Guns Don't Shoot People; Dick Cheney Shoots People

The gang that couldn't shoot straight takes its act on the road, and the most dangerous man in Washington DC shows he is also the most dangerous man in South Texas:

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a prominent Austin, Tex., lawyer on Saturday while the two men were quail hunting in South Texas, firing a shotgun at the man while trying to aim for a bird, a member of the hunting party said.

Mr. Cheney, a practiced hunter, shot the lawyer, Harry Whittington, on an outing at the Armstrong Ranch in South Texas. Mr. Whittington, 78, was taken by helicopter to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition in the intensive care unit on Sunday, according to Michele Trevino, a hospital spokeswoman.

The Times even provides a motive for the attempted assassination:

In 1999, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, named Mr. Whittington to head the Texas Funeral Service Commission, which licenses and regulates funeral directors and embalmers in the state. When he was named, a former executive director of the commission, Eliza May, was suing the state, saying that she had been fired because she investigated a funeral home chain that was owned by a friend of Mr. Bush.

The suit was settled in 2001, but the details were not disclosed. Mr. Whittington still serves in the position.

If I. Lewis Libby had not been forced to resign, Dick Cheney would not have had to get his hands dirty with this.

More background on the Texas Funeral Service Commission here.

UPDATE:  Some coverage of the cover-up. 

Comments

[Lou Grunt]

Seriously, it is possible to create a parody of the media more hilarious than their actual actions?

[clarice]

No. It isn't. I wouldn't even know how to start. Gregory and Moran have to be the biggest a**holes in the country with Milbanks a close second after his wacko Olbermann appearance in orange hunting gear.

I figure every WH presser, the Reps go up another point in public opinion polls.

[Syl]

I watched the presser. They're nuts. I did a thing over at YARGB about it.

But the incident itself is funny. Sheeesh. And some of the jokes going around are pretty good, even if it isn't us that are making them.

I think we should simply laugh about it and let those who are outraged and those who are calling for Cheney's resignation hear our laughter too. They take themselves way too seriously.

[richard mcenroe]

And it's Turkey Season...

[Mescalero]

Autos don't drown young women, Teddy Kennedy drowns young women! Not only that, Teddy hides under mommy Rose's skirt while Arthur Schlesinger, jr. and the archdiocese of Boston cover up his transgressions against the American people!

[maryrose]

richard mcenroe Good link-Milbank does look a partisan clown- Let them laugh now-we will have the last laugh in November. One reporter actually asked if Cheney should resign! Talk about clueless journalists-no wonder the story was given to a new reporter on the Corpus Christi paper instead of these vultures.

[kim]

One of the main purposes of regulating a militia was to enforce fire discipline more to diminish friendly fire casualties than for effect on the enemy.
================================

[topsecretk9]

McEnroe
Apparently Journo 101 has made drastic changes, rule one BECOME the story and employ every tactic possible including costumes, bullhorns, yelling, tantrums...whatever it takes to deflect all interest in the original subject and ALL eyes are on you.

[ed]

Hmmm.

Perhaps someone should ask those MSM Gatekeepers of Freedom when they're planning on publishing those cartoons.

[MayBee]

Hearing Dick Cheney shot someone was my own personal 9/11 moment. It was that big. And like 9/11, there was a coverup. I'm an outraged citizen, but I sleep better at night knowing that David Gregory is fighting for my 32nd Amendment Right to Know.

[Daddy]

Wonder if Joe Wilson's paying attention?

News reports say the victim, Harry Whitington, claims he was sent on this hunting expedition at Dick Cheney's "Behest".

[epphan]

If Dick Cheney wanted you dead, you'd be dead. You always have to take them alive...so you can torture the information out of them.

[TexasToast]

It's interesting that they are still blaming the victim - Whittington walked up from behind them and was "beside" them when it happened. Whittington was "at fault" only for not insisting that the party wait for him to retrieve the bird he had shot before they moved on.

Apparently, Mr. Cheney wheeled and fired his gun to the side (if not to the rear) and thats a no no. Its the shooter's responsibility to make sure no one is in the line of fire - Cheney obviously did not do so.

Moreover, the reports I heard said that they took 40 pellets out of Whittington - that seems to be too much for 30 yards away - a pattern that tight indicates a choked gun at close range.

Apparently, Mr Whitting ton and Mr Cheney are very lucky that this is just an embarrassment - a pattern that tight in a slightly different place could have killed the man.

[Cecil Turner]

Mr. Cheney wheeled and fired his gun to the side (if not to the rear) and thats a no no.

Probably explains why you do all that side-to-side practice on the trap range, eh? So you'll know not to do it in real life?

a pattern that tight indicates a choked gun at close range.

Don't bird hunt much, do we? Seriously, TT, if you don't understand a subject, don't hold forth on it.

[TexasToast]

Ya got me Cecil, I haven't been bird hunting in 20 years - but I was taught safe gun handling - including the rules about knowing where your buddies are before you shoot.

Tell me how the tight pattern makes sense at 30 yards with a shotgun?

[Dwilkers]

You gotta love all the bird hunting experts popping up to tell us you don't follow the bird to the side with your shotgun. You'd have a helluva time ever shooting one that way.

I was talking to a guy yesterday that was holding forth about how they weren't real hunters because they were driving up, spotting them, getting out of the car and shooting them. He'd read a single sentence of a media report and that's sure the way it sounded to him. Seriously, he thought they just drove around, spotted them, then got out and walked over and shot them - and he was holding forth about how much he knows about quail hunting.

Anyway. Its Cheney's fault no matter what - he was behind the gun. I'm sure he knows that quite well.

And I sure as hell am glad he didn't kill the guy if for no other reason then we'd be hearing conspiracy theories about it for the rest of our lives.

[Cecil Turner]

Tell me how the tight pattern makes sense at 30 yards with a shotgun?

Not enough information, but I doubt it's all that tight. If it's a standard load of number 9 birdshot, it'd probably have more than 500 pellets . . . getting hit by 40 indicates a fairly wide pattern with Mr Whittington at the edge. If it's a load of BB's, he'd have taken ~ 80% of the total load (and would no longer be with us). I suspect it's something in the middle, but more toward the former.

Further, the term "choked gun" is meaningless. Pretty much all shotguns are "choked"; you have to specify which type of choke (e.g., Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, or Full--there are others for serious shooters) to indicate the dispersion. Besides, your contention is silly . . . if Mr Whittington had taken a full load of shot at close range, he'd be the late Mr Whittington. Here's a good depiction (warning: a bit graphic).

[TexasToast]

As Cecil ever so politely reminded me - I should just link to Talkleft .

[Cecil Turner]

Well, that was interesting. I'm surprised to see a 28 GA in use . . . that's a rare gun (and usually only shot by experts). The lawyer is probably wrong about the choke, however . . . with a smaller gun you typically choose a tighter choke (to preserve range). Regardless, his conclusion is obviously flawed:

Dick came within a few inches of blowing this guy’s head off, because the pattern at 5 or 10 yards would only be 10 or 20 inches across.

A pattern 10-20 inches across that hits someone in the face, neck, and chest? Then obviously he must've caught the middle of it, eh? No, only about 10% of the shot? Tell me how that works (hint: it doesn't).

[topsecretk9]

t's interesting that they are still blaming the victim - Whittington

Nope, that is the news media's description. A truthful explanation happens to detail Mr. Whittington making a MISTAKE, but liberals have an intense need to ASSIGN BLAME especially if they get to assign it to Cheney.

Accidents happen, people know this, liberals have once again overshot their wad.

[Sue]

Are people crazy? I went to Texas Toast's link at Talk Left. One of the posters compared what happened with Cheney to Uday/Qusay shooting Iraqis in the Tigris River. I swear, the left gets loonier by the day. The local sherrif was notified. An ambulance was called to take Mr. Whittington to not one but 2 different hospitals. Some conspiracy...

[Sue]

Sheriff...bad typepad...bad....

[clarice]

What an astonishingly lot of ink and air on this--I get it, Cheney's evil, guns are evil, not giving the story to the msm first is eveil--ergo....

[boris]

Bird hunting like pheasant, partridge and especially quail is the quickdraw of sport hunting. The details available so far sound like a genuine accident to me. (Full disclosure, I actually have some frozen partridge and pheasant in my freezer).

Cheney should not have tracked and fired outside his immediate field of view, but it's an easy mistake to make hunting birds. They move fast. Knowing the position of anybody within range is very important to avoid accidents and failing to make one's presense known is a contributing factor.

[cathyf]

Here's one to hang your tinfoil hat on. Apparently Mr. Whittington is at the center of a major eminent domain case in Austin (scroll down to "Overdue Process"). So maybe Cheney is escalating? Schmoozing with Scalia didn't work, so now he figures he has to shoot those who would stand in the way of the Bushitler McHalliburton government takings?

Things that make you go "Hmmmm...."

cathy :-)

[clarice]

At R/S/S/'s suggestion, Cheney is making nice to the WH press corps. He's invited Helen Thomas, Gregory and Moran to go quail hunting.

[Sue]

ABC news is reporting Mr. Whittington has been returned to ICU. Another thing that makes you go hmmm...

[topsecretk9]

Sue

That's weird, I just read where he is just being moved out of ICU (he's been there the whole time)

[Sue]

TSK9,

Even weirder...ABC is now reporting they are waiting on him being released from the hospital. Who knows? This is MSM we are talking about...you know...the big guys...

[topsecretk9]

Sue
This would be a moment for the MSM to seek a little medical advice themselves (can we get a special prescription valuim drug plan for David Gregory and his ship of fools stat?)

[Dwilkers]

Lol. That talkleft link is cute.

Aside from the usual loony-toon comments, the purpose of the post appears to be to establish that Ms. Armstrong is wrong about the distance between Cheney and the guy that took the pellet dusting. They may very well be right, although that guy's estimation of shot pattern is so heavily dependant on the shell type and equipment as to be a wild guess - as he all but outright admits.

Estimating distance like that isn't that easy and based on the account I read I suspect Ms. Armstrong was sitting in the truck while watching them - so she would have been looking at their backs from a distance and estimating distance isn't that easy in any case.

She says about 30 yards, he (the talk left guy) says more likely 10-15. Well by all means let the impeachment begin!

[Dwilkers]

I should have read Cecil before I posted.

"A pattern 10-20 inches across that hits someone in the face, neck, and chest? Then obviously he must've caught the middle of it, eh? No, only about 10% of the shot? Tell me how that works (hint: it doesn't)."

Good catch.

[maryrose]

Once again this is much ado about nothing. This must be a slow news day if this is all they can talk about. Iran started their nuclear program up again yesterday and this is all we can talk about? Sheesh!

[Sue]

TSK9,

I think Dana Priest (??) of the WaPo should be first in line. Followed by Gregory. And hook 'em up to an IV, that way the drug will work faster. Sheesh...

[Sue]

McClellan today...the National Champion Texas Longhorns will be at the WH today. They are wearing orange because it is the school color, not because Cheney is in attendance.

::grin::

[Sue]

Dana Milbank. I knew Priest didn't sound right...

[topsecretk9]

Okay I'm convinced

after 27 "Cheney broke the law" headlines because he didn't have the $7 duck stamp, the NYT's, in ME TOO world, wrote an editorial - an editorial people, Nedra Pickler is on her 52nd Update...

It's Rovian plot. The knew the media would glom onto this like stink on you know what. Like Brittany, he did it again. He's brilliant I tell you.

[Clyde]

Wonder how long it'll take the moonbats to call for Cheney's impeachment because he didn't have the $7 bird stamp?

[Sue]

TSK9,

Tell me, Top, if you wanted to distract the MSM away from the Katrina reports, what better way than have the VP shoot someone...

[cue scary music]

[topsecretk9]

HAH, Scott McCellan to Gregory- I know you want this to be about you David, but it's not!

LOVE IT. LOVE IT. Presidential Presser --- Reporter BECOMES the story.

Love it. I'm sure that Rosen is in a huff over this Journalism 101 gaffe ...NOT!

[TM]

If Dick Cheney wanted you dead, you'd be dead.

Let's get one thing straight - the only reason Whittington was still conscious was Cheney didn't want to carry him.

[The Unbeliever]

Per #11--Dick Cheney doesn’t miss quail. If he didn’t hit one, it’s because he was shooting at a lawyer an undetermined distance away.

[Dwilkers]

HAH! Good one TM.

Here's mine:

Question: What were the first words out of Dick Cheney's mouth when he shot his hunting partner while shooting at a quail?

Answer: "Someone get my quail."

[The Unbeliever]

Or, as noted elsewhere, "Don't think of it as Dick Cheney shooting a friend in a hunting accident. Think of it instead as Dick Cheney only winging a laywer."

[clarice]

Michelle Mlakin notes it took only 18 hours to report the peppering of this lawyer and 30 hours to report the death of Clinton's WH counsel.

[topsecretk9]

and hey 9 hours before Ted even just went to the Police, and 2 days to the media, so I'm pretty impressed with this scandal so far.

[maryrose]

TS
Love the comments at the presser. Smackdown by McClelland who obviously is tired of being msm's whipping boy.

[Sue]

Seems like Mr. Whittington is in worse shape than previously thought. I think I will stop with the jokes...

[maryrose]

Never any satisfactory explanation for Clinton White House counsel's death and still no reason for cleaning out all the files and removing all evidence.

[Sue]

I realize the hook now...