John Podhoretz says the following at the National Review Online.
WHAT CHENEY MUST DO [John Podhoretz- bio]
This story is a very big deal, despite all the mitigating factors — the accident involved a friend, his medical team was right there to help, and all that. Something like this has never happened before, and it is a genuinely disturbing thing to think that the vice president of the United States actually shot somebody last weekend, even for fans of his. It’s disturbing as well that there was a news blackout that lasted nearly a day about this serious incident. It seems beyond question that the vice president is going to have to go before the cameras, explain what happened, and show genuine remorse for his actions, however inadvertent. It’s a difficult challenge for someone as reticent as Dick Cheney. But unless he does so, and makes a good showing of it, he will be damaged goods for the remainder of the Bush presidency.
I’d go further than that. Dick Cheney needs to go on Oprah. Nothing less will do. If he’s smart, he’ll show contrition and join with Winfrey in starting a new foundation to promote gun safety. It might even humanize him.
Meanwhile, Jane Hamsher speculates about the fallout.
Washington is abuzz with the speculation that the GOP will use this little caged birdie shoot-a-thon-gone-wrong as an excuse to get rid of Dick Cheney. It sounds entirely plausible, especially since George Allen was on Fox News Sunday morning calling for investigation into the declassification of the NIE. The GOP obviously knew the shooting had happened and after putting so much energy into spreading the meme that Cheney had the absolute right to have Scooter do what he did they wouldn’t allow Allen off the reservation like that without some sort of larger purpose. Maybe it was only a trial balloon, but still.
The fact is that they do not know what will happen in the fall of 2006, and should the Democrats take either of the houses of Congress the stone wall they’ve been able to erect in front of all their crimes suddenly begins to crumble. With subpoena power the Democrats could start to dismantle the GOP crime family and there could be a whole lot more people than Scooter Libby in need of pardoning
Spiro Agnew went down before Richard Nixon. But, it’s hard to imagine this White House without Dick Cheney in charge. I certainly find it hard to picture George Allen taking ‘Big Time’s’ place.
Yet, if Dick Cheney doesn’t do something to repair his image, and fast, he is going to wind up either in jail or tossed aside for some face-saving dauphin and pretender to the throne.
