The Road of Bones

Hurricane Katrina blasted the coast and drove thousands of our poorest into the streets to suffer and die for seven days while the president played guitar and ate cake. Weeks later, he traveled to New Orleans with his cavalcade of theatre tech majors. They came in early one morning and built a stage, strung lights, set up generators and prepared seating. When the whole performance was over, the lights went out. The generators were sent back to Washington. The stage was torn down and scrapped. The people of the city remained without access to electricity, clean water or medical assistance.

Remember that Bushism classic, “You’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie”?

Yes, Michael Brown. Ex-Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Former Fearless Leader of the Arabian Horse Association. Patsy of the administration. Lap dog to Homeland Security’s Fuhrer, Michael Chertoff. Fashion connoisseur and all-around dope. You get the point.

Michael Brown’s appointment to FEMA was mostly overlooked by the press. Thankfully, this insanity about the Dubai Ports World deal has caught the mainstream. Given the lessons of Hurricane Brownie, I can only imagine what will happen when the United Arab Emirates, a former ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban, takes over terminals in 21 – yes, Twenty One - American sea ports.

I, like you, wondered just what the hell is going on. Where cronyism dictated the appointment of Brown, cronyism is dictating Bush’s shocking resistance to common sense. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Treasury Secretary John Snow, one of the principal members of the secret commission that approved the port deal, was the chairman of a company called CSX. They sold their international port operations to DP World in 2004, coming away with a cool $1.15 billion. In January of 2006, a man named David Sanborn was appointed by the president to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. Before that, he managed DP World’s European and Latin American operations. Neil Bush, Georgie’s “other” brother, has received significant financial aid from UAE investors in his software business. Better still, the Carlyle Group, a defense firm and Who’s Who of Republican Elite (big dollar winner for Poppa Bush) is holding $8 billion of Dubai International Capital’s investment dollars.

The foolishness is unparalleled. United Arab Emirates does not recognize Israel as a state. Their banks financed the 9/11 attacks. The CIA says UAE royals met with Osama shortly after we were attacked. Bush was unaware of the deal for nearly a month after it was approved, but believes we are safe because he conducted a thorough (sigh) 24 hour review. Even the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield, did not know about it until reporters asked him. Now the Coast Guard says it is both under funded and concerned about “intelligence gaps” in dealing with the UAE. Great.

The cup finally ran over when the president started playing the race card. See, if you are concerned about this thing, you are a bigot and a segregationist. All you Arab Haters should be ashamed.

I do not think I am the only one who resents the insinuation.

Faced with a nonstop barrage of questions, the sale was downgraded from “giving over control of our ports” to the “leasing of a single terminal within the port.” It was almost like going from “Mushroom Cloud” to “WMD’s” to “weapons programs” to, uh, “Freedom salads for everyone. With croutons. But no dressing. If we have the dressing, the terrorists win.”

Let’s consider another of our nation’s valuable entry points: airports. They have been in the center of Homeland Security’s efforts to harass and annoy, I mean, defend the homeland. And we still do not secure air freight. But I digress. If the Iraqi Sunni’s owned an airline called “Air Iraq,” would it be allowed to “lease a terminal” at D/FW airport? Had the UAE’s old friends in the Taliban raised up a fleet of aircraft and dubbed it “AfganiContential,” would you use them for a connecting flight?

If the president is serious about this “war on terror,” how can he make enemies out of countries which “harbor terrorists,” then strike a multi-billion dollar business deal with a state that harbors terrorists? Indeed, the absence of logic has created a vacuum of greed. We have destroyed the Taliban and now seek to open our ports to their ally. But, they supposedly grow great pot. In fact, the drug trade is a major cog in these countries’ economies!

After all, the Taliban came to Texas in 1997 under then governor Bush. The result was a Unocal oil pipeline in Afghanistan, the same country in which Osama vanished after 9/11. Next time, we’ll just let ‘ole UBL hide out in the governor’s mansion. I am sure Rick Perry’s ubiquitous hair could use the company. If Bush keeps this up, he’ll be grappling with an angry Democratic Congress next January.

“You’re doing a heck of a job, Dubie.” And like true a stoner, he passed to the left.

Mahalo.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Tuesday, February 28, 2006 | Permalink

O'REILLY: "Somewhat of a disturbing report out of Iraq, and it's more important than it first appears. The governor of -- or the mayor of Karbala, which is a town in the south part of Iraq, Shiite-controlled, has banned any further government dealings with the American military in his province, saying that they're not behaving well." [A Lie.]

"Now, it's a small little thing, but I picked up on it, because here is the essential problem in Iraq. There are so many nuts in the country -- so many crazies -- that we can't control them. And I don't -- we're never gonna be able to control them. So the only solution to this is to hand over everything to the Iraqis as fast as humanly possible. Because we just can't control these crazy people. This is all over the place. And that was the big mistake about America: They didn't -- it was the crazy-people underestimation. We did not know how to deal with them -- still don't. But they're just all over the place."

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Thursday, February 23, 2006 | Permalink

The Webster Retort
By Stephen Webster
Publication date: Feb. 24, 2006

May God Bless the Peacemakers

On Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006, the U.S. National Council of Churches denounced the war in Iraq. The statement was issued at the largest gathering of Christian churches in over a decade. Thirty-four world-wide denominations stood together and declared the war to have been “launched in deception, and [in violation of] global norms of justice and human rights,” adding, “We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name.”

Now, before you write off that entire paragraph as the grumblings of a handful of west coast liberal intellectuals, consider the scope of the announcement. The U.S. National Council of Churches encompasses quite a few Christian denominations, including the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodists, Orthodox Christians and Baptists. In other words, most of your neighbors now belong to an organization that is opposed to the Iraq war. The council does not include the Catholic Church, but that’s okay - the Pope doesn’t support the war either.

The announcement is the first of its kind from America Right. The perception of many liberals in America is that the largest Christian denominations are the driving force behind much of the pseudo-fascism emanating from the White House. But I knew better. I was raised Methodist. I even went to private Christian academies until my mid-adolescence. Deep down inside, I knew that true, peace-loving Christians would not – could not – go along with the war for very long. I was right, thank God.

Around the world, human societies are in the midst of a great upheaval; a social evolution that has pitted the systems of old against the forces of new, driven by the ever-expanding human consciousness. In America, we have our Neo Conservatives and Liberal Elite. That group, though divided by bitter, partisan struggle, wants one thing: control. The Republicans are also privy to small government conservatives, whereas the Democrats have their “liberty” liberals (a term of my own invention). Both groups seek peace and the betterment of our society and others around the world. This group connects people in an ever-shrinking global economy.

The Connect Culture and the Control Culture are philosophical inventions of Harvard Sociology professor Phillip Slater. He argues that the two are in the midst of a great struggle around the world. Indeed, the existence of control and connect negates the right versus left divide that has been imposed on American politics. The idea cuts each half into fourths, bringing members of both groups closer together.

The revolt began in the 60’s, when a large portion of our society spontaneously rose up against the Control Culture. For the first time in our history, the people of this nation stopped a war and embarrassed those who started it. Today’s American Neo Conservatives are a multiplication of the hate and fear elicited by the rapid movement of the earliest connectors. The Bush administration is a fierce rebuttal to a brief period when the connectors of both America Left and Right – and around the world - began to make progress. As the internet and mass communication becomes the norm, people are being drawn closer together. For the first time, all over the world, truly civilized societies are realizing the utter worthlessness of war and the immense value of cooperation. In a global society, stepping on another’s toe can effectively break your own leg.

However, the transition from Control to Connect is far from over. One system has yet to relinquish its grasp, and the other has yet to fully take hold. Ideologues cut from the same mold hold sway over America and the very modern Islamic Republic of Iran. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes statements that put a shine to Adolf Hitler, the connectors of Iran pitch fits. When George W. Bush evokes the crusades – the wholesale slaughter of Muslims at the hands of Medieval Christians – American connectors cringe just as greatly. Together, the controllers of both cultures are trying to whip up a new conflict to perpetuate their power, extending the systems of old.

The U.S. National Council of Churches is the first sign that the connectors of America Right are waking up again. Welcome back, friends. We may disagree on economic policies and social programs, but a very clear, defined majority of Americans now stand together with the joined purpose of ending the Iraq war and preventing the invasion of Iran. It is good to know some of my Christian brothers and sisters still believe the peacemakers to be blessed by God.

The end of the Control Culture may not come within my lifetime, as movements such as this are more a force of human evolution than conscious choice. Given the transcendental scope of mankind’s awakening, I find comfort in knowing that future generations may not have to suffer the unending tragedy of war.

Stephen Webster is an Investigative Reporter and Syndicated Columnist with The News Connection, a Staff Columnist with George W. Bush’s hometown weekly The Lone Star Iconoclast, and a former Contributor to The Dallas Morning News’ Science & Technology section.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Tuesday, February 21, 2006 | Permalink

U.S. church alliance denounces Iraq war
By BRIAN MURPHY
AP RELIGION WRITER

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil -- A coalition of American churches sharply denounced the U.S.-led war in Iraq on Saturday, accusing Washington of "raining down terror" and apologizing to other nations for "the violence, degradation and poverty our nation has sown."

The statement, issued at the largest gathering of Christian churches in nearly a decade, also warned the United States was pushing the world toward environmental catastrophe with a "culture of consumption" and its refusal to back international accords seeking to battle global warming.

"We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights," said the statement from representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World Council of Churches. "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."

The World Council of Churches includes more than 350 mainstream Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches; the Roman Catholic Church is not a member. The U.S. groups in the WCC include the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Church, several Orthodox churches and Baptist denominations, among others.

[...]

On Friday, the U.S. National Council of Churches - which includes many WCC members - released a letter appealing to Washington to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and saying reports of alleged torture violated "the fundamental Christian belief in the dignity of the human person."

[...]

The Rev. Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), worried that some may interpret the statement as undermining U.S. troops in Iraq.

"We honor their courage and sense of duty, but ... we, as people of faith, have to say to our brothers and sisters, `We are so profoundly sorry,'" Watkins said.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Tuesday, February 21, 2006 | Permalink

The Justice Department in 2002 asserted that President Bush's wartime powers superseded anti-torture laws and treaties. Gonzales, while at the White House, wrote similar memos.

[...]

[T]he original documents set up a legal framework that led to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, in Afghanistan and at the U.S. prison camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"What they're trying to do is continue their attacks on President Bush because of his policies since 9/11 that the people didn't buy on Nov. 2," [Texas Senator John] Cornyn said. "They also are trying to muddy the water to make it harder for the president to nominate him for the Supreme Court later on."

The CIA and the White House, citing national security concerns and the value of the program, have dissuaded Congress from demanding that the agency answer questions in open testimony about the conditions under which captives are held. Virtually nothing is known about who is kept in the facilities, what interrogation methods are employed with them, or how decisions are made about whether they should be detained or for how long.

[...]

But the revelations of widespread prisoner abuse in Afghanistan and Iraq by the U.S. military -- which operates under published rules and transparent oversight of Congress -- have increased concern among lawmakers, foreign governments and human rights groups about the opaque CIA system. Those concerns escalated last month, when Vice President Cheney and CIA Director Porter J. Goss asked Congress to exempt CIA employees from legislation already endorsed by 90 senators that would bar cruel and degrading treatment of any prisoner in U.S. custody.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff, told CNN that the practice of torture may be continuing in U.S.-run facilities.

"There's no question in my mind that we did. There's no question in my mind that we may be still doing it," Wilkerson said on CNN's "Late Edition."

"There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said. "His implementer in this case was [Defense Secretary] Donald Rumsfeld and the Defense Department."

At another point in the interview, Wilkerson said "the vice president had to cover this in order for it to happen and in order for Secretary Rumsfeld to feel as though he had freedom of action."

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Friday, February 17, 2006 | Permalink

WASHINGTON - A federal judge Thursday ordered the Justice Department to respond within 20 days to requests by a civil liberties group for documents about President Bush’s domestic eavesdropping program.

The ruling was a victory for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which sued the department under the Freedom of Information Act in seeking the release of the documents. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy ruled that the department must finish processing the group’s requests and produce or identify all records within 20 days.

“Given the great public and media attention that the government’s warrantless surveillance program has garnered and the recent hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the public interest is particularly well served by the timely release of the requested documents,” he said.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Thursday, February 16, 2006 | Permalink

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Thursday, February 16, 2006 | Permalink

Pioneer Tobin Armstrong’s ancestor, Texas Ranger John B. Armstrong, bought the beginnings of the Armstrong Ranch in 1882 with the $4,000 bounty he received for capturing outlaw John Wesley Hardin. In 1944 Tobin’s older brother wed an heir of legendary King Ranch (see Fausto Yturria), linking two of the biggest ranches in Texas. The Armstrong Ranch has since gone global, with tracts in Australia and South America. In recent years, Tobin and his wife, Anne, have hosted many GOP dignitaries--including the first and second President Bush--on their 50,000-acre Armstrong Ranch in South Texas. “We go out when the dew is still on the grass, and then hunt until we shoot our limit,” Tobin said in 2000 of his ranch outings with Dick Cheney. “Then we pick a fine spot and have a wild game picnic lunch.”

True conservatives might choke on their javelina steaks if they knew that Tobin Armstrong dunned the government for $11,336 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2002, according to the Environmental Working Group. Anne Armstrong served as: a close advisor to President Nixon; President Ford’s British Ambassador; and approved covert actions on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board under Reagan. A veteran of blue-chip corporate boards, Anne Armstrong was a Halliburton director when that corporation hired Cheney. She is Kay Bailey Hutchison’s best friend, having helped launch the senator’s career as Republican National Committee co-chair in 1971. George W. Bush appointed Anne Armstrong as a Texas A&M regent in 1997. She and her husband were part of Laura Bush’s delegation to the funeral of Queen Mother Elizabeth in 2002.

As a Kenedy County Commissioner in 2001, Tobin Armstrong expressed serious reservations about a short-lived Bush administration plan to relocate a Navy bomb-testing site from Puerto Rico to the fragile sand dunes of a local beach. Daughter Katharine Armstrong--formerly Katherine Idsal--and ex-son-in-law Warren Idsal also are Pioneers. President Bush invited Tobin, Anne and Katharine Armstrong to a White House sleepover.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Thursday, February 16, 2006 | Permalink

The Webster Retort
By Stephen Webster
Investigative Reporter
Publication date: Feb. 17, 2006

A Peppering of Insanity

When did we all lose our minds? The Vice President of the United States shoots a 78 year old man in THE FACE with a SHOTGUN, and then hides the story for 24 hours, trying to figure out what the official cover would be. A private citizen is chosen as the official mouthpiece and informs the local weekly paper. Three days later The New York Times runs a report that concludes stating the victim has accepted responsibility for the accident. “He got peppered pretty good,” said Anne Armstrong. “But it wasn’t a big deal. […] You know, I’ve been peppered pretty well myself.”

Not a big deal. Sure. The man is now carrying over 200 flying balls of metal in his body, and one actually migrated to his heart and caused a cardiac arrest. Did you know that if he dies, Cheney could be charged with Involuntary Manslaughter? Not a big deal. Uh-huh.
I spent three summers in the Boy Scouts, shooting skeet with 20 gage shotguns in West Texas. I fired the same weapon that Cheney used that day, and I never hit a person. Even someone who has never touched a gun should know the cardinal rule. What is that rule? You shouldn’t need a reminder. When using a gun, BE FREAKING CAREFUL!

Scott McClellan, the White House Press Secretary, claimed that the president was told a member of Cheney’s hunting party had been injured about an hour after the incident, on Saturday evening. But Bush was not told that Cheney was the shooter until Sunday. Does the president have so little control of his office that his VP can shoot a man and hide it from him for a full day? Or have we elected one man, only to have another take his place?

I heard someone say that these sorts of accidents happen all the time. Yet, last year the state of Texas had just 2.7 hunting accidents per 100,000 licenses sold. But if you bite down on the official story hook, line and sinker, you know that it is really not a big deal to get “peppered.” Hell, you pepper your potatoes every night, right? Peppering an old man’s face must not be any different. But that day’s hunt was. Many hunters know of the practice, and many decry it as dishonorable and disingenuous. Yes, the outing Mr. Cheney was on is what most hunters call a “canned hunt.”

In these morbid bloodbaths, old, white men with shotguns stand next to their cars on the side of a road and fire at animals that were released by the land owner. The quails Cheney tried to kill were raised in a small pen and had their wings clipped, making them nothing more than living target practice. They ran out from behind a bush (no pun intended) and get blown to pieces from close range. It is a rotten, ugly way to kill an animal, and hunting from car-side is illegal on public (but not private) land in Texas. Cheney cannot get enough of it.

Cheney went to Pennsylvania in December of 2003 with Texas Senator John Cornyn on one of these canned hunts. Together with a handful of Republican campaign contributors and lobbyists, they blasted 417 pen-raised birds in a matter of a few hours. Cheney was credited with 70 kills that day, a number which does not include people that may have looked like a quail, fortunately.

He was not drunk, but no tests were administered to prove that. The local Sheriff’s Department did interview the Vice President about it, but only after deputies were turned once away by the Secret Service on Cheney’s orders; they returned 19 hours later. However, until it is proven otherwise, I do believe that it was an accident. Certainly Cheney did not mean to shoot Whittington. But as on Wednesday, Feb. 15, five full days after the shooting, Cheney has not said one word to the public. That is simply disgraceful.

People, this is a matter of character. The simple fact that he did not go to the public immediately speaks volumes of the man we call our Vice President. Dispersing information through a campaign donor is no way for a leader to put such sober news to the public. To suggest this is “not a big deal” is like suggesting George W. Bush eating a live kitten in front of the White House Press Corps is a fun, family friendly show. And to hide away for five whole days (as of this writing) and refuse to talk to the press is downright shameful.

He is the first Vice President to have shot a man since Aaron Burr killed General Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel in 1804.

He should resign immediately.

That’s my opinion, and I’m stickin’ to it.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Wednesday, February 15, 2006 | Permalink

The Webster Retort
By Stephen Webster
Investigative Reporter
Publication date: Feb. 17, 2006

A Peppering of Insanity

What the hell is wrong with this scene? Could somebody tell me? When did we all lose our minds? The Vice President of the United States shoots a 78 year old man in THE FACE with a SHOTGUN, and then hides the story for 24 hours, trying to figure out what the official cover would be. The land owner and only witness calls the local weekly paper (no offense to my employers) to make it public, and three days later The New York Times runs a report that concludes stating the victim has accepted responsibility for the accident. “He got peppered pretty good,” said Anne Armstrong, the only witness (and apparently the only spokesperson for the Vice President on this matter). “But it wasn’t a big deal. Harry should have let us know that he was back there. […] You know, I’ve been peppered pretty well myself.”

Peppered? Being peppered by shotgun pellets, of all things, is not a “big deal”? Sure, maybe if someone THREW THEM at you! But when propelled by gunpowder, hurtling out of a long, metal barrel … Good God! Do some people really believe this is not a significant event?

Scott McClellan, the White House Press Secretary, claimed that the president was told a member of Cheney’s hunting party had been injured about an hour after the incident, on Saturday evening. But Bush was not told that Cheney was the shooter until Sunday. What is going on here? Does the president have so little control of his office that his VP can shoot a 78 year old man in the face with a shotgun and hide it from him for a full day? Or have we elected one man, only to have another take his place?

On top of that, the story they came up with in those 24 hours after the shooting simply does not wash. According to Armstrong, Harry Whittington fired a shot and went to retrieve the bird. Cheney moved a little further on toward another group of birds. Whittington walked up behind Cheney as the birds “flushed.” Cheney followed the birds with his shotgun and fired, somehow hitting Whittington at a distance of 30 yards.

Did you catch that? The victim approached the shooter from behind, away from where Cheney was pointing the gun. Cheney spun around and fired, striking Whittington from a short distance. In the end, they both conclude that it was Whittington’s fault for not yelling, “I’m here!” while Cheney was drawing a bead on a flock of birds just yards away. Hm. Blame the victim. Good thinking.

And let us not forget what happened just before the shot was fired. Whittington supposedly shot a fowl and went to retrieve it. I don’t know how quails in other parts of the U.S. react when a shotgun goes off, but in Texas they scatter to the wind for nearly a mile around. How can one logically explain birds just sitting there after a nearby blast from a firearm that size?

I heard someone say that these sorts of accidents happen all the time. Yet, last year the state of Texas had just 2.7 hunting accidents per 100,000 licenses sold. But if you bite down on the official story hook, line and sinker, you know that it is really not a big deal to get “peppered.” Hell, you pepper your potatoes every night, right? Peppering an old man’s face must not be any different. But that day’s hunt was. Many hunters know of the practice, and many decry it as dishonorable and disingenuous. Yes, the outing Mr. Cheney was on is what most hunters call a “canned hunt.”

In these morbid bloodbaths, old, white men with shotguns stand next to their cars on the side of a road and fire at animals that were released by the land owner. The quails Cheney tried to kill were raised in a small pen and intentionally dizzied before released, making them nothing more than living target practice. They run out from behind a bush (haha, but no pun intended) and get blown to pieces from a distance of 50 yards or less. It is a rotten, ugly way to kill an animal, and hunting from car-side is illegal on public (but not private) land in Texas. But Cheney cannot get enough of it.

Cheney went to Pennsylvania in December of 2003 with Texas Senator John Cornyn on one of these canned hunts. Together with a handful of Republican campaign contributors and lobbyists, they blasted 417 pen-raised birds in a matter of a few hours. Cheney was credited with 70 kills that day, a number which does not include people that may have looked like a quail, fortunately.

Until it is proved otherwise, and in spite of my better judgment, I believe that it was an accident; Cheney did not mean to shoot Whittington. He was not drunk (“officially”), and the local Sheriff’s Department conducted an investigation (albeit a very, very fast investigation). Now we can all just sit back and enjoy the jokes on late night television. Unfortunately, what I have to say is no joke.

To think that we have a Vice President who acts like he runs the White House! He shot an old man in the face with a shotgun and kept it secret for a day, managing to hide it from the president and the press until a campaign donor called a local paper. He was hunting without proper license, and denied local police an interview until a day later (which could be construed to constitute obstruction of justice). People, this is a matter of character. The simple fact that he did not go to the public immediately speaks volumes of the man we call our Vice President. Dispersing information through a campaign donor is no way for a leader to put such sober news to the public. To suggest this is “not a big deal” is like suggesting George W. Bush eating a live kitten in front of the White House Press Corps is a fun, family friendly show.

The Vice President shot a 78 year old man in the face with a shotgun, then ran and hid. He is the first Vice President to have shot a man since Aaron Burr killed General Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel in 1804. He should resign immediately.

That’s my opinion, and I’m stickin’ to it.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Tuesday, February 14, 2006 | Permalink

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker at Monday, February 13, 2006 | Permalink

The delay in announcing the shooting "will likely be the main question asked of the White House about the apparent accidental shooting of a 78-year-old man during a Texas hunting trip by the vice president," the Tribune's James wrote on the Washington bureau's blog at the newspaper's site.

"When a vice president of the U.S. shoots a man under any circumstance," James noted, "that is extremely relevant information. What might be the excuse to justify not immediately making the incident public?"

"The vice president is well-known for preferring to operate in secret....Some secrecy, especially when it comes to the executing the duties of president or vice president, is understandable and expected by Americans."

"But when the vice president's office, or the White House, delays in reporting a shooting like Saturday's to the public via the media, it needlessly raises suspicions and questions of trust. And it may just further the impression held by many, rightly or wrongly, that the White House doesn't place the highest premium on keeping the public fully and immediately informed."