http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060216/D8FQ27KO9.html
I want to make clear that I'm not faulting Cheney 100% for the shooting part. I'm not even upset about the gun issues that may result. The Anti's are always waiting in the wings with bared knives. My problem is with the way the aftermath has been handled. I may be solidly behind Bush in many areas but in this instance I'm not afraid to criticize this affair. However the opposition reacts to this, the administration is at fault for allowing it to get out of hand. And for allowing the VP to make the judgement call on how things should be handled.
How many people involved in these situations get to handle their own press releases? None.
He should have been the last person to initiate a press release. Amazing... I'm surprised that no one has picked up on this, especially you Fabs. How many clients get to make their own statements to the police without an attorney present? None if the attorney has anything to say about it. That attorney is a rational thinker who knows how to handle the situation.
Makes me wonder if there is a kernel of truth to the constant attacks by the Left that Cheney holds more power than Bush will admit.
I'll agree with you that there were some level heads there at the time. However, I think you will agree that sometimes a little investigation needs to be done to make sure that the facts are conveyed to the public correctly.
Fabs, how much time does it take to determine that Cheney accidentally shot someone? I think that was evident.
You need to re-read my post with the timeline.
Look at the response time we got with the West Virginia miners, and look how that turned out. Sometimes, speed isn't all it is cracked up to be when it turns out that things are inaccurate.
There is no comparison here between the two
At the end of the day, it is easy for people to criticize when they aren't in the other person's shoes. We can criticize this administration on 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Irag, the response to Katrina, and now the Cheney's shooting. Seems as though this administration has a lot on its mind and it has had to deal with a bunch of stuff the previous administration did not. I don't blame them for holding the information.
Actually I still stand behind my comments about how Katrina was handled. As to the withholding information part, I refer you back to the timeline. How can you sit down to dinner and not consider the public ramifications of what has happened?
In Cheney's own words: Cheney said he was concerned that if the story broke Saturday night when information was still coming in, some reports may have been inaccurate since it was a complicated story that most journalists had never dealt with before.
Which is why he shouldn't have been so involved in the decision making process.
Let me ask this question, would it be such a big deal if it was anybody other than the Vice President that shot somebody.
Absolutely it would be. As I stated in my last post, if you or I waited to report a shooting, we'd be in some serious trouble.
This is a big deal, and we are making a "federal case" of it because it was the Vice President. Why should we be entitled to know this stuff immediately. Does it have any effect on the nation as a whole. Is it required that this type of information be divulged to the American public? Somehow, I don't think this has anything to do with National Security.
It has to do with leadership and responsibility. And I don't think they handled this well.
I too was mad when I first heard about this, but I put myself in Cheney's shoes and started to feel bad for him. Can you imagine shooting your friend by accident and then having to deal with all this? I am surprised the man is still sane.
Thank you. You are making my point for me that he should have been removed from all decision-making about this incident.
At the end of the day, I will agree to disagree about this whole thing, but I think my position is pretty clear. I am going to support Cheney until I find out that he shot the guy on purpose.
Why was a private citizen allowed to make a statement to the press when the White House should have been at the forefront?
And to make myself clear, my arguments have nothing to do with the event. It is the improper handling of the aftermath.