(When: at a press conference in the not-too-distant future. In light of recent frustrations voiced by NBC White House correspondent David Gregory about the White House's infuriating reticence regarding the Dick Cheney shooting, Vice President Cheney himself issues a public statement. Contratimes was there.)
Vice President Cheney (VP): Ladies and gentlemen of the press, Good Morning!
Everyone in attendance: Good morning!
VP: First, I will offer a complete statement on the events of February 11, 2006, surrounding the accident in which I shot a dear friend and fellow hunter, Harry Whittington. I will take your questions after I have finished my --
David Gregory (DG): Mr. President! Mr. President! I --
VP: As I said, David, I will answer your questions in a moment. First, let me begin by saying how deeply sorry I am all this has happened. I wish Harry a speedy and complete recovery. Mrs. Cheney and I are sleepless with grief over this matter ...
(At this point, the Vice President offers a thorough explanation of the incident, including the strong sidelighting due to the low sun as sunset approached, the thickness of the brush from which the quail flushed, and his reaction to the bloodied friend, whom he thought he had initially killed.)
VP: Please realize that Mr. Whittington initially appeared gravely wounded. The profusion of blood, and the situation of being miles from a hospital, compounded our initial reactions; it was difficult to ascertain whether Mr. Whittington was going to survive. As a result of that uncertainty, based at it was on the direct hit and Mr. Whittington's age, it was decided, among all of us in the Administration, that no public notice would be made until Mr. Whittington's next of kin were notified, and not until relations could meet him at the hospital. Had we prematurely announced details of the mishap, we did not want -- and you all know how this can happen -- we did not want the hospital to become a media staging area, a media circus, so to speak, that might hinder Mr. Whittington's family from being at his side due to an aggressive media presence. Once it was determined that Mr. Whittington's life was not in jeopardy, and once his most intimate relations were able to be with him, we made details available to the press. Lastly, it is our contention that only Mr. Whittington and his family had the sole legal right to inform the public as to his medical condition. We let him and his family control the release of many of the details about the incident.
Unfortunately, having heard today that Mr. Whittington's health has deteriorated on the very day his condition had earlier improved, we have learned that our confidence in our initial announcements was overly optimistic. Now, for your questions.
DG: Mr. Vice President, with all due respect sir, your statement appears to have 'control' written all over it. Are you at all aware of how this statement appears to the American people, that you are trying to control how this shooting is reported?
VP: David, I have stated the facts plainly, and you have before --
DG: The facts, yes, but the facts according to whom? With all due respect sir, the source of the facts is you, and you are, or so many Americans feel that you are, known to prefer a private, opaque administration. Do you not see how your words today reinforces Americans' view that you want to control this story?
VP: Well, David, as you have just heard, I have tried to control this story by no other means than by being transparent and truthful. There is nothing I am hiding or reluctant to discuss, though I am reluctant to discuss ad infinitum what I've already presented as the facts in the case --
DG: That, sir, is fine, but you are evading the question, which is whether you had been drinking on Saturday afternoon --
(The transcript abruptly ends here)
©Bill Gnade 2006/Contratimes - All Rights Reserved.
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