Um, whatever. I tire of the Left’s ranting about a cover-up. As I already said, the White House’s failure to say something is bad but is not indicative of a conspiracy or hidden agenda. I think personally that Cheney et al should have said something much sooner than they did. I’ve already mentioned my disgust at the Veep participating in canned hunts. I agree that it’s disconcerting that Cheney et al failed to adhere to Texas law regarding hunting licenses. I’ll even admit that Cheney et al seem to be confused about what happened, didn’t show any real interest in the fate of the victim, and have really allowed this to blow up unnecessarily through inaction, disinterest and unresponsiveness. But that’s it, folks. There’s nothing more to see, at least not yet.
The evidence to date shows poor judgment, an uncaring Veep who shot his friend and didn’t grace the public with any kind of explanation until the situation was well out of control, and reinforcement of the Bush régime’s disregard for the law. I see no evidence of a conspiracy: I see typically bad judgment. I don’t see a cover-up: I see out-of-touch officials being completely unaware of the proper action under these circumstances.
The Left rants and raves about conspiracies and cover-ups. They claim there’s more to the story. Perhaps there is, but all I see is typical administration BS. They respond late and badly to an incident. They lack sincerity when speaking about it and thereby appear to be hiding something. They demonstrate an uncaring attitude and disregard for the public and the victim. That’s all I see.
If evidence surfaces that shows something different, I’ll change my mind then. Right now, however, I’m tired of the empty drivel coming from liberals who want desperately to catch Dubya and crew in yet another unraveling national disgrace. I just don’t see it. They made several bad mistakes and have shown the same lack of good judgment that we expect from them, but I don’t see anything else despite how much the Left wants.
As for the Right…
Yes, the Veep owed us an explanation. He holds a great position of power within our country. If something happens to Bush, he’s next in line for control of the world’s most powerful nation. If he shoots someone, you bet your ass he owes us an explanation as soon as possible. He’s answerable to us — period. Remember he works for us, not Bush, and he is answerable to us in all matters regardless of how meaningless you think it might be. He shot someone, for fuck’s sake. He should have told us about it himself. He should have acted like he had a heart and showed compassion and concern; instead, he gave us the stoic version days later after the man spent a while in ICU and had a heart attack. Hello! What the hell are you thinking?
Even if we didn’t believe him, he owed it to the American public — those who elected him to his office of power. As long as I’m paying the paychecks and granting him the authority he so hastily and sloppily practices, he answers to me directly and owes me an answer when something notable happens. You know, like when he shoots someone!
And finally on the shooting itself…
It was horrific and wrong of the ranch wench to blame the recipient of the shotgun pellets. That’s inexcusably abhorrent. Cheney did the right thing by taking responsibility for it.
I have always felt that no one can be blamed for an accidental shooting except for the person holding the gun. Anyone who has ever been hunting or in law enforcement, the military, or other gun-wielding professions — and I’ve been hunting, in the military, and in one other gun-wielding profession — knows that the holder of the gun is solely responsible for ensuring the line of fire is clear of unintended targets. Pulling that trigger is only to be done when one is absolutely certain that no collateral damage is going to be done.
It’s more than laughable to think the victim might somehow be at fault for not announcing his approach. This is hunting! You don’t normally rush around shouting that you’re rushing around. That defeats the purpose, even if you’re hunting domesticated animals in a canned hunt such as this.
It was Cheney’s responsibility alone to make sure that pulling that trigger did not have unintended consequences, like the wounding of another human being. I don’t care what you think: if you’re holding the gun, you’re responsible for what gets hit. If you’re unable to ensure the safety of others, you shouldn’t be holding a weapon.
So, for both the Right and the Left, shut the fuck up already! Look at the facts before spilling your verbal diarrhea all over the place. Act on the truth and available evidence, not conjecture. You demand that of the government. Why not demand it of yourselves?