I wasn't going to weigh in on this story when I first saw it breaking over the weekend. I mean, accidents happen and there are real stories to concentrate on. Then the story started to unravel. One lie turned into another and then another. Pretty soon the DickCheneyshotaguyinthefacegate started to represent a microcosm of this entire administration. Quite sadly, they are simply the gang that can't shoot straight.
To hear the Bush apologists spin this is painful. Shoot a man on Saturday, don't report it at all until Sunday, and don't talk to your boss about it until Monday. Fine, no problem? What planet are these guys on? Let's cut through the hypocrisy.
The first issue is accountability. Dick Cheney was afforded treatment no other US citizen could ever expect after shooting a man. If you or I were in this same predicament, we would not be allowed to report on the incident and entire day later, after alcohol metabolizes. Oh wait; there was no alcohol according to the ranch owner. But then that story changed three times as well. Eventually it was admitted that the Vice President had a beer with lunch but nothing while hunting. Well, I am so relieved"except"I can't help but wonder the contraindications of alcohol and the medications the Vice President must be on due to his medical conditions. I guess we will never actually know because the local police cleared Mr. Cheney of any wrongdoing, based on word of mouth, and an investigation conducted the following day!
The last issue, is accountability and this administration has none. When faced with a story that completely had been fabricated from start to finish, Karl Rove apparently demanded that Cheney finally go out and pretend to face the music. Where did the Vice President go to when having to face this music? Not to the White House Press Corps. Not to any independent source. No, he called up Brit Hume from Faux News and said he wanted an "interview." I put the word in quotes because Faux News does not conduct "interviews" with people from this administration; they merely serve as a sounding board for the Bushies. Brit Hume did not conduct an interview, he merely allowed Dick Cheney to say he was sorry, take the blame (as he should have) five days after the fact, and somehow, manage to let him slip in the statement that he has the unilateral right to declassify information.
This is what is so drastically wrong and fascist about this administration. They not only are hyper-secretive but they employ their own propaganda outlets to sell the American people their own versions of reality. The official reports from the local police concluded that the shooting was an accident, there was no alcohol involved and there was no malicious intent, DESPITE the fact that they concluded this before actually interviewing anyone! The "investigation" did not even occur until the next day. Let's recap the lies, distortions and unexplained phenomena with DickCheneyshotaguyinthefacegate:
1) The facts were not revealed for one full day.
2) The investigation did not occur for one full day.
3) The Vice President did not bother speaking with Bush until Monday.
4) The corroborating witness was actually 100 yards away and initially thought Cheney had suffered a heart attack.
5) The ranch owner says they only had Dr. Pepper, but Cheney himself admits to having a beer with lunch.
6) The injuries started with the victim's face, spread to his shoulder and within three days had gone to his heart.
7) The fact that the victim was 90 yards away was proven to be actually 30 yards.
Being faced with these glaring inconsistencies, Dick Cheney trotted out on the Propaganda Network and told us he was sorry, took the blame, and then refused to answer or clear up ONE of these concerns. What did his boss think of this? Bush finally today addressed the story and said that he thought Cheney did a great job of explaining himself and he had no problem with how his Vice President handled this entire situation. No problem that he sat on the story for a day. No problem that he didn't bother to call him until Monday. No problem that the initial reports blamed the victim. No problem that he was drinking at lunch while hunting. No problem that he shot a man in the face, shoulder and heart and waited five days to say anything about it. THAT is your president and administration. No accountability? No Problem.
Scott McClellan said 11 times today that the American people are satisfied with the answers provided by Cheney during his Faux interview. Sorry Scotty, you don't speak for me, or the American people. In fact, MSNBC ran a poll in response to these assertions by McClellan and 71% are still concerned. They are concerned because they are now onto the prevarications of this White House. They KNOW when they are being lied to. They know people in power are treated so vastly different than you or I would be in a similar position. Shoot a man from the heart to the face, admit to having a beer that same day, but get to sleep the night away before being officially questioned? Only in Bushville. The truly sad statement is given this extra day to coordinate and dry-out; they still couldn't get their story straight.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
