Dick Cheney hunting accident

In American political affairs, the Dick Cheney hunting incident is a series of events beginning on February 11, 2006. While quail hunting with a 28-gauge shotgun, Vice President Cheney accidently shot and injured Harry Whittington, an attorney and Republican fundraiser prominent in Texas. On February 14, 2006, Whittington suffered a non-fatal "silent" heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to at least one lead-shot pellet lodged in or near his heart.

Shooting incident

On February 11, 2006 at about 5:30 p.m. local time (23:30 UTC), Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington, a prominent Texas attorney who reportedly was about thirty yards (27 m) away, with an Italian-made Perazzi 28-gauge shotgun, loaded with lead number 7 1/2 birdshot, while hunting quail .

According to Katharine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch, Whittington had left the shooting party to retrieve two downed quail and returned, but did not signal other hunters of his arrival. Cheney turned around to shoot at a bird, unaware that Whittington was behind him, and fired, shooting Whittington with pellets of bird shot, but apparently not the center of the discharge. Armstrong claimed that no one had been drinking and all were wearing blaze-orange safety gear [1] and that at lunch they drank Dr. Pepper [2], which contradicts her later statement that "there may be a beer or two in there, but remember not everyone in the party was shooting." [3]

Cheney has acknowledged that he had at least one beer four or five hours prior to his shooting Whittington [4]. Cheney's irresponsibility with alcohol has been previously noted [5].

Secret Service agents and medical aides, who were traveling with Cheney, came to Whittington's assistance and treated his birdshot wounds to his right cheek, neck, and chest. An ambulance standing nearby for the Vice President took Whittington to nearby Kingsville before he was flown by helicopter to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi.

People present

The hunting party consisted of

• Dick Cheney
• Harry Whittington
• Pamela Pitzer Willeford, U.S. ambassador to Switzerland

Others in the area were

• Katharine Armstrong, owner of the ranch
• Sara Storey Armstrong Hixon, Armstrong’s sister
• a Secret Service team

At the time of the injury, Willeford was standing nearby in the field, and the sisters were sitting in a car parked nearby.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report

On February 13, 2006, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (who Armstrong once headed[6]) issued a report on the incident. According to report, the shooter (Cheney) "was swinging on game" and this was cited as a major contributing factor in the incident. The summary of the incident given was:

"Whittington downed a bird and went to retrieve it. While he was out of the hunting line, another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest."

The report cited clear and sunny weather at the time of the shooting.

Whittington injury

Whittington was injured in the face, neck, and upper torso. Whittington was reported to be in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial and had been moved from intensive care to a "step-down unit" on Monday. Doctors had decided to leave six to 200 pieces of birdshot pellets lodged in his body rather than try to remove them. Each pellet is less than a tenth of an inch (2.5 mm) in diameter, because of the small size, its location is hard to pinpoint in medical imaging. All seemed well with the 78 year old, but soon bad news came out of the hospital.

On February 14th, 2006, at 6:30am, Whittington suffered a minor heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to the shot pellets lodged in or near his heart . He was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit. At about 9 a.m., Whittingon underwent a cardiac catheterization test to detect blocked or leaky arteries. A thin tube was inserted from Whittington's groin up into the arteries near his heart. The doctors injected a dye to monitor his blood flow patterns and closely examine the interior of the heart. From the test, doctors found a single lead pellet.

Hospital officials said Whittington was alert and stable and that he did not experience chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack. Doctors reported signs of inflammation, and Whittington was treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. Dr. David Blanchard, director of emergency services for Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial said that he was optimistic about Whittington's recovery. . Blanchard is a prominant evangelical who downplayed Whittington's injuries. [7]

Information release

While the wounding occurred on Saturday, February 11, the news of it was not released until after 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 12. Katherine Garcia, a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, broke the story at 1:48 p.m. after receiving an 11 a.m. call from Katharyn Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred and an eyewitness to the event Armstrong had notified Cheney earlier in the morning that she was going to inform the news media about the incident, she said Cheney agreed. Armstrong said that Whittington did not announce his location, and this led to the incident.

President Bush was told about the shooting accident about two and a half hours after it occurred at 8 p.m. Saturday. The White House did not disclose the accident until a press conference on Sunday afternoon. White House Press secretary Scott McClellan said he did not know that Cheney had shot someone until that Sunday morning. He remarked that he did ask the Vice Presidents' office to release the information early. He said: "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."

On February 15, Cheney agreed to comment publicly about the accident on the Fox News Channel. He had previously avoided reporters by leaving an Oval Office meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Cheney visited Whittington in the hospital on Sunday, 13 February, and at other times, telephoned him.

On the Fox News interview, Cheney accepted full responsibility for the accident, called it one of the worst days of his life, and admitted to drinking a beer at lunch before the incident.

Cheney acknowledged that White House Counselor Dan Bartlett and Scott McClellan "urged us to get the story out", but Cheney said he was more concerned about accuracy and felt that Armstrong was the good person to make the announcement.

Investigation

Multiple news sources reported that local law enforcement officers were initially barred by United States Secret Service agents from interviewing Cheney. [8] Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said that about an hour after Whittington was shot, the head of the Secret Service's local office called the Kenedy County sheriff to report the accident. Upon the sheriff's request, arrangements were made to have deputies to come and interview Cheney the following morning (Sunday) at 8 a.m. However on Saturday evening, one deputy showed up at the ranch's front gate and asked to speak to Cheney but was turned away by the Secret Service. Zahren said this was due to some miscommunication.

On Sunday morning, Kenedy County Chief Deputy Gilbert San Miguel Jr. interviewed Cheney and other members of the hunting party. He said that Cheney characterized the incident as a "hunting accident". San Miguel later also spoke to Whittington in the hospital on the next morning.

The Kenedy County Sheriff, Ramon Salinas III, has since cleared Cheney of any criminal wrongdoing in the matter However, the Kleberg County District Attorney, Carlos Valdez, who has jurisdiction in the matter, announced on February 14 that if Whittington dies, it will most likely result in a grand jury investigation.[9]

Bush appointed Katharine Armstrong a commission member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. [10] Steve Hall, education director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said that the department would classify the shooting as an error in judgment by Cheney. Hall said that hunter education courses stressed that "Be sure you know where your companions are at all times. Never swing your gun or bow out of your safe zone-of-fire. If in doubt, never take a shot."

While he has a Texas non-resident hunting license, a report from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states that Cheney was in violation of Texas law in that he did not have a US $7 "upland game bird stamp." A warning citation, which state officials described as routine and carries no fine or penalty, will be issued to Cheney, because the requirement is new. Cheney has since sent a $7 check to the Texas Fish and Wildlife Department to cover the cost of the missing stamp.

Hunting safety

In an Associated Press report, hunting safety experts said that it is the shooter's responsibility to assess the surroundings and situation to ensure that it is safe to shoot. The owner of the ranch, however, stated that Whittington should have announced the fact that he had yet to return from retrieving his quail to the Vice-President.

According to Texas state Parks and Wildlife Department, there were 30 accidents and two hunting deaths in 2005. At the national level, according to the International Hunter Education Association, there were 744 shooting accidents with 74 deaths in 2002.

Trivia

Dick Cheney is the first sitting U.S. Vice President to shoot someone since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton in the famous Hamilton-Burr duel; in both incidents the person shot was a prominent attorney.

Also:

• In both the Burr and Cheney cases, the person shot was a prominent attorney.
• The shotgun that Cheney used while hunting is the same model that Sen. John Kerry was teased about using during the 2004 presidential campaign. [11]. (It is a model intended for use by women, leading to speculation that Cheney may be covering up for Pamela Willeford).

Comments and satire

The incident has been made the subject of jokes, satire and public ridicule. A number of these drew references to other controversies in which Cheney was involved.

The Daily Show proclaimed "Cheney's Got a Gun" in parody of Aerosmith's song "Janie's Got a Gun." Jon Stewart urged viewers not to let their children go on hunting trips with the vice president: "I can't emphasize this enough, I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land, or energy regulation they're trying to get lifted. . . . He'll shoot them in the face."

David Letterman began his Monday show on February 13 with "Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction. ... It's Dick Cheney," and adding that "We can't get bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney." In his Top 10 list was devoted to "Dick Cheney's excuses" and include "he thought the guy was trying to go gay cowboy on me", "Made a bet with Gretzky’s wife". The next day, the top of the list for "Things You Don't Want To Hear On Valentine's Day" was "Damn. I thought you were a quail". On February 15, Olympics Gold Medalist Chad Hedrick mentioned the #1 good thing about winning a Gold Medal is "it deflects stray gunshots from Dick Cheney."

Before the news on Whittington's heart attack became known on 14 February, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was referring to President Bush's meeting with the University of Texas championship football team when he said "The orange that they're wearing is not because they're concerned that the vice president may be there." However he pointed to his own orange-striped tie and added that "Although that's why I'm wearing it."

United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who was once the target of Cheney's obscenity on the floor of the Senate, said: "In retrospect, it looks like I got off easy."

CafePress.com, an online retailer, is taking advantage of the opportunity by selling doggie T-shirts, badges and other items with slogans such as "Deadeye Dick's Gun Club", "Duck, its Dick!" and "I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy."

Radio host Tom Joyner created a Cheney's Valentine's Day poem: "Roses are red, Violets are blue, Say something I don't like, And I'll shoot you, too."

Florida Governor Jeb Bush said when he received a bright orange Farm Bureau sticker: "I'm a little concerned that Dick Cheney is going to walk in."

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates began his speech at a computer security conference in San Jose, California saying "I’m really glad to be here. My other invitation was to go quail hunting with Dick Cheney."

Cheney has also been the target of satire from many, many web-based satirists [12]. New News Network revealed that Cheney will now go gunning for other "friends" who "owe him money" [13].

A Sirius radio host Alex Bennett suggested that the delay in reporting is to hide a possible extramarital affair with U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Pamela Pitzer Willeford [14] [15].

See also

Vice Presidents and the people they shot:

• Aaron Burr - Alexander Hamilton
• Dick Cheney - Harry Whittington

There are also Vice Presidents who have served in combat

• Richard Mentor Johnson - served in War of 1812, was credited by some for killing the Shawnee leader Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames (though this claim is suspect).
• John C. Breckinridge - served in American Civil War
• Theodore Roosevelt - served in Spanish-American War
• George H. W. Bush - served in World War II
• Harry S Truman fired artillery in WWI.

External links

• Transcript of Cheney interview, 2/15/06
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunting Accident and Incident Report Form
• Problems with official story and Cheney's possible offences
• Up-to-date information concerning the quail incident and commentary on the same
• Fox News worries about how Dick is feeling emotionaly after being hounded by the press corps.