Posted on 02/15/2006 2:42:20 PM PST by CyberAnt
Welcome to The Loft
The hissy fit thrown by the national media appears to be working. Just like spoiled children, the media’s temper tantrum over the lack of information flowing directly to them regarding Vice President Cheney’s hunting accident has now started to yield results. Democrats, media members, and even some Republicans are beginning to criticize the vice president.
Get real!
Iran is enriching uranium, and the only concern in Washington appears to be the hurt feelings of left-wing journalists.
As is being reported by CNSNews.com, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is now “calling on Vice President Dick Cheney to hold a press conference to answer questions about his accidental shooting of a fellow hunter in Texas over the weekend.”
In addition, a story in the Washington Post cites Cheney’s “lack of response” as a “concern” for the GOP.
Lack of response? As noted in yesterday’s posting, there was a response to the shooting, but it went through local Texas media rather than the filter of the White House press corps. And that’s what all the fuss is about.
The Post’s story starts off on the wrong foot by noting, “Vice President Cheney’s slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the Bush administration.”
Unapologetic response? It seems to me that the only one who would need an apology is Mr. Whittington. After all, he’s the one who got shot. I’m sure that following the accident, the vice president did apologize to his friend and saw to it that proper medical care was administered.
If the media now think that the vice president owes them an apology as well, they are barking up the wrong tree.
It’s typical for the Democrats and left-wing media to try to overhype a situation involving Republicans. Just look at what happened to Sen. Trent Lott as compared to when Democrats make charged statements.
In this case, in addition to Harry Reid calling for a press conference, liberal reporters and pundits are milking this story strictly for political points.
That’s the only logical explanation, since this is a NON story.
Questions continued on the Cheney hunting topic in Tuesday’s White House press briefing. The very first question asked was whether the Vice President should “personally” address the American people and explain why “it took so long to disclose it publicly.”
Another followed which attempted to pit the president against the vice president as to how information is disclosed to the public. Question after question was thrown at White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan… not leading with Iran or some other major issue, but rather, “We’re the White House press corps, so why weren’t we told first???”
The media are doing their best to make an accident on a private hunting trip into a national media controversy. As noted in the Washington Post: "No evidence has emerged to suggest that the shooting was anything more than a hunting accident, but the spectacle of the vice president wounding a prominent Republican at an exclusive Texas ranch has become the punch line for politicians and comedians alike, and has penetrated the popular culture through late-night television.
It has become a “spectacle” because they are making it so.
Let’s stop the pouting and temper tantrums and get back to covering REAL news stories. I’m sure the American public would appreciate it.
I think I understand what's behind this bizarre hypercoverage of a non-story behind a story. The real issue that the media is obsessed with is that the VP injured someone with an EVIL DANGEROUS G-U-N which nobody should really have in the first place, and if they do have one they should keep it locked up and unloaded at all times, since obviously if even the VP can't handle one safely, certainly no average citizen could. However, they have come to grasp that any attack based on the G-U-N issue will backfire bigtime. So they have diverted all their energy to the "Cheney handled the media aspect poorly" non-story, as a back door way of keeping the tale of the horrible G-U-N accident on the front pages, while not printing or uttering a single word that could be used as evidence that they are pushing an anti-gun agenda.
bttt
Don't they know that love means never having to say your sorry?
But of course, the typical response of the old media is their temper tantrum because they weren't notified first. They're just out of control.
ROTFLOL!! Very funny!!
By not bowing at the alter of the Washington press corps Cheney has in effect told them to "go F themselves" and oh boy are their knickers ever in a wad!!
Their behavior is really no different then that of over indulged children not getting their way.
I wish there was some way that I could tell them to go F themselves, guess I'll just have to let Big Time do it for me.
Remember the run up to Fitzmas when Russert(I think) was saying that any indictment would have to come down to a trial over the Iraqi war.
That was the story than and it exploded on them,this is just another created whirlwind to apply to whatever story they wish to promote.
"The real issue that the media is obsessed with is that the VP injured someone with an EVIL DANGEROUS G-U-N"
The libs are confused in that he didn't shoot the guy for his money
Yeah. As if they should just call CBS and have Dan Rather cover it???
AND, the former Head of the Texas Park and Wildlife Department was the primary witness to the incident. BTW, they were hunting on her property.
There is no story! They were legal! Tell the traitors to go where the Sun does not shine!
As Harry Reid withheld his stroke for three days! Bull!
"Imagine the hysteria if the wounded fellow was a reporter?"
Let's have a general invite to reporters to a quail hunt. ;>
But I thought Teddy Kennedy was really upset about this.
Beautiful. ROTFL. Beautiful.
"The Vice President doesn't owe an apology. But his office did not handle this well."
Amen. This is a story about the media not about a shooting. No one is asking any questions at all about the shooting.
Nobody is suggesting that Cheney had a 12ga instead of a 28. No one is suggesting that the victim is a Democrat about to come out of the closet and the VP shot him for it.
No one is suggesting that the shot came from the grassy knoll.
In short there is NO STORY here about the shooting. The flap is about how it was diseminated, but since it's is clearly about a subject that not one single journalist is writing about (who the victim is, what his relationship is to the VP, what was the motive, is Ken Lay involved)... then it doesn't matter one whit how it was given to the press.
Now if Cheney shot Harry Reid or John Kerry and didn't tell anyone for 18 hours, then that would be a story!
If he shot Howard Dean, no one would care of course.
Calling Fox news in the pocket of the GOP is a laugh. Every weekday night during the prime news time from 6:30-7:00pm one will listen to NPR queens Mara Liasson or Juan Williams. The difference between FOX and the other cable outlets is that the libs have to defend their views.
The vultures in the media owe Cheney an apology. Never happen, though. Every rabid Bush/Cheney/Republican hater (including Letterman) is having a field day with this.
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