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Feb. 15, 2006 - Rush Limbaugh Program
36:03
February 15, 2006, Wednesday, Hour #2
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And greetings and welcome back, folks.
You are tuned to the nation's leading radio talk show, the most listened to radio talk show, a program that meets and surpasses all audience expectations on a daily basis.
It's a thrill.
It's a delight to be with you.
Our telephone number, if you want to be on the program, 800 282-2882.
The email address is rush at EIBNet.com.
The media no doubt very disappointed as the press conference is taking place down in Texas.
The doctors are updating the condition of Harry Whittington.
He is exhibiting no complications.
They are keeping him in the ICU, the uh intensive care unit, they say, for privacy.
If they had him in a regular room, media people could sneak in there.
Other patients, you know, you've been in the hospital.
They walk around and uh anybody can get in these in these rooms.
ICU is off limits.
Uh, and they say he's uh very near resuming uh work on his law practice.
Uh this is of course devastating news uh to the mainstream media, the Washington Press Corps, which is hoping as they always do, for the absolute worst.
In this circumstance, also that they can eventually force Dick Cheney out of office.
Now, people have been asking me, Rush, you know Dick Cheney.
Yes, I do know Dick Cheney.
Well, how's he probably reacting to this?
Let me tell you, I I can't say that I know the vice president as a bosom buddy.
But I I know this much about him.
He doesn't care what they say about him.
He is not into crisis public relations.
He is not into spin management or any of that.
Sort of in a way like Bush isn't.
He does his job.
He knows who he is.
He's comfortable in his own skin, particularly when he's carrying a shotgun made in Italy, and he doesn't mind being who he is, and it doesn't.
All this stuff that's being said about him will not affect his mood or his attitude.
He's more upset by what the circumstances are for his friend than by anything David Gregory or these arrogant people in the media.
In fact, I've got a column I'm gonna share with you here in a moment by David Ignatius of the Washington Post, who refers to this administration as being arrogant with power, and it is so obvious that the arrogance is on the part of Mr. Ignatius when you when you read this.
But uh I Cheney Cheney doesn't care.
He's one of these rare people that uh that doesn't care.
He is immune to it.
He is immune to the name calling, he's immune to the insults.
Uh I've talked to him about it, and he he just he sort of chuckles and laughs uh when I've asked him about it because he he doesn't even he doesn't think it's it's it's a big deal.
Uh you've been in public life as long as he has and held as many jobs as he has, uh, public and private sector as well.
Uh he's very confident in himself, very confident who he is, and and this this stuff, if if anything, it would make him mad, but he's not sitting around depressed.
In fact, he's continuing to work.
Interesting story here, and that will depress the media too.
The media wants Cheney in his pajamas all day, worrying, not shaving, overeating, so he might have another heart attack.
They want all kinds of uh ill to be full.
The vice president.
They hope he's morose, they hope he's depressed, they hope he's crying, they hope he's asking Lynn, what did I do?
Why do these people hate me?
He doesn't.
He was working yesterday.
Congressional probe of NSA's spying is in doubt.
White House sways some GOP lawmakers by Charles Babbington, Washington Post staff puke.
Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week.
That is a continual spread of a contemptible lie.
There was no domestic spying.
It is foreign surveillance.
Anyway, let me start again.
It's trying to help Mr. Babbington out here.
Maybe it's Babington.
I don't know how he pronounced.
I don't mean to mispronounce his name, I just don't know what it is.
Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it.
Key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday, oh, shucks, Democrats lose again, folks.
Ha ha ha ho too bad.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a Democratic sponsored motion to start an inquiry into the recently revealed program in which the NSA eavesdrops on an undisclosed number of phone calls and emails involving U.S. residents without obtaining warrants from a secret court.
Why don't you finish the sentence and be accurate instead of acting like your Bill Schneider, Mr. Babington Babbington?
Why don't you point out that these phone calls and emails involving U.S. residents also involve them getting or replacing phone calls to Al Qaeda or other terrorist members overseas?
What's so hard about getting the story right?
Oh, can't do that because that would take us off the action line.
The action line is Bush is spying on the American people.
Bush is the greatest threat to national security.
We've got Bush is a greater threat than bin Laden.
Bush a greater threat than any terrorist attack.
Bush is who we got to deal with.
But in order to make that case, you have to lie about Bush and about what he's doing.
Two committee Democrats said this panel made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats was clearly leaning in favor of the motion last week to have the hearings, but now is closely divided and possibly inclined against it.
They attributed the shift to last week's closed briefings given by top administration officials to the full House and Senate intelligence committees, and to private appeals to wavering GOP senators by officials, including Vice President Cheney.
It's been a full court press at a top Senate Republican aide who asked to speak only on background, as did several others for this story, because of the classified nature of the Intelligence Committee's work.
Lawmakers cite senators such as Olympia Snow to illustrate the administration's success in cooling congressional zeal for an investigation.
Let me tell you what probably happened here.
All of these inside the Beltway Republicans probably well, I and it's not probably, I know.
You know, some of them have been so cowed and so scared by the lie, the contemptible lie that has been this the reporting on this story that it's a domestic spying program, that they probably believed that.
Olympia Snow said probably thought that Bush was doing exactly what the media was lying about Bush doing.
And so the White House goes up, no, no, no, no, here's what the program is.
Here's who in Congress we told.
There's no other way this could happen, other than for these people to find out what the program actually is.
And maybe we're also told of some of the successes that the program has had.
We can't be told that.
That would further compromise the program.
But maybe some of these people are being let in on this.
What else could be the reason why some of the Republicans and Democrats because they don't want to embarrass themselves.
There'd be no other reason than that.
So what you have here, the media creating another false action line, a false reality, that this is all about domestic spying.
Just like this story leaves out the fact that the Americans involved here have to be getting or placing phone calls to terrorists overseas.
Don't you think that's somewhat important here?
Accurately presenting the facts to the readers of the Washington Post.
It's just, it's just It's it this is, I'll tell you what, this this is this is some of the most unprofessional work.
This the body of work that the mainstream press has put its name to in the last four years is some of the most embarrassing and unprofessional, starting with Dan Rather and going through to this story and countless other examples.
Uh, I also wonder this.
You know, I have in previous jobs, I have had a boss.
I am not the boss, or I am the boss and I don't have a boss now, but I have had bosses for most of my broadcast career.
They are they're called program directors and general managers.
And I was once fired in Kansas City for using the word therefore too much on the theory that it confused the audience.
And did not represent a professional presentation that I'd gotten hooked and just I'm non-making it up.
When I watched the White House press corps, and I've had to go through coaching sessions and a show over and uh will end and the program director will call you into the office.
Well, we want to review your performance today.
Go over and nitpick this and nitpick that.
It's interesting, my success actually didn't kick off until I became my own boss, but I don't want to get sidetracked with that.
Although it is a great life lesson for everybody.
The fact of the matter is I'm watching the White House press corps Monday and Tuesday go absolutely berserk, act like little spoiled rotten kids, and I'm wondering about their bosses.
I'm wondering about the news directors and the presidents of the news division and the editors and the producers back at headquarters, back at NBC, back at CBS, back at ABC, back at the AP, back at the New York Times.
And I'm just wondering if if their bosses watch that and think, oh gee, we're looking bad.
We are looking bad.
And they call them in and say, look, try to get a handle on yourself in there.
There's a way of doing this, but for crying out loud, don't act like you're five years old.
Uh I just wonder if that happens.
I not well, I I it it it's it's it's I know it looks like it look it looks like it doesn't happen.
Looks like because they never change.
They keep in fact keep getting worse.
I think what's happening is that the people back at headquarters like it.
The people back at headquarters think that that's good journalism, that that's feisty, that's standing up to power, not being shut up, demanding answers and so forth.
So my point is I don't think they have the slightest idea how they appear to average Americans who see them.
I don't think they have this m probably they don't even care.
When you get right down to it.
Because the level of arrogance and self-importance is such that just like other liberals, they will say to themselves, uh, the audience, hey, what do they know?
They're just a bunch of dummies.
They don't understand what we do.
They don't have the brains, they don't have the experience, they don't have the they don't have the ability to understand how important our job is, how important we are.
I can't be held to account by people as clueless as the audience.
I'll bet that's the attitude, because if it weren't, uh this would this would change.
The fact it keeps getting worse and worse and worse is evidence that somewhere this is admired and liked and perhaps even encouraged.
Back in just a second.
Stay with us.
And we are back.
Having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have here, folks.
I am firmly ensconced behind that, the golden EIB microphone, Jim in Redmond, Oregon.
Nice to have you on the program, sir.
Yeah, so my own rush?
Yeah.
Oh, should I could I uh just take a second and say hi to my buddy uh Bartkop out there?
Yeah, but feel free.
Where is he?
Saddlesor Canyon.
What Saddlesore Canyon?
Uh just asking I thought that would never mind.
Never mind.
It's a sequel to Brokeback Mountain, and it stars uh Dick Cheney or or uh John McCain and Lindsay Graham.
Okay, I think you probably had it right the first time with just Dick Cheney.
Private jokes.
Yes, yes, yes.
Let's get right to it.
Uh okay, well, uh if uh a Democratic vice president had shot somebody out there and the local sheriff wasn't allowed to investigate it till the next day, you guys would be all over the map on uh if the guy had been drinking or or whatever.
How come how come Well is that the is it wait is is that the latest that Cheney was drunk?
Well, uh uh on on the internet people are questioning it because he has like three DUIs.
Yeah, well, I think I think there's there's better stuff than that out there.
The one I personally like, Jim is that is that uh uh Cheney purposely shot Whittington to send Scooter Libby a message that Scooter, if you implicate me in that case of yours, this can happen to you.
And I think I think Harry Willington went along with it because he knew he would not die as a good friend of Cheney's.
This has Carl Rove all over it, but this drunk angle, that's that's that's that's a big stretch.
I mean, I that that that's that's I mean, you guys could come up with better ones than that.
Well, uh I mean, good old boys out drinking, uh having A good time, go out and shoot a little quail.
It ain't that far fetched.
Well, uh is it commonplace that good old boys go out and shoot quail while drunk?
Uh uh down in Texas, probably.
Not probably.
Tell me whether it isn't.
You're just this is a wild crazy assumption that you're making here.
I am just following in your footsteps there, big boy.
So without me, you guys would have no material.
Thanks, Jim.
I love you out there.
I appreciate it.
Did you did you hear what he said?
I'm gonna go back to what he said at the first because it I gotta go back to Bill Schneider because I have a message for Bill Schneider.
He first said on his phone call, if this were a Democrat, it had been 18 hours before the local sheriff was brought in.
You know you guys would be raising hell.
Uh for all you lives out there, the Secret Service.
I I hate, I hate to tell you this.
The Secret Service is cops.
Secret Service are cops.
They are law enforcement.
They're not just bodyguards.
Now, this whole business of if this were a Democrat vice president.
For those of you that missed the first hour, I did a little story yesterday detailing how the press treatment of the story would be totally different if this incident had happened exactly as it did, except the vice president were a Democrat.
The media would give us stories on gun safety.
They'd be doing stories on the vice president's mental health.
Is he okay?
Can he continue to work?
We hope he'll be fine.
This has to be something so devastating.
The last thing they'd be doing is trying to destroy a Democrat vice president, make him out to be a criminal.
They wouldn't be sitting around hoping that the victim dies.
So here is what I said yesterday about that scenario, and then I want you to hear how Bill Schneider, CNN took it totally out of context.
You know darn well that if this were a vice president, we would get, and if they had delayed the story.
If they delayed the story coming out like this administration did, we would be hearing, well, that was a wise thing to do.
Had to get all there, no punter here, ducks in a row, all the details, and make sure we got the facts right.
We applaud this administration for taking time to get this right rather than panicking and putting the news out.
And had it been leaked or reported as it was to be.
Stop it right there, because that's you heard me say, we applaud this administration for taking time to get this right rather than panicking and putting the news out.
I was imitating what the media would be saying were this a Democrat vice president.
Bill Schneider, situation room, Wolf Blitzer, yesterday.
Conservatives see a conspiracy by the liberal media to tarnish the vice president's reputation.
We applaud this administration for taking time to get this right rather than panicking and putting the news out.
He he portrayed me using that sentence as though I was defending this administration rather than imitating people like him.
Imitating people in the media.
Were this a Democrat vice president?
So somebody call Bill Schneider, because Bill, I have I have uh something.
I hope your recorders running on this one.
So that you because this is gonna be juicier than what I did yesterday.
Somebody alert Bill Schneider.
I'll give it 30 seconds.
I don't have that much time.
I'll give it 10 seconds.
The word will spread fast.
Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Okay, the CNN Bill Schneider recorder is obviously running.
You know what I think, folks?
I think Bush ought to take a page out of Abraham Lincoln's book.
I think Bush ought to throw some of these reporters in prison.
I mean, Lincoln was a great president, wasn't he?
He's credited with ending slavery and saving the Union.
I mean, if he thought the media back then were undermining the effort to preserve the Union, to win the Civil War, to eliminate slavery and save the Union, he would have thrown them in jail.
Just as today they are undermining the media, our effort to save the nation from terrorists who seek to blow up our cities.
If Bush were a real president, he would be throwing reporters in jail Right now, because they are agitating for this nation's defeat.
Okay, Bill, cut that one up and uh and run it as a news story.
Uh and we'll see what you do with that one.
Oh, here we are having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.
So the latest is Dick Cheney was drunk out there.
These good old boys in Texas go hunting, and it probably drunk.
Um, but as I say, the one I like best is that uh Cheney purposely shot Whittington to send scooter to Libby a message that he'd better be quiet, he better shut up and better not implicate, because next time Cheney won't miss, and it won't be with Bird Shot.
We'll be back after this.
Talent.
So much talent.
On loan from God.
800-282-2882, Grass Valley, California.
This is Robert.
Nice to have you on the program, sir.
Welcome.
Hey.
Hey.
Um yeah, I just was calling to weigh in on the thing.
It sounds like this is turning into a um uh a hunting issue now.
Um I thought it was gonna be another bush patching thing, and I'm sure they'll get to that later.
Um, but I'm a hunter, um, have been all my life.
All right, let me ask you a question, and Robert, how often do you and your buddies go out drunk?
Yeah, never.
Um it's actually in the rules, especially on hunting clubs, that you don't go out that way, you wear safety protection, you wear orange.
Is is are people hunting with guns?
Is there a possibility for accidents?
Yeah, that's like saying, do you always drive the speed limit?
I mean, things happen, there are accidents.
Um this whole thing about how come they didn't let us know.
To tell you the truth, if there was a hunting action, and by the way, it's pretty common when you're in you know, fairly close quarters, um, you're shooting up in the air mostly.
I I like the waterfowl hunt, and the pellets, you know, what goes up comes down.
The pellets fall all the time.
You don't, it's not a big deal.
I mean, obviously uh uh shooting directly at somebody.
Um that kind of thing can happen out there, but it is absolutely in the rules.
In fact, uh the one club that I belong to, if you're even caught with any alcohol at all, you are automatically thrown out of the club.
All right, all right, and I understand all that.
I try try not to get too defensive and about this.
You're you're reacting to kooks.
You you need to learn to laugh at this.
You uh you you have to understand, I don't know if you know what the left-wing blogosphere has come up with as theories to explain this.
One of the theories is is that Cheney fired at this guy on purpose and caused this news story to take both the National Security Agency domestic spying and scooter libby stories off the front page.
Another one is that Carl Rove engineered this whole thing and told Cheney, next time you go hunting, shoot somebody accidentally, don't kill them, but make it pretty bad so that there's at least a week, and by doing so we can send a message to Scooter Libby.
Scooter, if you implicate anybody here at the White House, because scooters he you know, he went out there and he said, Hey, I I was ordered from higher ups to leak.
And then this accident happens.
And a lot of pretty sharp left-wing bloggers are assuming that this was all a message to Scooter to shut up if he wants to live.
Uh and now uh Lawrence O'Donnell, who was one of the consultants and writers for the uh for the left wing on on NBC that's being canceled, has put it out there that he knows that Republicans tailgate and they drink at tailgate parties, and so they probably drink when they hunt.
And he's wondering if maybe Cheney was drunk out there or had been drinking, and that's why eighteen hours went by, or twelve, whatever it was, before Cheney spoke to the local constabulary.
The local sheriff.
Uh so that you have to understand what this is.
These are the tin foil hat crowd on the left, and everything that happens is a conspiracy, and Cheney and Bush are the uh uh Darth Vader and the Emperor.
What, Mr. Snerdley?
What that you that I'm t this is I haven't even scratched the surface of some of these other theories that are out there.
There's all kinds of there are there are there are a couple more out there.
I just can't think of them off the top of my head, but the new one to me is it was Cheney was drunk.
So um I I think for those of you that hunt, one thing I've learned about the mainstream press.
They're they're they're focused on one aspect of the story right now, and that is gosh, I hope this guy is seriously wounded for a long time, or maybe even dies, then we can really get Cheney, because then we can talk about charging involuntary manslaughter.
They they're focused on how they can get Cheney in this, and they're also focused on how they were disrespected by not being given the news first.
But eventually the storyline, the action line is going to change.
The one day we're gonna get a press conference, and Mr. Whittington has been released from jail a couple days ago, but nobody knew about it, and they're gonna get mad about that.
What?
From the hot what g released from the hospital, released in the hospital.
Well, they're like Whittington in jail too, I'm sure.
They're gonna get released from the hospital, uh, and that'll happen without them knowing about it.
And they'll get all mad about that.
But what at some point what's gonna happen is that this is going to cause or create massive investigative stories on the hunting and what really goes on out there.
Oh, yeah, because lurking at the tail end of this story is another thing liberals hate, and that's guns and hunters.
And uh liberals also hate the fact that the Democrats are going soft on gun control and starting to pander to hunters.
Al Gore did it, John Kerry did it, you know, when he walked in, is this right get me a hunting license?
Libs hate that.
They hate guns, they hate the second amendment, and so when this when this story runs its natural course, you are going to see stories, investigative stories on just how dangerous and and and all hunting is how careless most hunters are.
And you you you haven't seen anything yet, because that'll be the focus, and the purpose of it will be to re-establish a spine and a backbone in Democrat candidates who run for high office to not pander to hunters, the NRA or whatever, because these libs and in the media too, they want an all-out war on virtually every issue that has a clearly defined difference between the left and the right.
So that's where this is eventually heading.
After they fail to get Cheney, after Whittington survives, uh after everybody involved in this has spoken, then they're gonna go after guns and hunting all over.
And this will serve to revive the issue that they think that they are losing because they're Democrat candidates don't have any backbone.
Margaret, in uh in Moncton, Vermont, you're next on the EIB network.
Hi.
Hi, Rush.
Listen, from what I've read and even heard on an ABC newsbreak, which surprised me, the sheriff was called within about 20 minutes, as soon as the victim was seen to and put in the ambulance.
The sheriff was on the scene within the hour.
He investigated, found that it was an accident, and there was no alcohol involved.
Now, see, I have a theory about this.
I think that Dick Cheney was spooked by a killer rabbit, that same rabbit that went after Jimmy Carter, and that's why he had a wild shot.
And the reason he could not call the press immediately is because he had to get back into the ranch house to listen into the wiretaps to try to find out some secret uh recipes for sweet potato pie.
I mean, that's how stupid this whole thing is.
Well, uh I know it is.
I know that and and it's it's uh the people in the media who are making it this stupid.
And with with their relentless they're just they're making their own allies look even wackier than they normally are by pressing this so hard, making it look like something's amiss because they weren't told for some time uh uh until some time had passed.
Uh that just gins up their kook base even more to uh to get more conspiratorial.
But I like the the killer rabbit uh spooking spooking Cheney.
Thanks, Margaret, for the call, appreciate it.
Uh Corpus Christie, Paul, welcome to the program.
Nice to have you with us.
Hey, thank you very much, Rush.
Good to be on the program.
Um I just uh I have a question I wanted to build up to a little bit.
Every time, you know, you you watch press secretary speak to the uh reporters.
I mean, it looks like a sheep going to the slaughter.
The reporters are all ravenous wolves, you know, wanting to dig out as much negative information on the administration as possible.
Well, at this time, you know, I went to a local newspaper and it has really obviously offended the main media.
Why don't they keep doing that?
I mean, why can't obviously there's information to give out, but they can choose who to give that information to, you know?
And uh won't so what it looks like right now, it can't hurt their public image anymore than than what they have.
I don't see why they don't decide which order to give it to you.
It it's it's not it's not practical in all cases, but I love the idea.
I love the idea.
I don't care whether you're announcing uh let's say we we come up with a uh uh well say we capture bin Laden.
Let the Topeka Eagle have it.
Let the Topeka Eagle break the story and and just send David Gregory and Bill Plant and those people to the moon with their rage and their anger.
Oh, I would you know if I were president, that's kind of stuff I would do.
I would be toying with these people.
I would be trying to just if they're mad now, I'd be trying to figure out ways to make them even angrier.
And that that would be a that'd be a funny thing to do.
But if you're the if you're this White House, if you are Scott McClellan or Bush, can you honestly come on common sense, can you trust CBS?
Would you trust CBS with something?
What the Yeah, I I I'll I'll tell you the the the um uh would you would you trust any of these people after the five years that that the the media has is trying obviously to destroy Bush to portray him as a liar to to uh uh trumpet critics that call him uh Hitler and compare him to the Nazis.
Why why would you why would you want to be knight?
Why would you want to try to curry favor with these people?
It's not possible to do uh anyway.
But as a practical matter, it it's not something can be done.
Something that you all don't know, by the way.
Uh but and it doesn't happen often, but occasionally, I don't know how many, maybe twice or three times a year, and maybe it it's more than this.
But the White House does invite local media people in, and they give them briefings.
And they go to the White House and they get a briefing, and they go to the State Department, get a briefing, they go to Treasury or wherever, that's it it rotates.
But uh when I was in Sacramento, I uh I went to one of these things.
Uh I didn't go I wasn't part of the White House contingent.
I was I was uh over at uh where was it?
James Baker, I guess Secretary of the Treasury gave a gave a briefing.
But it was kind of funny to watch.
I mean, they the local media is is uh they're pampered too.
It's just not as often, but they are given access.
Uh I just I I watched this, I was not there for that reason.
I was in Washington for a different reason, and I happened, uh friends of mine in Sacramento were on this trip and they invited me to this one thing where James Baker was uh was giving a briefing.
But you know, they're they're driven around town in buses.
It's it's it's kind of to me it was it was kind of comical to watch because these local media people come in uh uh s sort sort of like uh uh wild-eyed tourists.
And uh and they're they're they're whined and dined and they're courted for a couple of days, all in the interests of uh of local access to the White House.
So there is precedent.
There there is precedent for uh for doling things out to them uh uh first.
I it would be fun.
It would it would just it would just be some next major news event, give it give it to the Grass Valley California Times.
You know, it's just it give it to no give it to a red state paper uh or blue state, I guess it guess it wouldn't matter.
Um and let some reporter just have a career day uh with it uh all for the express purpose of seeing Gregory and Bill Plant and the rest of the people in the White House briefing room go absolutely bananas.
Be back in just a second.
Well, now that Cheney is gonna go speak on that other network CNN is back to showing nude pictures from Abu Grab.
You know, I was talking yesterday about how the coverage of this would all be different if this were a Democrat vice president and mentioned yesterday that uh one of the factors they would bring up is hey, it was a private matter, it was a private moment.
The vice president was out hunting in Texas.
This is not a public that is not going to affect the way he does his job, Just the way they covered for Clinton during Lewinsky.
In fact, Clinton lied for six months.
His whole administration carried forth the lie.
The media then carried forth the lie.
And when it came out that it uh Clinton had no choice because of the Siemens stained dress, had to fess up.
Then Hillary got in the act, act like she didn't know about it, know about it all along.
Uh, and the media said, Well, so what?
It's just a private matter.
It didn't affect the way he uh uh uh discharge the duties of his office.
It's silly.
This is a private sex.
In fact, they defended him for keeping it.
He was trying to protect his family.
Then we got all the stories about how lying is good.
Because it protects people's feelings.
Yes, it does.
Try it sometime, folks.
See, it protects him.
Oh, yeah, all kinds of books.
That was it was very, very thoughtful to get engaged in white laws.
Uh, now and then.
Uh if this were a Democrat vice president, I have no doubt.
We are not gonna report this until we learn everything from the vice president himself.
I'm sure there's an explanation for this.
And besides, we may not be entitled to it, it's a private matter.
He wasn't on the job at the time, so it can't be said to have affected his job.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
The coverage would be totally different.
There's no question it would.
Now, Drudge just linked to this ABC story on his website.
And I read this, and if you saw me chuckling, uh, if you're watching on the Ditto Cam, you'll know why here as I read this to you.
Questions about why Vice President Cheney did not tell the public that he had accidentally shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington during a quail hunting outing in Texas on Saturday continue to persist.
Now the White House is under fire for not releasing information on the Cheney shooting quickly enough.
Can I that's not what made me laugh, but can I just uh react to that?
From whom is the White House under fire?
Not me.
And not from the American people.
The White House is under fire from the media.
The media are supposed to be bystanders.
Now, if the White House was under fire, it ought to be because they're under fire from the public, from the population.
This is a classic illustration of how the media make themselves the story.
They've created this whole swirling controversy.
They create it.
They create this PR crisis, and then they go out and amplify it, and then they write stories that make it look like the White House is under fire from the American people for they're not.
Sources told ABC News that the vice president's team had debated issuing a statement early Sunday morning per the White House's request, but sources said Cheney's team decided it would be more credible to allow the ranch owner and witness Catherine Armstrong to make the information public.
Armstrong is the daughter of a former Halliburton official who hired Cheney to see Halliburton.
It's the only thing that was missing.
They had to get Halliburton.
Back in just a second.
Everyone's a winner.
Hot chocolate.
The bumper rotation.
Here we go back to uh Ridgefield, Connecticut on the phones.
Pete, welcome to the program.
Rush, thanks for taking my call.
Yeah.
Uh regarding uh Vice President Cheney.
Doesn't he have a heart doesn't he have a heart problem?
Yes, he does.
First thing the doctor says, can't drink.
With a heart problem.
Uh are you a doctor?
I am not a doctor, but I have a father who has had uh bypass uh triple bypass and quadruple bypass.
Well, I've heard this can't be.
Yeah, I've I've heard it both ways.
I've I've heard a drink a day uh keeps the heart pumping away, and uh the arteries and whatever open and so forth.
I've heard it the other way.
A drink a day or more will kill you.
Blah, blah, blah.
The bottom line is Dick Cheney doesn't listen to anybody.
Doctor tells him not to drink.
Cheney will say, screw you.
I'm Dick Cheney, Darth Vader and the Emperor, and I'm gonna drink.
You gotta know Dick Cheney, as the liberals know Dick Cheney.
The doctor says don't drink.
That's no excuse because Cheney just blow the doctor off.
He'll say, okay, yes, point the shotgun at him, said you saying I can't do what?
No, do whatever you want, Mr. Vice President.
You've got to understand how the libs look at Dick Cheney.
You guys are analyzing this with rationality.
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