From The New York Times, 2/15/06:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/politics/15veep.html

Handling of Accident Creates Tension Between White House Staffs

By DAVID E. SANGER


WASHINGTON --

When the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, came to the
press room just before 10 a.m. Tuesday and suggested he was wearing an
orange tie to avoid a stray shot from Vice President ***** Cheney, it
seemed to signal an effort to defuse the accidental-shooting story
with a laugh.

But by midday, it was clear that the staffs of the president and the
vice president had failed to communicate.

Just after arriving at work around 7:45 a.m., Mr. Cheney learned that
the man he had shot, Harry M. Whittington, was about to undergo a
medical procedure on his heart because his injuries were more serious
than earlier believed, Mr. Cheney's spokeswoman said.

No one in Mr. Cheney's office passed the word to Mr. McClellan, senior
officials at the White House said, adding that the press secretary
would never have joked about the shooting accident if he had known
about the turn of events involving Mr. Whittington.

It was the latest example of the degree to which Mr. Cheney's habit of
living in his own world in the Bush White House -- surrounded by his
own staff, relying on his own instincts, saying as little as possible
-- had backfired since the accident in Texas on Saturday.

Mr. Cheney's staff members have kept their comments to chronological
details and to repeating the vice president's written statements.

The tension between President Bush's staff and Mr. Cheney's has been
palpable, with White House officials whispering to reporters about how
they tried to handle the news of the shooting differently.

Mr. McClellan, while being careful not to cross Mr. Cheney or his
aides directly, has made a point of reminding reporters of how he
dealt with Mr. Bush's bicycle accident last summer, when the president
collided with a Scottish policeman at the G-8 summit.

"I immediately briefed the press on how the accident had happened, and
the condition of the police officer," who was taken to the hospital
with minor injuries, Mr. McClellan said.

His message was clear:

There was a procedure for conveying this kind of news, and it was not
followed in this case.

The past three days have underscored, in public, what has always been
clear in the Bush White House:

Mr. Cheney plays by rules of his own making.

It is the freedom that only a political figure who knows he is in his
last job -- he often says he will never run again -- can get away
with.

"What he did was not an irrational thing," said Mary Matalin, Mr.
Cheney's former communications adviser, who spoke to him Sunday
morning.

"This was a very close friend this happened to. Everyone was shaken up
about it. When I spoke to him, it was all about Harry, worrying about
him," not whether he should get a statement out, or let his South
Texas host tell a local newspaper.

To others, though, it is a telling example of the cocoon Mr. Cheney
has created within the White House.

Even at the most secure meetings in the White House situation room,
Mr. Cheney tends to ask questions but leave the participants guessing
about his own views -- largely, his colleagues say they suspect, for
fear of leaks.

His movements, once hidden for security reasons, are now often cloaked
out of habit.

Several senior members of the administration said they were not told
of the shooting accident until late Sunday.

Several White House officials said no one among the White House staff,
including the chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., felt empowered to
dictate how news of the accident would be handled.

Presumably Mr. Bush could have declared how the news would be
disseminated, something he does often on policy matters.

Until this week, the periodic disconnect between Mr. Cheney's office
and the rest of the White House has been the source of grumbling, but
rarely open tension.

__________________________________________________

Sounds like someone's gonna get hurt.

Harry

From The New York Times, 2/15/06:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/politics/15veep.html

Handling of Accident Creates Tension Between White House Staffs

By DAVID E. SANGER


WASHINGTON --

When the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, came to the
press room just before 10 a.m. Tuesday and suggested he was wearing an
orange tie to avoid a stray shot from Vice President ***** Cheney, it
seemed to signal an effort to defuse the accidental-shooting story
with a laugh.

But by midday, it was clear that the staffs of the president and the
vice president had failed to communicate.

Just after arriving at work around 7:45 a.m., Mr. Cheney learned that
the man he had shot, Harry M. Whittington, was about to undergo a
medical procedure on his heart because his injuries were more serious
than earlier believed, Mr. Cheney's spokeswoman said.

No one in Mr. Cheney's office passed the word to Mr. McClellan, senior
officials at the White House said, adding that the press secretary
would never have joked about the shooting accident if he had known
about the turn of events involving Mr. Whittington.

It was the latest example of the degree to which Mr. Cheney's habit of
living in his own world in the Bush White House -- surrounded by his
own staff, relying on his own instincts, saying as little as possible
-- had backfired since the accident in Texas on Saturday.

Mr. Cheney's staff members have kept their comments to chronological
details and to repeating the vice president's written statements.

The tension between President Bush's staff and Mr. Cheney's has been
palpable, with White House officials whispering to reporters about how
they tried to handle the news of the shooting differently.

Mr. McClellan, while being careful not to cross Mr. Cheney or his
aides directly, has made a point of reminding reporters of how he
dealt with Mr. Bush's bicycle accident last summer, when the president
collided with a Scottish policeman at the G-8 summit.

"I immediately briefed the press on how the accident had happened, and
the condition of the police officer," who was taken to the hospital
with minor injuries, Mr. McClellan said.

His message was clear:

There was a procedure for conveying this kind of news, and it was not
followed in this case.

The past three days have underscored, in public, what has always been
clear in the Bush White House:

Mr. Cheney plays by rules of his own making.

It is the freedom that only a political figure who knows he is in his
last job -- he often says he will never run again -- can get away
with.

"What he did was not an irrational thing," said Mary Matalin, Mr.
Cheney's former communications adviser, who spoke to him Sunday
morning.

"This was a very close friend this happened to. Everyone was shaken up
about it. When I spoke to him, it was all about Harry, worrying about
him," not whether he should get a statement out, or let his South
Texas host tell a local newspaper.

To others, though, it is a telling example of the cocoon Mr. Cheney
has created within the White House.

Even at the most secure meetings in the White House situation room,
Mr. Cheney tends to ask questions but leave the participants guessing
about his own views -- largely, his colleagues say they suspect, for
fear of leaks.

His movements, once hidden for security reasons, are now often cloaked
out of habit.

Several senior members of the administration said they were not told
of the shooting accident until late Sunday.

Several White House officials said no one among the White House staff,
including the chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., felt empowered to
dictate how news of the accident would be handled.

Presumably Mr. Bush could have declared how the news would be
disseminated, something he does often on policy matters.

Until this week, the periodic disconnect between Mr. Cheney's office
and the rest of the White House has been the source of grumbling, but
rarely open tension.

__________________________________________________

Sounds like someone's gonna get hurt.

Harry

From The New York Times, 2/15/06:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/politics/15veep.html

Handling of Accident Creates Tension Between White House Staffs

By DAVID E. SANGER


WASHINGTON --

When the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, came to the
press room just before 10 a.m. Tuesday and suggested he was wearing an
orange tie to avoid a stray shot from Vice President ***** Cheney, it
seemed to signal an effort to defuse the accidental-shooting story
with a laugh.

But by midday, it was clear that the staffs of the president and the
vice president had failed to communicate.

Just after arriving at work around 7:45 a.m., Mr. Cheney learned that
the man he had shot, Harry M. Whittington, was about to undergo a
medical procedure on his heart because his injuries were more serious
than earlier believed, Mr. Cheney's spokeswoman said.

No one in Mr. Cheney's office passed the word to Mr. McClellan, senior
officials at the White House said, adding that the press secretary
would never have joked about the shooting accident if he had known
about the turn of events involving Mr. Whittington.

It was the latest example of the degree to which Mr. Cheney's habit of
living in his own world in the Bush White House -- surrounded by his
own staff, relying on his own instincts, saying as little as possible
-- had backfired since the accident in Texas on Saturday.

Mr. Cheney's staff members have kept their comments to chronological
details and to repeating the vice president's written statements.

The tension between President Bush's staff and Mr. Cheney's has been
palpable, with White House officials whispering to reporters about how
they tried to handle the news of the shooting differently.

Mr. McClellan, while being careful not to cross Mr. Cheney or his
aides directly, has made a point of reminding reporters of how he
dealt with Mr. Bush's bicycle accident last summer, when the president
collided with a Scottish policeman at the G-8 summit.

"I immediately briefed the press on how the accident had happened, and
the condition of the police officer," who was taken to the hospital
with minor injuries, Mr. McClellan said.

His message was clear:

There was a procedure for conveying this kind of news, and it was not
followed in this case.

The past three days have underscored, in public, what has always been
clear in the Bush White House:

Mr. Cheney plays by rules of his own making.

It is the freedom that only a political figure who knows he is in his
last job -- he often says he will never run again -- can get away
with.

"What he did was not an irrational thing," said Mary Matalin, Mr.
Cheney's former communications adviser, who spoke to him Sunday
morning.

"This was a very close friend this happened to. Everyone was shaken up
about it. When I spoke to him, it was all about Harry, worrying about
him," not whether he should get a statement out, or let his South
Texas host tell a local newspaper.

To others, though, it is a telling example of the cocoon Mr. Cheney
has created within the White House.

Even at the most secure meetings in the White House situation room,
Mr. Cheney tends to ask questions but leave the participants guessing
about his own views -- largely, his colleagues say they suspect, for
fear of leaks.

His movements, once hidden for security reasons, are now often cloaked
out of habit.

Several senior members of the administration said they were not told
of the shooting accident until late Sunday.

Several White House officials said no one among the White House staff,
including the chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., felt empowered to
dictate how news of the accident would be handled.

Presumably Mr. Bush could have declared how the news would be
disseminated, something he does often on policy matters.

Until this week, the periodic disconnect between Mr. Cheney's office
and the rest of the White House has been the source of grumbling, but
rarely open tension.

__________________________________________________

Sounds like someone's gonna get hurt.

Harry

From The New York Times, 2/15/06:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/politics/15veep.html

Handling of Accident Creates Tension Between White House Staffs

By DAVID E. SANGER


WASHINGTON --

When the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, came to the
press room just before 10 a.m. Tuesday and suggested he was wearing an
orange tie to avoid a stray shot from Vice President ***** Cheney, it
seemed to signal an effort to defuse the accidental-shooting story
with a laugh.

But by midday, it was clear that the staffs of the president and the
vice president had failed to communicate.

Just after arriving at work around 7:45 a.m., Mr. Cheney learned that
the man he had shot, Harry M. Whittington, was about to undergo a
medical procedure on his heart because his injuries were more serious
than earlier believed, Mr. Cheney's spokeswoman said.

No one in Mr. Cheney's office passed the word to Mr. McClellan, senior
officials at the White House said, adding that the press secretary
would never have joked about the shooting accident if he had known
about the turn of events involving Mr. Whittington.

It was the latest example of the degree to which Mr. Cheney's habit of
living in his own world in the Bush White House -- surrounded by his
own staff, relying on his own instincts, saying as little as possible
-- had backfired since the accident in Texas on Saturday.

Mr. Cheney's staff members have kept their comments to chronological
details and to repeating the vice president's written statements.

The tension between President Bush's staff and Mr. Cheney's has been
palpable, with White House officials whispering to reporters about how
they tried to handle the news of the shooting differently.

Mr. McClellan, while being careful not to cross Mr. Cheney or his
aides directly, has made a point of reminding reporters of how he
dealt with Mr. Bush's bicycle accident last summer, when the president
collided with a Scottish policeman at the G-8 summit.

"I immediately briefed the press on how the accident had happened, and
the condition of the police officer," who was taken to the hospital
with minor injuries, Mr. McClellan said.

His message was clear:

There was a procedure for conveying this kind of news, and it was not
followed in this case.

The past three days have underscored, in public, what has always been
clear in the Bush White House:

Mr. Cheney plays by rules of his own making.

It is the freedom that only a political figure who knows he is in his
last job -- he often says he will never run again -- can get away
with.

"What he did was not an irrational thing," said Mary Matalin, Mr.
Cheney's former communications adviser, who spoke to him Sunday
morning.

"This was a very close friend this happened to. Everyone was shaken up
about it. When I spoke to him, it was all about Harry, worrying about
him," not whether he should get a statement out, or let his South
Texas host tell a local newspaper.

To others, though, it is a telling example of the cocoon Mr. Cheney
has created within the White House.

Even at the most secure meetings in the White House situation room,
Mr. Cheney tends to ask questions but leave the participants guessing
about his own views -- largely, his colleagues say they suspect, for
fear of leaks.

His movements, once hidden for security reasons, are now often cloaked
out of habit.

Several senior members of the administration said they were not told
of the shooting accident until late Sunday.

Several White House officials said no one among the White House staff,
including the chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., felt empowered to
dictate how news of the accident would be handled.

Presumably Mr. Bush could have declared how the news would be
disseminated, something he does often on policy matters.

Until this week, the periodic disconnect between Mr. Cheney's office
and the rest of the White House has been the source of grumbling, but
rarely open tension.

__________________________________________________

Sounds like someone's gonna get hurt.

Harry