew just what to do...we gathered rocks and squashed her!)
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To: iPod Shuffle

I cannot see the scandal in this one. There is no law that you call the press right away to report a hunting accident.


9 posted on 02/13/2006 9:11:05 PM PST by Williams
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To: iPod Shuffle
I'm sorry, but I'm thinking that the No. 2 elected official in this country might have a lot more on his mind than renewing some $7 dollar hunting license stamp. I mean after all, cut the guy some slack. Why doesn't he have staff to pick up on some these less critical details, like hunting license stamps? Where were his protective agents and why didn't they see who was behind our Vice President to ensure his safety?

I also want to send my prayers and thoughts to Mr. Whittington and his family for a speedy recovery.

10 posted on 02/13/2006 9:11:48 PM PST by harpo11 (What a time we live in: Liberals have "Brokeback Mountain" Conservatives have John Wayne Cheney)
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To: iPod Shuffle

We need to bomb Iran's nuke facilities, not hunt for birds.


11 posted on 02/13/2006 9:11:50 PM PST by tomahawk (Proud to be an enemy of Islam)
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To: joesnuffy

Always be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.




Nothing else needs to be said about this event.


12 posted on 02/13/2006 9:11:50 PM PST by chasio649
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To: IRememberElian

Hell...maybe the word is "crippy."


13 posted on 02/13/2006 9:12:45 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: BigSkyFreeper
Cheney's companion at fault in shooting, White House says

But that is NOT what the White House said.

14 posted on 02/13/2006 9:13:06 PM PST by Howlin ("QUICK HE'S BLEEDING. CALL THE WASH POST!")
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To: iPod Shuffle

Was Cheney wearing his glasses?
Do Whittington and Patrick Leahy look alike?


15 posted on 02/13/2006 9:13:15 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: CindyDawg

The sheriff said the Secret Service called him within ten minutes of the incident.


16 posted on 02/13/2006 9:13:41 PM PST by Howlin ("QUICK HE'S BLEEDING. CALL THE WASH POST!")
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To: Boundless
Good point, there were a lot of people and distractions, flushing Quail is a 360 degree sport, the act of "flushing" means they burst out from anywhere, Dogs help. Just an accident, it happens, a bit unsettling though. It seems odd to happen to a VP, what if it were Him instead and he was killed. Oh well I guess the same could be said for skying, remember poor Sonny Bono and the Kennedy kid.
17 posted on 02/13/2006 9:13:48 PM PST by Roverman2K
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To: IRememberElian

Yes. Alcohol was not involved.


18 posted on 02/13/2006 9:14:08 PM PST by Howlin ("QUICK HE'S BLEEDING. CALL THE WASH POST!")
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To: iPod Shuffle

McClellan ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Just say "He messed up real bad, he's sorry, and fortunately, his hunting buddy will be alright. Mistakes happen and this should be a lesson to all hunters.".


19 posted on 02/13/2006 9:14:32 PM PST by DoNotDivide (Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.)
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To: Howlin

Yep. The headline actually sounds more like it came from Alan Simpson than from the White House.


20 posted on 02/13/2006 9:15:01 PM PST by BigSkyFreeper (Proud to be a cotton-pickin' Republican on the GOP Plantation)
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