Are You For Real?

How the hell can you be the victim of buckshot, even if accidental, get out of the hospital, mind you, after suffering a mild heart attack as a direct result of being impaled by buckshot and apologize to the person who landed you in this situation? Well if your name is Harry Whittington you have no problem doing so.

I couldn't believe the video footage I was watching today as Whittington all bruised up, with a black and blue face, kissed Dick Cheney's ass on national TV. He apologized for what Dick Cheney has had to go through the past week while he was in the hospital full of buckshot. Maybe he won't feel so sorry for Cheney when he has to explain his situation everytime the metal detector goes off when he's traveling at the airport or if more shrapnel travels into his heart or other vital body organs. Oh, but wait, he's a wealthy, old White guy, so he probably has his own airplane. Maybe the government gave him enough money as a result of this accident for him to buy his own plane if he doesn't already have one. But the more likely scenario is that he got something worth more than a simple monitary pay off, I think it would be more likely he got something like shares of stock in some billion dollar company. He's a lawyer, so maybe he was promised some kind of powerful political position in the state of Texas or beyond. Ok, my imagination is going wild now, maybe he didn't receive anything, but why else would he kiss Cheney's ass on TV?

Sorry, but if it were me, I'd be pretty pissed off, even if it was an accident and even if we were friends, which is how Whittington played it up for the public. He basically said, shit happens and you have to understand the sport of hunting to know what I'm talking about. Well I have never been hunting and have never even touched a real gun/rifle, but I know when something sounds sketchy and this sounds well, SKETCHY! Whittington is no doubt a part of an "Old Boys Club", just like Cheney is, so he's just honoring a code of the club and not hanging Cheney out to dry because he's the Vice President of these here United States. Another shady part to how this event unfolded was the inconsistency in the initial reporting. At first, Whittington took all the blame for the accident when the ranch owner, Kathy Armstrong who was apparently also a witness, said that Whittington didn't follow Quail hunting protocol by informing Cheney he was close by. Later, when Cheney finally spoke, he said that he himself was the one responsible for what happened on that day. Well to me it sounds like someone told Cheney, "This is a very charged event and the press is running wild with it. You can't blame the old guy who's still in the hospital for this incident, the American public won't go for that. I think you better tell them that it was your fault." (OK, I have been watching a little too much Commander In Chief.....LOL) I think it was just face and that Cheney ultimately still feels that he wasn't really to blame. Everything these days is about being politically correct and I think Cheney blaming himself is an example of this. What do others think?

I also have a suspicion that Cheney and the Ol' boys may have been drinking, while or prior to going out to hunt. There are rumors of this, which could certainly explain why he didn't want to deal with the press himself. Of course there could be multiple reasons, but this is in the realm of possibility. Maybe Cheney was drunk, he looks like a Whisky kind of guy. Maybe he had a little Southern Comfort before going out on the range. None the less, it was a bad situation made worse by the (mis)handling of informing his boss and the American public.

It was also interesting that Cheney didn't even have the proper permit to be hunting at that time. After this little fact was leaked to the media, he sent in a $7 check for the permit. Hmmmm.....so that means he broke the law, even if it was a minor breaking of the law, he still did it. This is the Vice President of the United States here, not just some hick in Texas. This is the very man who, next to President Bush is held on a pedestal for being an example of greatness, which includes honesty, integrity and abiding by laws, even the small, simple ones. I don't mean to nit pick, but this is an administration who pushes a conservative Christian, morality -based agenda, where honesty and integrity are important values, though with every passing day, they seem to counter these values with their poor leadership. I have never seen a leadership style that used a "do as I say, not as I do" philosophy be effective and I don't think this administration will be the exception.

The bottom line for me is, I just don't get why a victim would apologize to the perpetrator, especially if they suffered adverse health consequences as a direct result of the incident. But I'm guessing Whittington got something real nice from Cheney for his pain and suffering or else he wouldn't be so cordial about it publicly. Friendship and camaraderie only goes so far. I'm sure though, that even if Whittington would have kicked the bucket, Cheney would have gotten off with no real consequences, because of who he is and that must be a damn good feeling!