Would Bush ‘refresh’ presidency by replacing Cheney?

Columnist Peggy Noonan speculates in today’s Wall Street Journal that the White House is secretly wishing it could replace Dick Cheney. The reason, she suggests, is that Cheney has become too much of a hate magnet and that Bush may want to give a handpicked successor a running start on the next election. “This is a White House that likes to hit refresh when the screen freezes,” she wrote. “Right now the screen is stuck, with poll numbers in the low 40s, or high 30s.” She also notes that “all this is exactly like the sort of thing people blue-skied about in 1992, when George H.W. Bush was in trouble and a lot of people urged him to hit refresh by dumping Dan Quayle. He didn’t. George W. Bush loves to do what his father didn’t.” I’ll believe that when I see it.
Also: Conservative media are making hay about how the liberal, mainstream press has gone into a feeding frenzy over a nonstory — even though Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and others have talked on and on about the hunting accident. Here is Noonan’s take: “Can media bias be detected in the endless coverage? Sure, always. But it’s also a great story. A vice president of the United States shot a guy in a hunting accident, and no one on his staff told the press. That’s a story.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

47 Comments

  1. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 12:38 pm | Permalink

    Hey outlander, I hope the humane society and the diner dont spend their $20 in one place. Hehehehe

  2. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 12:39 pm | Permalink

    We can only hope that the voters hit the “refresh” button in both 06 and 08.

  3. Darwin'sDisciple
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:10 pm | Permalink

    Poor ole Peggy Noonan is needing some medication. She is completely losing it.

  4. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:33 pm | Permalink

    They told the press, just not the press elite.

  5. Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:36 pm | Permalink

    What’s funny is Noonan thinking that Bush’s low poll numbers are because of Cheney.

    Noonan, get a clue. The American people aren’t buying what Team Bush is selling anymore.

  6. Darwin'sDisciple
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:40 pm | Permalink

    I read the Cheney/Hume interview. From what I could gather Cheney delayed announcing the accident because he wanted to be sure that he got “an accurate” story out. Somehow, I’m kind of wondering about that explanation.

  7. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:46 pm | Permalink

    So…

    The only story here is that the Vice President didn’t talk to the media fast enough?

    What next?

    The Vice President refused to post his ipod song list on the internet?

    You liberals are so desperate it is tragic that you don’t see how silly you look.

  8. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:48 pm | Permalink

    Hey nathan, ya wanna talk silly?

    Let’s compare shooting a man to publishing his ipod list. Dont you ever get tired of looking like a fool?

  9. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:57 pm | Permalink

    Yeah DD, I guess the vp of the u.s. is powerful enough to be above the law, but NOT powerful enough to get “accurate” reports about an incident he committed. Like he wasnt THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED.

    He and the ss didnt have the power to get “accurate” (or timely!) info about Harry’s condition from the Corpus hospital. Kinda like he couldnt get “accurate” intelligence about Iraq either.

    And now Katherine Armstrong says the first she knew something had happened was when she saw the ss run towards the vp, making her think he’d had a heart attack.

    The gospel according to “two beers Kate”. Sounds like an “accurate” eye witness report. She didnt hear the shot or see Harry fall, but she knew just how it happened. How? I guess Karl told her on Saturday night.

  10. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 1:58 pm | Permalink

    Oh and nathan, they told the press…just 24 hours after the incident happened.

  11. Joe Blow
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 2:04 pm | Permalink

    Unlike, well, Bubba, who went for weeks denying anything and the great protector of woman’s rights went around calling Lewinsky a “stalker.” Then that dadgum blue dress showed up. Weeks. Not 24 hours. Not 4 days. Weeks.

  12. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

    Yes, bj, I mean jb. Clinton lied, and he was impeached by the house for lying. Do you think any of the r’s and the lying liers who support them will get the same treatment?

  13. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 3:06 pm | Permalink

    So…

    once again. The only story here is that the VP did not contact the media within X amount of time?

    I wonder… Since the only issue is that the VP did not contact the press fast enough, exactly what is considered fast enough for you?

    What is a reasonable amount of time that the VP has to notify the press before he is wrong?

    Is there some set standard? Is this written down somewhere? Is there some unwritten holy rule of the press elite that they must be notified within X amount of time?

    Please share this information with me.

  14. Darwin'sDisciple
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 3:18 pm | Permalink

    “What is a reasonable amount of time that the VP has to notify the press before he is wrong?”

    I think any reasonable person would say that it depended upon the seriousness of the situation. Shooting an acquaintence with a shotgun is a fairly serious thing, wouldn’t you agree? Or is it no more important than his ipod list? (that wasn’t such a smart comparison)

  15. A guy from up north
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 3:41 pm | Permalink

    I wouldn’t push replacing Cheney too hard. The was Bushytail is going, he will replace him with Michael Chertoff or “your doing a heck of a job” Browny.

  16. anonymous
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 4:13 pm | Permalink

    Nathan, forget it. Nobody is buying your crap.

  17. Blue Earth
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 4:24 pm | Permalink

    What is significant about this story is that Chenney could have immediately taken responsibility for the hunting accident, but he didn’t. Instead, he chose to let Whittington take the blame for 4 days. This tells us something about Chenney’s character.

  18. CrusaderX
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    Bush/Quail 06!Someone else posted that, friggin hilarious!!!

  19. Ben Huie
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 4:35 pm | Permalink

    Replacement – my former Congressman Dennis Hastert. Northern IL MidWest, heartland. Moderate/conservative leanings. Apparently hasn’t been tarred by the scandals.

  20. Posted February 16, 2006 at 4:43 pm | Permalink

    The real story here is that the Vice President was comitting an illegal act ie (hunting without a license and no stamp) a man was shot during this illegal act, that constitutes a crime. and the VP got away with it, Thats the real story NATHAN: You need to get it right!

  21. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 5:27 pm | Permalink

    Tater,

    The VP had his hunting license. He failed to get a 7 dollar stamp for hunting birds, which all parties failed to purchase.

    That law was just enacted like 6 months prior.

    It was what most people with any common sense like to call an Honest Mistake.

    The accidental shooting being a crime or not has nothing to do with the lack of purchase of a 7 dollar stamp.

    Perhaps you should study some law before you go spouting off at the mouth about getting things right…

  22. Ray Thomas
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 5:55 pm | Permalink

    But, Nathan..the hate fest must continue. No matter what, there is no logic here…not with the hate mongers in full force.

    But…realize something. That tonight, when they go to sleep wrapped in all their hatred and venom, GW Bush is still in the White House. When they wake up tomorrow, still full of hatred and animosity, he will still be President of the United States. And will be for a few more years.

    While I do not agree with everything his administration has said and done, I quietly chuckle to myself with every hate mail, pile of anger and total vituperative commments… He is still in the White House, and I hope that just bugs the crap out of the hate mongers.

  23. Posted February 16, 2006 at 5:55 pm | Permalink

    With the V P being part of the system that makes the Laws its a little stupid for them to forget what the law is don’t you think.

  24. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 6:31 pm | Permalink

    I am curious Tater.

    Can you even explain how you think the VP is part of the system that makes laws in which he would have known about that 7 dollar stamp?

    LOL

  25. Hank Price
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 6:36 pm | Permalink

    Dear Tater,

    When Cheney and the the rest of the administration were deciding to issue a $7.00 Upland Game Bird Stamp they did it in secret and behind closed doors. It was a plot to get more money out of innocent hunters everywhere.

    It seems only fitting that such a scoff law like the VP should get caught in his own devious plot.

    The fact that there was an accidental shooting is only icing on the cake!

    Fondly,

    Hank

  26. Hank Price
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 6:45 pm | Permalink

    Hey boy,

    Call me

  27. brown
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 7:26 pm | Permalink

    Nathan,If the shoe was on the other foot and a Democrat vp had a hunting accident, would you be as casual about it? I have a feeling you would have had FOX news on 24/7 since then.Did you used to be “codie”?

  28. steve
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 10:27 pm | Permalink

    Let’s move on to more important matters, like why did the v.p. authorize/de-classify info. for his chief of staff to feed info. on an Ambassador’s wife, who happened to be a CIA agent working on Iran’s WMD’s? And, why did the v.p. lie to agents when the investigation began, and he was ‘interviewed’ albeit not under oath.

  29. Nathan
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 10:35 pm | Permalink

    I usually have fox on 24/7 now…

  30. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 10:43 pm | Permalink

    For those of you who only watch Fox, MSNBC had a stopry tonight that 71% of those polled were still interested in the cheney shooting story and wanted to hear more. Even though scotty said 11 times that the american people weren’t interested in this, only the white house press corp. Scotty might be wrong. Maybe it isnt such a “non-issue” at all if this poll is correct.

  31. CrusaderX
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 10:47 pm | Permalink

    VPs literally blasting lawyers make damn good news! I can’t wait for the HBO movie! ;)

  32. J R
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 11:02 pm | Permalink

    Agreed with poster upthread. Nathan is a dead duck here. I will no longer consider posts from Hankathan. By association Ray gets the big ig as well.

    The “best” thing the GOP could do would be to use this to dump cheney…..whose approval ratings are now somewhat less than catching shingles.

    I hope they don’t do that. I am confident they won’t. This admisnistration is so cock sure that everyone loves sick crony capitalism that they aint smart enough to see the collapse.

    bush is gonna kill the gop for 20 years. They can crawl back under the little rock where they belong. That will be his legacy and I say

    BRING IT ON

  33. steve
    Posted February 16, 2006 at 11:47 pm | Permalink

    It might be refreshing for the pres. to get his orders from some one else for a while. Bush looked like Cheney had taken him to the wood shed, when he finally spoke up for him.

  34. Ray Thomas
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 7:30 am | Permalink

    Oh noooo…the horror of it all. The shame. How can I ever live with myself…”JR” is going to ignore me. Might as well just go kill myself now.

    Seems he doesn’t like being reminded that all the hate mail in the world won’t change the fact that GW Bush is, and will remain for the next 3 years, the President of the United States.

    Sorry, JR, ignoring me won’t change that, either.

  35. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 9:17 am | Permalink

    Great post JR. Will you marry me? Unless you are a girl of course. No married brokeback cowgirls in ks.

  36. Ben Huie
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 10:24 am | Permalink

    In a sense my instinct is to have sympathy for Cheney in this matter. I would suspect that in the immediate aftermath on the accident his #1 concern was to get his friend to the hospital and know how he was doing. paperwork simply doesn’t seem all that important. As for the $7 stamp I might also see that as simply a lapse.

    However, after all the to-do about a stained dress …

    Maybe we should bring Ken Starr back and spend millions investigating this.

  37. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 10:32 am | Permalink

    lol Ben. If cheney was so damned concerned on saturday night, why wasnt he at the hospital until sunday morning? Too busy fixing that cover-up drink back at the house? I guess I would need ANOTHER drink too after I shot someone.

    A car load of people from the ranch followed the ambulance. And then followed the chopper to the next hospital to keep tabs on Harry “I’m ok but in ICU” Whittington.

    Cheney couldnt go along because he was so grief stricken? And, with all his pals at the bedside and all the powers of the vp, he couldnt get “accurate reports” until sunday?

    Ben, you think this is all about a $7 duck stamp and a rumored expired huning license? Yeah, those are the reasons cheney’s story and the story of his eye witness “two beers kate” has more holes than harry.

  38. Jed
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 10:40 am | Permalink

    Hey folks, lets not get too critical of our esteemed veep! Don’t you realize it takes time to fabricate an accurate story?

  39. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 10:48 am | Permalink

    LOL jed, and even with a 14 hour head start, they couldnt do it very well. How many versions did “two beers Kate” actually tell?

  40. raptor
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 1:02 pm | Permalink

    Facts have been strangely absent on this thread. According to CNN, Harry Whittington has been released from the hospital, and is doing fine.

    Kennedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas said his office was contacted Saturday afternoon, and they did conduct an investigation before determining this to be a hunting accident.

    So, the great ‘crime’ is that Cheney did not call CBS news the second it happened. And, for that, there is a conspiracy. A coverup, and he should be removed from office?

    Slow news day or what? There was no coverup. Just because the national media was not called about a personal incident that had no bearing on national policy or international events, does not mean there was any wrong doing.

    But, of course, to the extremists here and throughout the country, since it was Cheney, obviously something MUST be horribly bad… somewhere….somehow…

  41. Posted February 17, 2006 at 10:14 pm | Permalink

    No, the crime was that he didn’t call the police the minute it happened.

    Right-wingers have been hammering Teddy Kennedy on this for years, and they were right–the guy was drunk, and he didn’t want to admit it.

    Was Cheney drunk? We’ll never know now will we?

  42. J R
    Posted February 17, 2006 at 11:25 pm | Permalink

    I always like praise Ksfarmgirl. Thanks. Your posts are great too. But ya can’t propose marriage just cause ya like what I say. But do feel free to flirt.

    Hey Ray? Tick tick tick. I’m in favor of the Al Franken plan Ray. As painful as it is gonna be to have the shrub and the “blammer” (my new nic for cheney) in charge for awhile, I favor patience. Let’s wait. Hell it can only get worse. I say we gather evidence, let bush and company do their worst, and impeach the whole lot round about summer 2007.

    Now I know this is gonna hurt. Every day with bush brings fresh pain. But we gotta work through that pain and let bush build his “legacy”.

    Down side is we thinking folk gotta measure and watch. We must give bush only enough rope to hang himself and not all of America. Given that the shrub wants to now turn over authority of our ports to a United Arab Emirates company I think we have less time than I would hope for.

  43. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted February 18, 2006 at 8:47 am | Permalink

    Awwwwww JR, people get married for lesser reasons! lololololol

  44. nwks18
    Posted February 18, 2006 at 8:55 am | Permalink

    The puppet replacing the puppet master?

    Now that would be a new twist!

    Who do you think has been the president of the US for the past 5 years?

  45. raptor
    Posted February 18, 2006 at 1:03 pm | Permalink

    Nice try, Lib. Big difference. Kennedy walked away and let a young woman drown. I don’t see anyone claiming that Cheney refused to call an ambulance? Anyone claiming that he tried to get his cousin to accept the blame?

    Major difference…hunting accident vs. leaving the scene of an accident that became a fatality, directly due to his actions.

    No similary, Lib.

  46. raptor
    Posted February 18, 2006 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    Damn typos…

    “Similarity”

  47. J R
    Posted February 18, 2006 at 11:41 pm | Permalink

    As I said Ksfarmgirl. Do feel free to flirt:)

    raptor? (my first post directed to you so tr and bea little more informed and literate than the usual bushie) Raptor? Is this the best you can do? Now I listen to Rush and Hannity and so I KNOW this is the talking points for you all.But honestly……is your whole arguement FOREVER going to be based on “don’t look at what we do! Look at what they DID!”

    Is that your best couterpoint? Cause it does not ultimately bear up. “My side” has no ideas? “your side” can only justify it’s own failures by pointing to the past!

    But the point of the blog was Cheney. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep defending this guy! It plays to almost all of America like defending the guy in Human resources that they hate. Defend this guy so he can keep ahowing us just how bad “bad” can be.