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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Vice President Cheney

In keeping with my recent trend of copying stuff I wrote on other people's sites and reposting it here, I am, with some modest modifications, reposting something I said on Snave's site, Various Miseries.

"In response to those who, even jokingly, have broached the possibility that this was an intentional shooting, I find it difficult to believe that if Cheney really wanted Mr. Whittington dead, he would never have been found, and he certainly would not have begun receiving some of the best medical care available in the area as soon as was possible after the incident.

"As far as hunting accidents go, getting peppered with buckshot is not an uncommon one, especially when hunting small game. Similar accidents have happened in the San Diego area in recent years, and probably in virtually every area where small game is hunted. While this is a serious accident, that article outlines two incidents where the outcome was far worse. Furthermore, what I find absolutely shocking about those two incidents is that a high-ranking government official was not involved in them and that the world news media were not all over them. In the final analysis, how important is this to the daily life of the average American? Not much."

I have to admit that I feel very bad for not only Mr. Whittington, but also for Vice President Cheney, and both men's families. This must be a very difficult time for all parties concerned. It isn't just hunting where little accidents can have huge, sometimes tragic, consequences. From everything I've seen thusfar, the evidence points to just that: an accident. I wish Mr. Whittington a speedy and full recovery, and I wish Vice President Cheney a long, happy life, and one far where he's far away from wherever I am at the time if he decides to go hunting.

8 comments:

Sheryl said...

Don't worry. I don't actually think it was intentional.

As far as feeling sorry for Cheney, however, it would be a lot easier if he weren't such a completely evil man.

I think it would be very ironic, in fact, if someone who has profiteered over the death of thousands upon thousands of innocent people would find his political demise in something that is as benign as this. That's how it often works. People get away with murder and put away on parking tickets.

Like that mafia guy who they got for income tax evasion. OK, maybe that is wishful thinking on my part, but I certainly won't spill any tears on Cheney's behalf, that's for damn sure.

Mandelbrot's Chaos said...

As I stated above, I really think this incident is a non-issue. As far as being a completely evil man, barring more evidence, I would hesitate to form that simplistic an opinion.

I've stated all along my belief that the war in Iraq was both justified and necessary. My problem is with the way the war was waged, and I certainly feel it could have and should have been waged more effectively. But all in all, I believe it was worth it to remove Saddam Hussein, and a recent poll of Iraqis agrees with me. For the rest of that, I defer to a much better post on this topic by Jeff Weintraub.

I'm curious to see the basis for your opinion of Vice President Cheney, and wonder if it's based on his actions, your ideology, some combination of the two, or something completely different.

Snave said...

I have a low opinion of Cheney and most of the Bush administration, and I admit it's based mostly on my ideology. I'm certainly not a person with PNAC-driven political beliefs, as Cheney and his friends seem to be. I also don't like the fundamentalist religion thing the GOP has going at present, but I do believe that Cheney isn't one of the hardcore fundamentalists, that that stuff is more of a Bush thing.

One thing I can say I really dislike about Cheney is his style, and that is based around his penchant for secrecy. Of course the thing that comes to my mind first is the make-up of his "energy" committee... it appears it was made up of corporate types and big oil execs, and that no equal time was given to the other end of the spectrum. Of course we may never know for sure just who was there and what went on. But I don't believe Cheney is really too interested in getting us off the fossil fuel habit. He is an oil man, and I believe his idea of "energy" is more drilling. Alternatives to that approach would cost the oil industry too much money, and their profits would decrease. Such an outlook on Cheney's part might not represent evil or bad intent as much as it might represent an inability to see things any other way. I wouldn't even call that ignorant... I would more likely call it a narrow-minded approach to the world. But to me, that is just as dangerous as having bad intent: he would believe the way he sees things is truly the right, or absolute way.

I'm on record numerous times as saying I don't believe the war in Iraq was really justified or necessary. I feel Cheney had a big part in the U.S. invading Iraq, and in convincing millions of America that Saddam and Osama were good buddies and in cahoots. I agree that a side-benefit of the Iraq adventure was the removal of Saddam Hussein, and I believe the Iraqis will eventually be grateful to us for that. Still, I don't like to see the United States invading other countries without provocation, and I still believe we should have done much more in Afghanistan and concentrated our efforts there while also concerning ourselves with countries we knew already had nuclear weapons, rather than invading one we THOUGHT PROBABLY had the capacity to develop such weapons... but that's getting away from the issue of Cheney.

I don't like overly-secretive government, I don't like the dollar being the most important focus in all things, I don't like nation-building and empire-building, and I don't like powerful people who tend to be stumbling blocks in our country's progress toward alternative fuel source development. And I'm scared of people who are so intensely focused on their own position and how to use their power that they fail to see or consider other possibilities. Thus, as Cheney meets those criteria in my lefty mind, I don't like Cheney.

I also wish Mr. Whittington a full and speedy recovery. I also wish a long, happy life for Mr. Cheney. But as for Cheney's political career? I think a quick and merciful end to that would be nice, and might possibly be good for America. Heh!

Mandelbrot's Chaos said...

I agree that Cheney should be out of office, but I don't think this is the proper excuse. I really think it would've been better for everyone, including himself, if Cheney had not been on the Bush ticket in 2004. From what little I know of his health, less stress would be better for him, and even the Vice-Presidency, especially in the Bush (43) White House, is a stressful job.

Mandelbrot's Chaos said...

Well, American, it isn't so much that Republican hunters regularly season each other as it is that sometimes, stupid mistakes happen. In this case, it just happened to involve a Republican Vice President.

Snave said...

I would imagine that most hunters in the area I live are likely to vote Republican, and while there are hunting accidents each year, none of them ever seem to be intentional. Alcohol does tend to play a role...

With the meds I take, I know I can definitely feel the effects of one pint of stout. I take stuff for blood pressure, cholesterol and OCD. I don't know what kind of meds Cheney is on, if any, but if he has a heart problem he might have to take something for it. He had one beer? This is just me, but I sure wouldn't want to pick up a loaded weapon after drinking a beer, knowing how quickly and easily I get inebriated. I might be laughing my ass off as I unintentionally fired into a friend! Urrgh.

1138 said...

So, we remove have a country that goes through the hurdles of trying to remove a President for lieing about a private matter -but- a V.P. shooting a man does not rise to the same level.

Bizarro World

Mandelbrot's Chaos said...

1138, you left out an important part of the Bill Clinton story. The impeachment was not about lying about a private matter. The impeachment was about lying UNDER OATH about a matter. It's those two words, "under oath", that transformed it from a man trying, rather incompetently, to hide a booty call from his wife into a crime, specifically, perjury. As for me, I'd've been far happier if President Clinton had said, "It's none of your fucking business, you randy cunt. If you want to know about sex, rent a porno," to his questioner, but instead, he chose to lie under oath. I never wanted to know if or when Bill Clinton had been given a blowjob, though at least I'm comforted by the knowledge that it wasn't by his harpy of a wife. Allow me a moment to dispose of that rather disturbing mental image.

Moving on, the case with Vice President Cheney was clearly an accident, and there is no indication that it was anything other than such. He may have waited a day or two longer than others may have liked, but he was actually honest about what occurred. Since no crime occurred, this did not constitute grounds for impeachment. In order for the requirement of "high crimes and misdemeanors" to be fulfilled, the person in question must have actually committed a high crime or misdemeanor. Perjury is such an instance. A hunting accident isn't.