Cheney's Hunting Accident Cover-up Raises Some Disturbing Questions

In 1999 when George Bush was Governor of Texas, a scandal in the funeral home industry threatened to ruin his career. In a sworn affidavit, Gov. Bush claimed he had no conversations with Service Corportation International who was a political contributor to Bush, despite the contradiction of this company's very own attorney. Lawsuits and other legal action resulted, and millionaire Austin attorney, Harry Whittington, that Bush had appointed to head the Texas funeral regulation board after a major shake-up was reluctantly forced to pay a $50,000 settlement as a result of a lawsuit connected to this scandal. Other than quietly offering more political contributions to Bush, attorney Harry Whittington wasn't really a household name until this weekend.

While hunting on a private ranch with this millionaire lawyer poltical contibutor to Bush/Cheney efforts, Cheney accidently wounded Whittington in a hunting accident.

But despite the fact that Cheney had traveled to this ranch with both secret service as well as a doctor because of his previous history of heart problems, there appeared a deliberate attempt to cover-up the hunting accident. It was not until about 24 hours later that a local newspaper had stumbled ontto the story of the accident. Unlike previous accidents involving the White House or Bush Administration, including with a motorcade or with a bicycle, there was a deliberate effort to prevent any news leak of this accident.

There may be several reasons for this cover-up. It may refocus new attention on the 1999 funeral home scandal and the role of Bush and renew allegations that he had lied under oath in the sworn affidavit.

Also Cheney has had a history of several drunk driving arrests. It raises the question whether Cheney may have commited a crime under Texas law by hunting while intoxicated or even operating a firearm under the influence. By waiting more than 24 hours before any details of this accident leaked to the press may have helped to destroy evidence of a crime. It was not until a full day later that police finally found out about the serious accident and were finally allowed to survey the area that the accident took place. Police wonder why they were not reported this serious accident according to ABC affilate station, KATU.

It was further reported late Sunday, that the accident occured about 5:30 on saturday, or a time when dusk began to settle in. This may have contibuted to visiability problems and helped to create this near tragedy. Also it was reported that a failure to follow normal hunter identification also took place which may have played a role in the accident.

With questions of a "culture of corruption" that surround this administration, for Cheney to spend time with millionaire political contibutors such as Whittington on a private ranch while there are ample accusations of so many favors to large contributors and an unhealthy relationship to the 16,000 lobbyists in Washington, the Cheney weekened hunting trip raises some unsettling questions. But the cover-up of the accident really raises the red flags. There was a genuine efort to keep a serious firearms accident out of the news and a real effort not to report the accident to the police. For an administration that works with so many claimed corrupt dealings and unhealthy connections to the rich and powerful, all of this only points to an administration so corrupt that even an acident must be keep out of the news and censored because it raises new corruption allegations.

The public has the right to expect far better of their government than all this on going pattern of secrecy and corruption that the Bush Administration has ushered in.