I missed "Hardball" tonight -- actually, I always miss "Hardball."  What did Matthews say, Just Karl?

 The real problem in Washington is that the administration decided to invade a foreign country with no justification beyond their own desire to do so.  Then they refuse to accept the error of having done that and insist on keeping US troops there dying a few every week, for no obvious purpose.  And, they see nothing wrong with torturing POW's in violation of the Geneva Conventions, which are part of our laws.  Then, they hold US citizens in jail, without access to legal representation, without any charges against them, for a seemingly indefinite time.  And, they capture people and ship them to other countries to be tortured.  Plus, they conduct unconstitutional wire taps of US citizens without warrants.

Am I supposed to be upset that the veep, probably drunk as a skunk, shot a fellow hunter, possibly fatally, and didn't admit it for 20 hours?  Sorry, my plate is full. I can joke about Duck Cheney, but my outrage is directed to the real crimes being committed by the administration.

Hoppy in Sacramento

He was saying how disrespectful Cheney's stonewalling was to the President.  He shot the guy on Saturday but didn't tell Bush until Monday morning.  Then he played a bunch of footage of Cheney lying to the press about Iraq, the secret energy commission, and the "bigtime" campaign comments. Matthews was saying that this is Cheney's MO with the press and wondered why Bush would allow it to become such a huge distraction.  Obviously this is no fun for Scott McClellan. If Bush is the boss, he should demand Cheney answer these questions. His guests included Dede Myers, Bob Schrum, and Bill Mahr.

I disagree.

Humans demand justice -- people should be treated equally.  We may not be able to imagine ourselves pouring over CIA intelligence estimates or being locked up as Muslim terrorists, but we sure can imagine ourselves drinking a little too much and hurting somebody.  And we wouldn't expect the local cops to say, "Sure, take it easy; we'll come back in the morning when you're all sobered up."

As Jay Leno said, tonight:  "Hey, Kevin.  Is that how the cops do it in the "hood"?

The apparent injustice of the investigation may resonate more deeply than we at first might think. 

Maybe, just maybe, the Post has seen the light and realizes that in America no man (or woman) is above the law. -  L. Johnson

Wishful thinking.  The press isn't up to the task.  They haven't been for five years.  The local paper here headlined that it was Whittington's fault; every hunter knows its the shooter's responsibility to safely acquire his target.  Therefore, it's Cheney's fault and he oughta be saying so.

Don Quixote Cheney and his sidekick Sancho Bush have demonstrated over and over again that all laws, ordinances, regulations, or rules are merely suggestions.  As they say down in Texas, "que sabe el burro del freno, cuando nunca se lo ha puesto."  (What does an ass know about a bridle when he has never worn one.) 

The sheriff says he is satisfied this was an accident.  But is that really for the sheriff to decide?  Maybe the sheriff ought to be collecting the evidence, and letting a prosecutor decide whether the case should then be presented to a grand jury.  That's what would be happening to you and me.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunting Accident and Incident Report Form contains this item ...

Under the apparent influence of intoxicants or drugs?

                     [_]Yes     [x]No     [_]Unknown

If the Sheriff was successfully put off until the following morning, so as to be incapable of forming an opinion on drug-taking, how was Jason Duke from Kingsville Parks & Wildlife office able to get access that evening to enable him to report [x]No rather than [x]Unknown? Or was he as unable as the Sheriff to assert, but inclined or persuaded to assert, what he could not know?  Has he been interviewed?  Is it relevant that Ms Armstrong used to be on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Board?

I read the accident report you linked to, and I don't think it says anything more than that the game warden spoke to Katherine Armstrong at some time before February 14 and that from what she told him concerning the appearances of Cheney and his victim, he concluded that neither man was, at the time of the shooting, "Under the apparent influence of intoxicants or drugs?"

Since there were likely many others who might have observed the men, a responsible investigation would, one would think, include their interviews (of course, they may have all departed for Washington before the game warden began his investigation).

In the 1960's, Cheney was arrested twice within a year on DUI charges.

PBS Online News Hour-Vote 2004
The Smoking Gun: Dick Cheney's Youthful Indiscretions

Mr. Johnson,

I typically enjoy your work. You offer an intriguing mix of insight and policy analysis.

I must object, however, to the headline/title of this particular entry. Perhaps you did not provide the headline/title. Perhaps not. Either way, it reads like one of those "all liberals hate George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, The White House, America, and apple pie" lines that comes straight from the Karl Rove crew and/or John P. Normanson/Jonah Goldberg.

You make a number of valid points. I ask only that you rename this entry. Surely, you and/or the TPM staff can find a catchy, yet tasteful headline/title without offering the veritable red meat of cheap debate to the Rove/Normanson/Goldberg crowd.

Again, a fine piece.

Please, just find a different tag. Packaging, for good or bad, amounts to so much in our nation. Sadly, the Madison Avenue eye-grabber on this one sends, I respectfully submit, the most incorrect of messages and simply tarnishes your otherwise fine work.

Larry's title points to a famous/infamous Cheney remark, Ira.  It's witty in its way and better, says a lot about Cheney's character, his personality, and his view of just how limited the citizenry's right to know what its government is doing is.

    How long before Cheney is charged with a crime? When he got foul with Leahy did he disturb the peace? Is he familiar with obstruction of justice?
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/PE/content/htm/pe.009.00.000042.00.htm

PENAL CODE

TITLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLICORDER AND DECENCY

CHAPTER 42. DISORDERLY CONDUCT ANDRELATED OFFENSES§ 42.01.  DISORDERLY CONDUCT.  (a)  A person commits an
offense if he intentionally or knowingly:
  (1)  uses abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar
language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance
tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;
  (2)  makes an offensive gesture or display in a public
place, and the gesture or display tends to incite an immediate
breach of the peace;

(9)  discharges a firearm on or across a public road;

Where did the accident occur?

     § 42.062.  INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY TELEPHONE
CALL.  (a)  An individual commits an offense if the individual
knowingly prevents or interferes with another individual's ability
to place an emergency telephone call or to request assistance in an
emergency from a law enforcement agency, medical facility, or other
agency or entity the primary purpose of which is to provide for the
safety of individuals.

    Guide to Texas Law http://www.weblocator.com/attorney/tx/law/c13.html#txc131700
    By itself, intoxication is not a defense to a crime. In rare cases, intoxication works like a defense, if there is proof that the person accused of the crime was unable to form the necessary intent to commit a crime. Someone who is intoxicated may not be found guilty of a crime that requires he or she acted intentionally, but the intoxicated person may be guilty of another crime that does not require intentional actions.

    Obstruction of Justice is interference in one of the three branches of government. Obstruction of justice can take many forms, including assaulting a process server, improperly influencing a juror, stealing or altering a record of process, and obstructing a criminal investigation by officers of a financial institution...... A person who intentionally aids or advises another in committing a crime may be guilty of aiding and abetting, and may be criminally liable for the acts of the other person, as well.

Aggravated Assault
    Under Texas law, assault is a misdemeanor; however, assault becomes the more serious crime of aggravated assault if the offender uses a firearm or other deadly weapon, the assault causes serious bodily injury, the assault is in retaliation against a witness or informant, or the assault is against a government employee acting in his or her official capacity. Generally, assault is defined as intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly injuring or threatening to injure a person or the person's spouse.

    Davis H. Safavian Indicted on Charges of Obstruction... former chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA), 

 Are Cheneys fingerprints on this case to? A serial obstructionist?

I am beginning to wonder whether the media has jumped on this story with reckless abandon because they are simply letting their natural anti-Bush bias show through, or they are upset with themselves that they got scooped by a tiny Texas newspaper.  We all know reporters regularly accompany President Bush to his Crawford, TX ranch.  Why was there nobody with Vice President Cheney on his hunting trip?  If there were, the story would have broken immediately.  Blame the press every bit as much as Cheney in this case.

There is no press pack with Cheney, unlike with the President.

The scooped bit is a joke right??

You're joking, right? 

 I respectfully submit, the most incorrect of messages and simply tarnishes your otherwise fine work.

Those were the words the vice president used on the floor of the US Senate to insult a US Senator.  The tarnishing is done; and it was Dick Cheney himself who is responsible for it.

Jan Knaus

I think that the devil is in the details and the UNREPORTED fact, that this Ms. Armstrong is a lobbyist for Iraq construction projects.

So what we have here is a lobbyist event, similiar to Abramoff, and that is what is not being covered.  Given the noise about lobbying and all the smut regarding lobbyist payoff events. That is what Cheney and his crew wanted to avoid.

The press needs to delve into the relationship between Armstrong, Whittington and Cheney regarding Haliburton contracts and monies for Iraq construction ...I believe that is the real paydirt.

Instead, we are talking about how this was not reported timely. That is a problem but the bigger issue is that this was a lobbyist event on a known lobbyist's property.  Perhaps, that is why SHE was allowed to be the initial press informant?

Republicans shooting each other?  I hope it becomes a fad...

J. McCutchen "JmacSF"

San Francisco. CA

"Just remember, it's the birds that's supposed to suffer, not the hunter"

President George W Bush
to NM Sen. Pete Domenici in 2004

Jan,

For what it's worth, I have no use for Dick Cheney. He's a very dangerous man and clearly someone who believes the law, not to mention that little document called the Constitution, applies to others and never to himself.

We do not need to curse, asteriks or not, to make our points and state our positions. Do that and we simply slide to a level of ill discourse that is far too easy to stereotype.

In other words, state your case without cursing, without epithets, without foul language. Certainly, that is not too much to ask.

Now, I understand it, Mr. Cheney has opted to take his explaination tour not to the White House media or national press corps. Instead, Mr. Cheney will tell all (?) to Fox News and Brit Hume.

Anyone not thinking of Orwell and/or Huxley right about now, click your mouse.

Feel free, of course, to disagree with me on any or all of this.

Have a nice day.

I think those of us in the reality based community need to be looking at the possibility that Dick is being set up by the administration media shills such as Mathews to take the fall for invading Iraq at the behest of big oil and countless other unscrupulous acts of treason and corporatism. Mathews wouldn't be showing clips of Cheny lies if he had not been given the memo from the RNC/WH. It will give Bush a free pass on the dozens of impeachable offenses he has committed as they can be sloughed off on Cheny, esp now that Scooter is going to sing. Look for Condi to be promoted to VP in a cynical attempt to capture token votes from blacks and women.