McClellan: Bush Told About Texas Shooting Saturday--But Not Cheney's Role

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001995823

Reporters at White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's Monday morning press "gaggle" peppered him with questions about the 18-hour delay in any word emerging on Vice President Cheney's shooting incident in Texas on Saturday.

McClellan explained that the White House knew about the accidental shooting of a fellow hunter on Saturday night, but deferred to the vice president's office, which did not announce it. The vice president's office in turn deferred to Katharine Armstrong, the ranch owner in Texas where the shooting took place. She called a Corpus Christi reporter at midday Sunday and only then did the news come out.

McClellan also said Monday, according to The Associated Press, that "Bush and senior aides were told Saturday night by the staff of the White House Situation Room that somebody in the Cheney's hunting party was shot, but he said he was not told until Sunday morning that Cheney was the shooter. He said he contacted the vice president's office and everyone agreed they needed to get the information to the public quickly."

Reviewing the late-morning press briefing today, the National Journal's Hotline site said that reporters reacted with "astonishment" to McClellan's admission about not knowing about Cheney's role in the shooting until Sunday. It noted that McClellan did everything possible to imply that the responsibility for any bungling resides in the vice president's office.

[liveoaktx]

1. VIDEO-Selections from White House Press Briefing

When did the President know?

[0007]

6. Amazing....waiting for more details, eh?

[JeffR]

2. everyone agreed they needed to get the information to the public quickly

Uh huh. Sure they did.

[RamboLiberal]

4. I think there was drinking involved

Not saying Cheney was drunk, but I'd bet there was some social drinking at lunch and Secret Service protected Cheney's butt from the sheriff asking for an alchohol test. In this kind of incident Cheney should've been tested for alchohol, and with a firearm there should be NO Drinking.

[Punkingal]

3. The White House "deferred" to the ranch owner????

They don't even defer to the laws of the land....since when is it believable they would defer to anyone????:banghead:

[endarkenment]

5. Ah - now I get it.

"McClellan explained that the White House knew about the accidental shooting of a fellow hunter on Saturday night, but deferred to the vice president's office, which did not announce it. The vice president's office in turn deferred to Katharine Armstrong, the ranch owner in Texas where the shooting took place. She called a Corpus Christi reporter at midday Sunday and only then did the news come out."

So until Ms. Armstrong had gotten to everybody on the ranch with the official story about what happened the day before, everyone shut up. Only then was the event reported. So how much alcohol had been consumed on hunt day?

How much booze was in the victims blood? That ought to reflect pretty well on just what sort of hunting party Cheney was attending. That ought to be in the hospital records.

[0007]

7. The real Headline. A drunk Richard Cheney shoots his drunk buddy

quail escaped unscratched.

[applegrove]

8. Bubble boy!

[patricia92243]

9. Can you imagine being told that someone you knew was in a

hunting party and that someone was shot. I know I would be asking a million questions about it and therefore know who, what where, when the shooting took place.

In my wildest imagination, I cannot imagine Bush being told that Cheney was in that hunting party and Bush not getting ALL the details of it - up to and including who did the shooting.

But, this was the man that didn't know (or lied about it) that Cheney had had another heart attack. Remember that? It was the first lie or incompetence that I remember about Bush.

[tanyev]

10. There's no real need for Bush to be informed. What's he going to do?

Just like on 9/11.