In which I defend Dick Cheney (but not really)

So, I was driving around Needles today, like I'm sure you all do, or secretly wish you do, listening to Talk of the Nation. It was particularly nice to be listening to Talk of the Nation, because my car's radio has been on vacation ever since the car was stolen way back when, so I've been out of the NPR loop for far too long. I was in a Company truck today, getting it as dusty as I could, and the sound was f-i-n-e.

Anyways, I was listening to Talk of the Nation, and the topic was, of course, Dick Cheney and his poor marksmanship, and how he didn't bother to tell the Nation about how he can't hit the side of a barn with a shotgun unless it's painted bright orange and makes significant campaign contributions to the 'right' people.

There was discussion over the Press' response to this. One caller commented on how she thought the Press was going ape over him not telling the Masses about his failing hunter safety school because they had finally had enough of getting nothing from the Press Secretary and couldn't take it anymore, they had to go for blood. They had finally hit their limit.

I disagree. Completely. The White House Press Corp (I specify this, in deference to my friends and family in the Press) is a group of pansy kissasses, and have been for quite some time. They are as much a "liberal media" as Pat Robertson is Chavez' love child. I think they are all over this not because they feel slighted, but because this is a safe topic to go ape over. It's the stuff of jokes. I mean, really, Dick Cheney, the guy who made us invade Iraq and made our soldiers use all of those guns on people, can't even keep from shooting his own friends. It's comical, lighthearted, really, something that will always be remembered with a little guffaw, like Dan Quayle and his potatoes.

It gives them something to claim affront to but not really ruffle any feathers. Something they can say, "See?! SEE?! We really DO care! We really DO want to know what is going on!"

We'll hear about Dick and his Gun (oh, yes, I'm surprised I haven't hear that pun yet) for decades. But, when was the last time you heard the press ask about the Downing Street Memos? The progress on finding Bin Laden? Haliburton's choice non-compete contracts? Hell, I had to search around in my memory, knowing there was something else big, really big, until I finally remembered Valerie Plame, and I even wrote a post about that!

No, the Press is all on this recent (in a long list of) affrontery because they don't have to do anything, they won't really ruffle any feathers, they get to whine without having to be taken to task for it. All they will succeed in doing is sticking in some redneck's mind that Cheney used a gun once, so he must be an all-right kinda guy.

Later, I did hear something about this that did make me pause a moment. I think it was All Things Considered where it was mentioned that President Bush (pardon me while I hack on that phrase) deferred to Vice President Cheney (cough! cough!) about informing the Press Corp about the shooting. Let me repeat that. PRESIDENT (hack, snort) Bush deferred to VICE-PRESIDENT Cheney about reporting the incident. The PRESIDENT let the VICE-President decide what the country should or should not hear.

There you go. Some proof of how Cheney really does run the show.