Bush Says Cheney Handled Issue ‘Just Fine’
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush said Thursday he was satisfied with Vice President Dick Cheney’s explanation about his shooting accident in Texas.
“I thought the vice president handled the issue just fine,” the president said in his first public comments on Saturday’s accident. “I thought his explanation yesterday was a powerful explanation.”
Bush said it was “a deeply traumatic moment for him and obviously it was a tragic moment for Harry Whittington.” He said that the shooting “profoundly affected the vice president.”
Bush said Democrats are drawing “the wrong conclusion about a tragic accident” when they say it depicts the White House as overly secretive.
“Yesterday when he was here in the Oval Office I saw the deep concern he (Cheney) had about a person who he wounded,” Bush said. “I thought yesterday’s explanation was a very strong and important explanation to make to the American people.”
Bush said Whittington, the 78-year-old attorney shot by Cheney in the face, chest and neck, is “a fine man” whom he knew from his days as governor of Texas. “He’s been involved in our state’s politics for a long period of time. My concern is for Harry and I know the vice president feels the same way.”
While some White House officials were unhappy about the vice president’s handling of the accident, Bush did not publicly object to Cheney’s decision not to make the shooting public until Sunday, the day after it happened. The president also did not express concern about the fact that Cheney did not speak to him about the accident until they saw each other on Monday.
Bush recounted Cheney’s explanation of the accident. “He heard a bird flush and he turned and pulled the trigger and saw his friend get wounded,” the president said.
Bush, during an Oval Office photo opportunity, seemed upset when pressed about whether he was satisfied that Cheney had disclosed the shooting in a timely way.
“I’m satisfied with the explanation he gave,” Bush said tersely.
“I thought his explanation yesterday was a very strong and powerful explanation and I’m satisfied with the explanation he gave,” the president said.
