We can always count on Capitol Hill Blue for the contrarian view. And you know what? I don’t even care whether they make it all up:
Secret Service agents guarding Vice President Dick Cheney when he shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington on a hunting outing two weeks ago say Cheney was “clearly inebriated” at the time of the shooting and a written report outlining details of the incident has been destroyed, sources tell Capitol Hill Blue.
Agents observed several members of the hunting party, including the Vice President, consuming alcohol before and during the hunting expedition and Cheney exhibited “visible signs” of impairment, including slurred speech and erratic actions.
According to those who have talked with agents and others present at the outing, Cheney appeared drunk when he gunned down his friend and the day-and-a-half delay in allowing Texas law enforcement officials on the ranch where the shooting occurred gave all members of the hunting party time to sober up.
We talked with a number of administration officials who are privy to inside information on the Vice President’s shooting “accident” and all admit Secret Service agents and others saw Cheney consume far more than the “one beer’ he claimed he drank at lunch earlier that day.
“This was a South Texas hunt,” says one White House aide. “Of course there was drinking. There’s always drinking. Lots of it.”
One agent at the scene has been placed on administrative leave and another requested reassignment this week. A memo reportedly written by one agent, which contained details of the drinking, has been destroyed under orders from the White House, sources said Wednesday afternoon.
Cheney has a long history of alcohol abuse, including two convictions of driving under the influence when he was younger. Doctors tell me that someone like Cheney, who is taking blood thinners because of his history of heart attacks, could get legally drunk now after consuming just one drink.
If Cheney was legally drunk at the time of the shooting, he could be guilty of a felony under Texas law and the shooting, ruled an accident by a compliant Kenedy County Sheriff, would be a prosecutable offense.
UPDATE: Doug Thompson says nope, this is a real story. He’s certainly been right before.
I don’t know if the report Doug at Capitol Hill Blues ever existed or not, but the nation is certainly speculating about the delay between the shooting incident and the VP talking to local law enforcement.
Whether it is arrogance of someone who thinksa they are above the rule of law or a delay to flush out a boozer, it certainly doesn’t leave one with a real good impression of Dick Cheney.
And I find the wannabe-Freepers attacking Doug personally on the site a hoot — especially given the rabid fervor shown by the Rigid Right when any opportunity to attack the Clintons comes up.
Whatever the reason for the delay in talking to local law enforcement, I find his actions indicative of the Bush Administration’s “me first” style decision-making on every issue. Mr. Cheney’s first name never seemed so fitting.