Both the mainstream media and the blogosphere are alive with banter regarding Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of a friend this past weekend. Cheney defenders seek to trivialize the whole affair. Cheney detractors are launching missives from all directions.
Whatever your opinion on the situation, Dick Cheney and his staff have proven to be their own worst enemies. By not coming forward immediately with news of the situation, they have opened the Veep to a veil of suspicion. Matters are made worse by the very fact that much of what Mr. Cheney has done in the past few years has been shrouded in secrecy too.
Remove Cheney's name from the whole affair and there would still be an air of suspicion. Anytime someone is not forthcoming with the true facts of any given situation, the natural response is to wonder why someone is not being open about the matter. It immediately seems as if they're trying to hide something.
It's like the child that accidentally breaks mom's favorite vase. If the child immediately reports the incident to mom, there's usually less recrimination other than a stern lecture on being more careful next time. However, if nothing is said and mom later discovers the broken vase herself, then not only is the child in trouble for breaking the antique BUT also for not being straightforward about it.
And this is the same kind of situation Cheney finds himself in today. By not coming forward in a timely manner, he has opened himself up to all sorts of speculation. Was he drunk at the time which would make him criminally negligent? Were there other facts that caused the Veep to hold back on the truth for nearly 24 hours?
We'll probably never know. What we do know is that the whole situation was mostly likely a tragic accident and the media hailstorm Cheney and the nation is enduring is his own damn fault!
Whatever your opinion on the situation, Dick Cheney and his staff have proven to be their own worst enemies. By not coming forward immediately with news of the situation, they have opened the Veep to a veil of suspicion. Matters are made worse by the very fact that much of what Mr. Cheney has done in the past few years has been shrouded in secrecy too.
Remove Cheney's name from the whole affair and there would still be an air of suspicion. Anytime someone is not forthcoming with the true facts of any given situation, the natural response is to wonder why someone is not being open about the matter. It immediately seems as if they're trying to hide something.
It's like the child that accidentally breaks mom's favorite vase. If the child immediately reports the incident to mom, there's usually less recrimination other than a stern lecture on being more careful next time. However, if nothing is said and mom later discovers the broken vase herself, then not only is the child in trouble for breaking the antique BUT also for not being straightforward about it.
And this is the same kind of situation Cheney finds himself in today. By not coming forward in a timely manner, he has opened himself up to all sorts of speculation. Was he drunk at the time which would make him criminally negligent? Were there other facts that caused the Veep to hold back on the truth for nearly 24 hours?
We'll probably never know. What we do know is that the whole situation was mostly likely a tragic accident and the media hailstorm Cheney and the nation is enduring is his own damn fault!
My favorite joke on the hunting accident:
ReplyDeleteGuns don't shoot people, Dick Cheney shoots people.
LOL!
Just watched the interview. Best part is when Brit Hume asked the veep if he remembered whether he got the bird or not.
ReplyDelete(For the record, his answer was no; maybe one of the outriders - these guys don't bother to flush their own game - picked it up for him. Maybe he can have it stuffed and give it to Harry as a memento from this unforgettable trip.)
I think this administration is just accustomed to doing everything in secret, and thinking of the general public as a bunch of peons who don't need to know. Even if they aren't hiding anything, I think keeping this incident a secret was just a reflex, just standard operating procedure.
ReplyDelete