Off the mark . . .

Those who know me may be surprised at this statement . . . I always liked Dick Cheney.

I first saw him giving news briefings during the Desert Storm Campaign. Now, I did not like the fact that we had gone to war, but at that time saw it as a necessary evil. While I do not think that the senior President Bush always made good foreign policy decisions, I accepted that invading Kuwait was the proper action at the time.

And as Secretary of Defense, I thought Dick Cheney had the proper image and portrayed a strong, competent image of that invasion. Interestingly enough, what I liked most about him was that he stood in front of the press and answered questions. He never seemed to dodge the hardballs. I accepted that his political philosophy did not mesh with mine, but saw him as the right man for the job.

Similarly during the recent campaign, I saw Dick Cheney as the strongest candidate. I remember remarking to my wife that I wished Cheney were running for President instead of Bush. Not that I liked what he stood for, but that you knew what you had with Cheney . . . he pretty much told you what was on his mind and didn't feel the need to apologize for it.

I have now come to the decision that what we have here is a glowing example of the "Peter Principle" at work. Perhaps Mr. Cheney has risen to a level that is beyond his capabilities.

I feel bad for him. Shooting another human being accidentally must be a terrible thing, and I will not criticize him for that. God knows we all have done things that we regret and when we stand up and take responsibility, we show a quality that makes us honorable, even at our lowest ebb.

If only he had.

In the days after the news was announced, I was surprised when I heard that the Cheney had called Whittington and expressed his support. That was the way it was described, "expressed his support." Maybe it's just me, but I think the report should have had Cheney expressing an apology.

Small detail? I don't believe so. Initially the Vice President's aides floated the balloon that perhaps the victim was culpable.

Former Cheney aide Mary Matalin was the first to test that strategy Sunday when she told reporters that the vice president “didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do.”

Other than shoot his friend, of course.
San Diego Union Tribune

Then, he basically stoned walled the press until the 15th, finally succumbing to the pressure when he granted an interview to Fox News where he accepted accountability. Good, excellent . . . had this been done immediately, and at a press conference with all news media outlets. This was not the time to manage the press. Standup, take your lumps, be honorable. This is not a policy matter, or a difference of opinion. You SHOT someone. Say you're sorry. Be a human being. Dammit, say it even if you don't mean it, force yourself to do the right thing. Answer the hard questions!!

What I liked about Cheney in Desert Storm was that he faced the bright lights and spoke his mind. Here, he hid behind his office until forced to come clean.

This of course, is not just about Cheney. But what supporters of the Vice President miss about all this is that his handling of this matter has damaged the entire administration, giving further fuel to the argument that they do whatever they want, that they, somehow, are above the responsibility of the rest of us mere citizens. If someone on my staff were this disloyal, I'd need to see the back of them. That is very unlikely to happen here.

Unfortunately, that is a symptom of the same arrogance.