Loud Silence

I can’t believe that I’m writing about quail hunting for the third day in a row. There are bigger issues to address, but this one keeps getting bigger because the vice president of the United States, who is next in line for the presidency, is revealing that he is a deeply flawed man who has no sense of accountability to the American people, or to the man who selected him as a running mate.

The Dims were all over this latest example of Cheney’s penchant for seclusion and secrecy, as expected. But now the Rebs are beginning to break the critical surface because they can see that Mr. Vice is starting to present a political threat to them and the president. Yesterday, former press secretaries for President Bush I, President Bush II and President Reagan all expressed serious disagreement with how the vice president and his staff are handling this matter. Even Scott McClellan dropped his guard and made it clear that this hadn’t unfolded the way he recommended. It appears Mr. McClellan strongly, and appropriately, favored an immediate public statement on Sunday morning. It’s now Wednesday morning and the public has yet to see their vice president face them. I’ve called him cold and calculating, and deeply flawed. Other can call him what they will. The point is that this refusal to come forward and act in a responsible manner isn’t right.

There will be no more joking about Mr. Whittington on my part. His condition took a scary turn for the worse yesterday; he deserves to have the rest of us just keep him in our thoughts and prayers. At least we now understand why he spent two days in the ICU before moving to the trauma unit – the doctors knew there was birdshot inside his body and that it could move. It moved, and in the wrong direction.

The birdshot in Mr. Whittington’s body is acting like the man who shot it – moving from superficial, to a concern, to a threat, to a condition that needs close and careful attention.

It’s time for the president to call the vice president, assuming the president can reach him, and tell him, “Dick, you’re acting like a petulant teenager; step up and take your medicine like a man.” The longer Cheney hides, the worse the national reaction will likely become. Sooner or later, he will have to stand up and answer some questions; the questions will be waiting for him no matter how long he waits. The problem for him is that the list of questions is getting longer, and far more serious than they were on Sunday. Now the questions are about his character, not his adherence to bird hunting protocol.

On Sunday, and even on Monday, the questions were mere birdshot. Now they’re bullets.