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Ari Fleischer Joins Criticism Of Cheney's Response to Shooting
E&P ^ | Febuary 14 2006 | Joe Strupp

Posted on 02/14/2006 5:31:24 PM PST by jmc1969

Fleischer, who was Bush's first press secretary - from 2001 to 2003 - told E&P that Cheney's accidental shooting of Texas attorney Harry Whittington on Saturday during a hunting trip should not have taken nearly a day to be reported.

"It would have been better if the vice president and/or his staff had come out last Saturday night or first thing Sunday morning and announced it," he said during a phone interview Tuesday. "It could have and should have been handled differently."

But Fleischer also took a jab at the reporting frenzy surrounding the story, saying most Americans are not as focused on it as the White House press corps. "The press is largely right on the issue--but it can be right and go too far," he added.

He also said that if he were still in the White House, he would urge the vice president's office to take some of the heat off Bush's staff: "I think you go to the vice president and say, 'you need to be handling this.'"

Fleischer's comments came just hours after Marlin Fitzwater, who served as press secretary to Bush's father and Ronald Reagan, also criticized Cheney, telling E&P he was "appalled" at the response to the incident.

(Excerpt) Read more at editorandpublisher.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ari; arifleischer; cheney; harrywhittington
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To: jmc1969

First of all, if each and every reporter had been personally contacted by Cheney himself, it would not have reduced their rabid dog frenzy about this story one iota, if anything, catering to the massive egos like little Davy Gregory and his pals would (in their minds) suggest that the Vice President was in a position of weakness and as "friendly" as they have been to this Administration, that would only encourage them to attack with even greater ferocity.

Second, no matter what the Vice President and/or his staff did or said, the White House Press Corpse would still have been hammering McClellan on this story, because there are ripe possibilities for a rewarding game of "gotcha" and "Prez said/Vice-Prez said", and they would like nothing better than to instigate even minor disagreements between the President and his VP, either personally, or at the staff level. Don't we know by now that the press views this Administration as their own personal enemy? They do!

Ari, Marlin and past press secretaries (oh my, did I forget David Gergen?!? *gasp*) need to STFU because they are not privy to what is or is not going on behind the scenes, McClellan is making the best of a bad situation, and while he isn't my idea of a great press secretary, he's got the job, and he's doing the best he can.

The only thing Vice President Cheney needs to do, is to send the same message to these howling hounds of media-hell as he sent to Senator Leaky Leahy back in 2003(?), which was "Go F--K Yourselves".

Third and finally, the most important issue here is the recovery of Harry Whittington, this was a terrible accident, and fortunately nobody was killed.

Unlike in July 1969.


61 posted on 02/14/2006 6:11:46 PM PST by mkjessup (The Shah doesn't look so bad now, eh? But nooo, Jimmah said the Ayatollah was a 'godly' man.)
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To: jmc1969

He's right, but given the current situation, he should know to keep quiet.


62 posted on 02/14/2006 6:12:42 PM PST by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: paul51
What does that have to do with how the WH is handling this?

You're right .. the WH should have had a presser before anything was really known at the time and let the media hound the hospital with stupid questions and others trying to sneak in the hospital to try and get a scoop

63 posted on 02/14/2006 6:13:36 PM PST by Mo1 (Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists.. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
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To: onyx
Are there any more folks who can pile on? It's a press promoted story.

Precisely. It would have been (marginally) better, but without a time machine, what's his point?

64 posted on 02/14/2006 6:13:52 PM PST by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: Porterville

hopefully the mods will pull your post, Ari is married in case you didn't know.


65 posted on 02/14/2006 6:14:26 PM PST by oceanview
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To: oceanview

He started it.


66 posted on 02/14/2006 6:15:36 PM PST by Porterville (They took our jobs!!! Der dook er jibs!!! Deer took er jabs!!!)
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To: oceanview

cry baby.


67 posted on 02/14/2006 6:15:59 PM PST by Porterville (They took our jobs!!! Der dook er jibs!!! Deer took er jabs!!!)
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To: Porterville
(cough)*...*** pussy..***(cough)...**homo fag... (cough)

Choking on your 7th viewing of Brokeback Mountain?

Ari is a standup dude who's only telling the truth.

THIS WAS DUMB.

68 posted on 02/14/2006 6:19:09 PM PST by bikepacker67 (Islam was born of Hagar the whore.)
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To: Mo1

The idea that the WH didn't get in front of this because they were protecting the hospital from the press isn't going to fly.


69 posted on 02/14/2006 6:19:50 PM PST by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: Mo1

That's exactly their aim, Mo1.
Bring down VP Cheney, no matter the means.

They're despicable.


70 posted on 02/14/2006 6:20:12 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: Williams
I think people are underestimating just how little Dick Cheney thinks of the press. He went through two presidential elections not meeting with them. I say way to go DC.

I'm with you.....The heck with the press.

Frankly I think most "R" members of both houses...should boycott all the talk shows. Just place them on ignore.......

FWIW---

71 posted on 02/14/2006 6:20:29 PM PST by Osage Orange (I'd rather hunt quail with Dick Cheney, than ride in a car with Ted Kennedy.........)
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To: oceanview
"a textbook case, its taught in some colleges on the subject:"

I'm sure you'll forgive me. Colleges are not the first place I look for guidance, nor are journalists the place I look for truth.

72 posted on 02/14/2006 6:21:32 PM PST by A Citizen Reporter
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To: Made in USA


Thank you for the most sane, thougtful and lucid post on this thread!


73 posted on 02/14/2006 6:21:57 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: jmc1969

Shut up Ari, this isn't helping.


74 posted on 02/14/2006 6:22:28 PM PST by tioga (Speaking out from the god-foresaken frozen tundra of the land of the hildebeast.)
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To: A Citizen Reporter

neither of those points has anything to do with the underlying story about how an agressive media strategy, saved Johnson and Johnson.


75 posted on 02/14/2006 6:23:03 PM PST by oceanview
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To: Sun

Evidently......no comment.......is too much to expect from those no longer on the stage!


76 posted on 02/14/2006 6:24:18 PM PST by OldFriend (The Dems enABLEd DANGER and 3,000 Americans died.)
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To: paul51
The press was notified at 8am the next morning

They did nothing wrong in the way this was handled
77 posted on 02/14/2006 6:24:38 PM PST by Mo1 (Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists.. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
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To: Petronski

Absolutely disgraceful. Former WH press secs acting like democrats.


78 posted on 02/14/2006 6:24:49 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: paul51


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1578670/posts?page=44#44


79 posted on 02/14/2006 6:25:39 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: jmc1969

Psychotic muslim mutants are preparing to slaughter us and all we can do is focus on some insipidly stupid third-rate accident that no thinking person should give a sh*t about!! Now I know all of us would like to catch Davey "Girlie-Man" Gregory in an elevator and tune up this pantiwaist dweeb until his face resembled a Mack Truck road kill, but enough! Our first enemy is the Religion of Peace. After we kill them we can start working on the liberal socialist communist media,...sort of a fun celebration after the war!


80 posted on 02/14/2006 6:26:28 PM PST by Doc Savage (Of all these things you can be sure, only love...will endure.......................)
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