Yahoo! News: Cheney, "A Beer or Two," and a Gun

[PhilipShore]

Yahoo! News
Cheney, "A Beer or Two," and a Gun
February 15, 2006

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060215/cm_thenation/160212;_ylt=A86.I1cDX_ND4h4BGQj9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

Dick Cheney, who was forced to leave Yale University because his penchant for late-night beer drinking exceeded his devotion to his studies, and who is one of the small number of Americans who can count two drunk driving busts on his driving record, may have been doing more than hunting quail on the day that he shot a Texas lawyer in the face.

Katherine Armstrong, the wealthy Republican lobbyist who is a member member of the politically-connected family that owns the ranch where Cheney blasted his hunting partner, acknowledged to a reporter for MSNBC that alcohol may have been served at a picnic which was served Saturday afternoon on the dude ranch where Cheney shot Harry Whittington.

According to an MSNBC report that appeared briefly Tuesday on the network's website, Armstrong peddled the line that she did not believe that alcohol played a part in the shooting accident. But, she admitted, "There may be a beer or two in there, but remember not everyone in the party was shooting."

The MSNBC story, which appeared only briefly before the website was scrubbed for reasons not yet explained, has been kept alive by the able web investigators at www.rawstory.com and other progressive blogs. And so it should be, as the prospect that alcohol may have been involved in the Texas incident takes the story in a whole new direction.

[DS1]

1. Shit, it's an "Opinion" piece, I was wondering how this made it to Yahoo

with the word "scrubbed" in it.

[movonne]

9. This should be voted up...

[JohnnyCougar]

64. Raw Story gives DU and me a shout out!

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Beer_quote_pulled_from_MSNBC_Cheney_0215.html

Other blogs and Websites that spotted the change include Democratic Underground, Thought Crimes, and Daily Kos.

JohnnyCougar, who left the comment at Democratic Underground, appears to have been the first blogger to catch the switch, and he also covered it at his blog, Someone Took In These Pants....

Representin'!!!

[bettyellen]

22. looks like it'll be published in the nation

:hi:

[DS1]

24. Yes, I get that, and am happy with it

but I was hoping it was an AP feed :hi:

[bettyellen]

31. chasing rainbows again?

watch out, that's not a pot of gold, it's a manbox.

[DS1]

36. so much for the street value of all those nuggets

x(

[bettyellen]

38. rofl.

do you have the best of manbox bookmarked?

i'm trying to toilet train my cats, and uhm suddenly the humour seems fresh.
fresh would be good. :P

[DS1]

39. We're still waiting for AXE to come out with Tsunami-scented litter

The bastards

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3428536

[bettyellen]

42. i'm scared i'm going to have to show em how it's done....

why not? the japanese squat all the time, what makes me think i'm any better?
i'm not, you know.

[DS1]

43. Here's a tip

Spray some PAM on the bottoms of your flipflops, that way you won't be tracking poo around the house

[bettyellen]

44. shopping list: Pam, broken glass, salmon fillet....

(to wipe the seat with- positive reinforcement) little kitty band aides, booze.

[Beetwasher]

2. BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Oh Shit!!!

:rofl:

[Jacobin]

3. PLEASE go to this link and rate it UP UP UP UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce:

[Mabus]

45. It is #14 of the most popular stories right now

I just voted. Currently 4 1/2 stars. Need more total votes with five stars to move up the list.

[Wickerman]

4. one of the small number of Americans who can count two drunk driving busts

and who can account for drinking for ruining his heart.

Glad to see this, even as an opinion piece.

[w8liftinglady]

5. THIS is the key to having this story covered by MSM

When other news agencies acn attack a competitor,then it becomes OK-they aren't actually breaking the story...

[trixie]

6. I don't even know what to say

Now it's a crime? This is beyond the realm of realism.

[Junkdrawer]

7. Yessss.....Common Sense says he was drunk...

While the SS delay may make it impossible to prove it, the delay now makes it impossible to exonerate him.

Cuts both ways...

[Cooley Hurd]

8. K&R - don't forget to rate this up on Yahoo...

John Nichols does a pretty decent job laying it out: Cheney is a problem drinker and the subsequent cover-up after the accident makes Cheney's condition at the time of the accident VERY suspect!:thumbsup:

[txindy]

16. Voted, kicked, and rec'd.

:patriot:

[indie_voter]

10. Kudos to HsiKang! What a way to make an entrance!!! Welcome to DU

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Cheney was forced to leave Yale? And he still had 5 student deferments?

When my ex got kicked out of OSU in 1971, he got a post card from his draft board in California within a week to report for a physical. But since he'd spent 5 years in ROTC, the Air Force grabbed him first. How did Cheney get those deferments?

[kenny blankenship]

27. Cheney's list of deferments includes marriage, birth of a child

and probably some other crap that doesn't relate to being a student.

[sinkingfeeling]

52. Still don't get it. My ex and I were married and had a son who was

all of 6 months old, and the draft board came after him as soon as he was out of college.

[dogday]

12. K&R Rated at yahoo - Wow what a story!

Great story!.....

[biscotti]

13. Rated it

Thanks for posting.

[Tim4319]

14. Hence the daily in the investigation!

That is why secret service sent the sheriffs away.

[stop the bleeding]

15. RawStory gives Democratic Underground credit in their article-for this

here is related thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x426783

[DemInDistress]

17. the reason for the delay in reporting the story now becomes

apparent,..drinking and hunting violates the dwh law.

[ginnyinWI]

18. drip, drip, drip

This is the best way--little bits of info coming out every day and building. Their attempts at keeping a lid on this are doing more damage to them than if they had just come clean all at once.

[rodeodance]

19. John Nichols ---spread it far and wide.

[rodeodance]

21. 59 votes) 4.7 stars RATE it up folks and email it also

RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Recommend It: Not at All Somewhat Moderately Highly Very Highly

Average (59 votes)
4.7 stars

[rodeodance]

23. yes, we can do this folks--ALL of us.

[stop the bleeding]

25. Yep DU is one of the reasons why Rawstory reported this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x426783

[w8liftinglady]

28. Mike Malloy reported it last night,too

I will post some addresses to send this info to...starting with helen thomas and david gregory

[stop the bleeding]

32. cool I just registered at yahoo - to vote the page up - let us know about

the links - lets hammer them

[Lochloosa]

20. 5 Stars K/R

[w8liftinglady]

26. emailed and voted up-keep it u,DU-let's make it front page news

[rodeodance]

29. rufus, man abusing sheep, test your heart,and gay cowboy song Top

yahoo emailed at the moment.

View: Headlines Only | Include Summaries | Include Photos
Most Emailed News Add to My Yahoo! rss

1.
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Willie Nelson Releases Gay Cowboy Song AP - Wed Feb 15, 9:26 AM ET Sent 2,889 times

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country music outlaw Willie Nelson sang "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" more than 25 years ago. He released a very different sort of cowboy anthem this Valentine's Day.
2.
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CHICAGO - It sounds like a perfect parlor game for baby boomers suddenly confronting their own mortality: What are your chances of dying within four years? Researchers have come up with 12 risk factors to try to answer that for people who are 50 and older.
3.
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Rufus the Bull Terrier America's Top Dog AP - Wed Feb 15, 5:51 AM ET Sent 1,062 times

NEW YORK - Rufus won by a head. A colored bull terrier became America's top dog Tuesday night, winning Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club, thanks to his most prominent feature.
4.
Mich. Man Sentenced in Sheep Abuse Case AP - Tue Feb 14, 10:13 PM ET Sent 843 times

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5.
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g

[Javaman]

30. I live in Austin, a beer or two usually means a 6-pack. n/t

[Nikki Stone 1]

33. Yikes!

:kick:

[Peace Patriot]

34. So the VP has a hunting party where a bunch of drunk old guys are playing

with guns. And the Secret Service, whose mission is to protect the VP in this situation, let one of the old guys, rifle in hand, disappear to an unseen location, then sneak up on the VP from behind and "surprise" him into a pointblank shoot (apparently at 5-10 yards, not 30, if our DU forensics posters are correct, and aimed at head and chest, if the sheriff's report is correct).

??????????????

This story smells--unless the Secret Service was also drunk.

[Ian David]

35. Maybe after he resigns, Cheney can get a job on Bush's protective detail?

Remember: Harry Whittington is THE FUNERALGATE LAWYER
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=426465&mesg_id=426465

[w8liftinglady]

37. a few places to forward this story

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/

Drudge(I know-but sometimes he crosses over to our side)
http://drudgereport.com/

BET
http://www.bet.com/Contact?Referrer=%7BD78C7705-D362-46E3-A5B0-41E1DE645426%7D

Broadcasting and cable
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=contentinfodetail&articleid=CA258086

Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/index.php?page=contact

Political Wire
[e-mail]
http://www.politicalwire.com/

[stop the bleeding]

40. I did them all except the BBC - could not figure out who to send this to

on their site.

also [e-mail]

[Mz Pip]

41. A beer or two in combination

will all the other drugs he is probably taking could certainly impair reactions.

These events can turn into real drinking parties, but I'm sure everyone there will deny any use of alcohol. Ice tea. That was all.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Sanity Claws]

56. That's what I was thinking

My guess is that he was told not to mix alcohol with his medications. Even if he only had a beer or two, its effects would be magnified by his other meds.

[PhilipShore]

46. Yahoo! News: RJ Eskow: Cheney's Chappaquiddick II: The Real Story Emerges

Yahoo! News
RJ Eskow: Cheney's Chappaquiddick II: The Real Story Emerges
February 15, 2006

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060215/cm_huffpost/015711;_ylt=A86.I2QBZ_ND_u0AfA39wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

The real story is already emerging, if you're willing to do a little digging. Cheney and Whittington went hunting with two women (not their wives), there was some drinking, and Whittington wound up shot. Armstrong didn't see the incident but claimed she had, Cheney refused to be questioned by the Sheriff until the next morning, and a born-again evangelical physician has been downplaying Whittington's injuries since they occurrred. Neither the press nor law enforcement seems inclined to investigate.

Before the right-wing commenters howl - there's documentation for all of these statements. Let's take them one by one: In addition to Cheney and Whittington, the hunting party included Katherine Armstrong (who was in the car at the time of the shooting: more on that later). After lots of evasive comments that only referred to a "third hunter," we now know her identity: Pamela Willeford, the US Ambassador to Switzerland.

Then there was this Armstrong quote on MSNBC and picked up by Firedoglake (later dutifully scrubbed, but preserved on Google cache): "There may be a beer or two in there," (Armstrong) said, 'but remember not everyone in the party was shooting.'"

_______________________________________________

The Nation
02/15/2006
Cheney, "A Beer or Two," and a Gun

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=60212

[stop the bleeding]

48. The news is starting to break left and right - thanks to DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x426783

[Media_Lies_Daily]

47. Hunting, alcohol, women not their wives....and a shooting....

...how many Democratic Party politicians would already be in jail or facing charges?

[PhilipShore]

49. AlterNet: Cheney, 'A Beer or Two' and a Gun

AlterNet
Cheney, 'A Beer or Two' and a Gun
February 15, 2006.

http://www.alternet.org/story/32299/

[PhilipShore]

50. Philadelphia Inquirer: Was There Beer At The Blast?

Philadelphia Inquirer
Was There Beer At The Blast?
February 15, 2006

http://blogs.philly.com/blinq/2006/02/was_there_beer_.html

Thought nothing of Lawrence O'Donnell's pickle-barrel musings in the Huffington Post yesterday, which carried the headline, "Was Cheney Drunk?"

But now Raw Story has made the question more interesting.

The Raw Story reports that an MSNBC Website post on the vice president's accidental shooting of a hunting buddy was edited to remove a reference to the alcohol that might have been available at a pre-quailing picnic.

Several lefty bloggers noted the change, starting with JohnnyCougar, who was commenting on Democratic Underground. Raw Story reported:

[leftchick]

51. gotta love that title!

I hope Keith carries this one tonight!

:popcorn:

[PhilipShore]

53. Brit Hume--Cheney: "I had a beer at lunch..."

DU
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x431175

some five or so hours earlier. Admitted it to Brit Hume and Hume just reported it on Studio B.

[Just Me]

54. Oh my, if he was intoxicated at the time of the shooting,...

,...he WOULD be in very, very deep shit. Of course, that would explain the avoidance of authorities for so long: the evidence of intoxication disappears over a block of about 12 hours. Moreover, no one is gonna' testify as a witness against this asshole who'd wreak revenge at a bat of an eyelash.

[Tommy_J]

55. Go to yahoo and vote it up!

I did.

[PhilipShore]

57. MSNBC/AP: Cheney takes responsibility for shooting and admits had a beer

MSNBC/AP
Cheney takes responsibility for shooting
Feb. 15, 2006

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11361657/

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday accepted full blame for shooting a fellow hunter and defended his decision to not publicly disclose the accident until the following day. He called it “one of the worst days of my life.”

Fox’s Brit Hume, who conducted the interview, said Cheney told him he had “a beer”...

[NorthernSpy]

61. when is MSNBC going to come clean on initially scrubbing this story?

MSNBC broke the news about the drinking during the hunt (in a quote from Katharine Armstrong), and then quickly scrubbed the story -- deleting the references to alcohol.

I really would like to hear MSNBC's explanation of that. Why did they (belatedly) attempt to conceal this particular detail?

[DoYouEverWonder]

58. What a great title

Cheney is toast.

[killbotfactory]

59. Just a good ol' boy...

never meanin' no harm

[madinmaryland]

60. Did he have a couple of these beers?

[Fleshdancer]

62. I completely forgot about his previous DUI charges

Was he really forced out of Yale? That's news to me. Wow. If I were his doctor and had the incredibly ridiculous task of keeping Cheney's heart from stopping, I would be FURIOUS to read that he was still drinking. For a man who has been given a second+ chance at life, he doesn't seem to be taking his health very seriously.

Of course, if I were his wife *shudder* I would be furious for a number of valid reasons. ;)

[Nikki Stone 1]

63. kicking

:kick: