home

Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face

By Jeralyn, Section Dick Cheney
Posted on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 07:35:05 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

There's an update tonight on lawyer Harry Whittington's condition:

Millionaire lawyer Harry Whittington's condition continued to improve Monday after Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot him during a quail hunt, but doctors said he would probably live out his days with pellets inside him.

[Hospital Emergency Chief] Blanchard said that in cases like Whittington's, where the number of pellets lodged in the skin were "more than I can count on the fingers of my hand, but less than 100," it was better to leave them there than to try to extract them. "In all likelihood, he will continue the rest of his long life and his longevity with those pellets remaining in place," Blanchard said.

Another update on the "miscommunication" over the request to interview Cheney on Saturday night:

Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said at least one deputy showed up at the ranch's front gate Saturday night and asked to speak to Cheney, but was turned away by Secret Service agents. Zahren said there was some miscommunication and that arrangements had been made for the vice president to be interviewed Sunday morning.

< White House, Not Just Cheney, Under Friendly Fire | U.S. Military Torturers at Bagram Escape Punishment >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 08:06:11 PM EST
    As has been pointed out elsewhere in the blogosphere, the shot must be deep enough to make it not worth the risk taking them out. So the comment on a eairler thread by a hunter lawyer seems right on.
    I conclude the target was within 10 or 15 yards, at most, of Dick and possibly as close as 5 yards. My reasons for saying this are algebraic. ...So, my best estimate is as follows: Dick nearly blew this guy's head off.
    Re: Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face (none / 0) (#2)
    by Lww on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 08:24:41 PM EST
    Dick is a heartbeat away from the button... Russia should pray for Bush. This is the funniest story in years, not since Clinton.

    Re: Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face (none / 0) (#3)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 13, 2006 at 08:29:48 PM EST
    If the doctor is correct in his estimate of the number of pellets in his face and chest, that is less than 100, he couldn't have been only 10-15 yards away. The firsthand account of ~30 yards would sound about right. I guess it depends on the choke. I discussed this with my wife (a doctor) over dinner. She said there would be no good reason to try and remove such small birdshot from anyone; especially in a 78 year old man. The detrimental lead exposure would be negligible over the next 10 or 15 years. What may be significant is a secondary infection. A man of his age could easily be killed by an infection. This is likely why he is still in the hospital. I suppose if he died from it we would be talking manslaughter.

    Re: Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 12:02:22 AM EST
    Maybe it's a good thing Dick "had other priorities" during Vietnam. Imagine how much damage to his own platoon he could have done with an M16 and a 30 round clip?

    Re: Pellets Will Remain in Whittington's Face (none / 0) (#5)
    by Peaches on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 06:36:53 AM EST
    I discussed this with my wife (a doctor) over dinner
    Pig says about story that it doesn't have legs:
    Two weeks. tops
    and he's posted on every thread thread started about this incident and now he's discussing it with his wife over dinner. Of course the rest of America is talking about Michelle Kwan. Right...