This weekend Dick Cheney became only the 2nd Vice President since Aaron Burr to shoot a man. Aaron Burr, however, killed Alexander Hamilton intentionally. To hear the media spin, however, not only was Cheney’s hunting accident intentional but a deliberate cover-up on the part of the White House.
Over the weekend, Cheney and friend Harry Whittington were on a hunting trip in South Texas. During the hunt Whittington found himself in the line of fire as Cheney fired on nearby quail. Whittington was peppered with birdshot in the face in chest. According to doctors, Whittington’s injuries are minor and he is in stable condition. Nonetheless, the fact that the public was not informed of this mishap for 24hrs has given rise to suggestions of a cover-up. As White House spokesman, Scott McClellan pointed out, Cheney was not traveling with the press corps during his trip and informing the press was not his highest priority as they sought treatment for Whittington.
Certainly its not everyday that the Vice President of the United States guns down a man, but is the press fury warranted? It is difficult to palate a suggestion of cover-up when Cheney and company immediately sought medical attention for their wounded friend. Something which could not be easily concealed even if it had been attempted, which it certainly wasn’t. Is the Vice president under some legal or moral obligation to issue a press release after an accident irrelevant to his duties as Vice President?
The press uproar surrounding this unfortunate accident is much ado about nothing, highlighting an ongoing campaign by the left leaning press to taint the administration by any and all possible means. Fortunately for Cheney, Whittington’s injuries were minor, had that not been the case, Cheney would have far more in common with Aaron Burr.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2039094,00.html
