You Can Think That All You Want, But...

So the vice president finally deemed us worthy of a report on his shooting accident. Sure, he chose Republican-friendly Fox News as his venue, but hey, he's finally talking right?? He said all the right apology things, actually took full responsibility for the accident...then proceeded to defend his delaying any announcement of the news...of having the ranch owner call the local paper to get the "accurate" story out (then he says one of the reasons he finally spoke yesterday was to clear up some inaccuracies...that the victim had any responsibility for getting shot).

The Wash Post quotes the interview: The vice president rejected critics, including Republicans, who said the incident should have been announced promptly by the White House, rather than by the ranch owner calling a friendly local reporter the next day. "I thought that made good sense because you get as accurate a story as possible from somebody who knew and understood hunting," he said, adding: "And I thought that was the right call. . . . I still do."

Well, you can think that all you want, but you're still wrong, Mr. Vice President.

Then I see Mary Matlin on the Today Show this morning bobbing and weaving and trying to defend. Oh, calling your press secretary immediately to have them announce the news is the "conventional way," she says, and critics - like Bush I mouthpiece Marlin Fitzwater who says that should've been done - were right, she said. But the vice president was right, too, she added.

And Cheney saying the media chatter was merely jealousy by the White House press for losing the story to the Corpus Christi paper. That's a steaming load, I think. He concedes the newsworthiness of the story, that the Vice President of the United States shoots someone. But then says he was right in trying to downplay the story by having a minor player in the whole thing call only the local paper...delaying that call and any other info about the incident by almost a day. Then steadfastly not addressing it personally for four days.

If nothing else it was a PR snafu for noting getting in front of the story because the delay gave critics and comedians more time to sharpen their knives and harp on the silence in a vaccuum.

Writes Jacob Weisberg in Slate: "...American tradition, however, suggests that high officials are obliged to inform the public not just about the rare violent encounter, but also about their financial interests and the condition of their health, and above all about the workings of the government."

I think Nick Anderson's cartoon above from the Houston Chronicle hits the bullseye.

Cheney Says Shooting Was His Fault [Wash Post]
Fitzwater, Former WH Press Secretary, Blasts Handling of Cheney Shooting [Editor & Publisher]
Smoking Gun: Dick Cheney's Assault on the Public's Right to Know [Slate]