What Have You Done Dick?

What seemed to be simply humor food has turned into quite a serious and controversial situation. VP Cheney "accidentally" shoots a man, let's the ranch owner break the news, and now the victim, 78-year-old Harry Whittington, has a "silent heart attack" because one of the several pellets lodged in him has moved to his heart--on Valentine's Day. Sounds like Dick has a sick deal with the devil and was pulling some strings on Tuesday.

Doctors still are optimistic about Whittington's prognosis, but that's what they said before this "setback". I am so easily amused, as usual with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's handling of this fiasco. And once again, David Gregory from NBC has come through as the hero trying to penetrate the forcefield of silence that this administration puts up. An excerpt from a Washington Post article dated Tuesday morning:

The most heated public moment occurred during McClellan's off-camera
"gaggle" with White House reporters yesterday morning. It featured NBC's David
Gregory, one of McClellan's most persistent inquisitors over the last year, who
raised his voice while asking a question about the incident.

"Hold on," McClellan interrupted, pointing out that "the cameras aren't on right now. You can do this later."

"Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras," Gregory replied. "Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question."

"You don't have to yell," McClellan said.

"I will yell," said Gregory, jabbing his finger in McClellan's direction. "If you want to use that podium to try to take shots at me personally, which I don't appreciate, then I will raise my voice, because that's wrong."

"Calm down, Dave. Calm down," said McClellan evenly.

The two men spoke privately after the gaggle, Gregory said later. No apologies were exchanged. "I said what I said and I meant what I said," Gregory said. He said he and McClellan get along "very well," a point agreed upon by McClellan during a brief interview.

"David's a good guy and a good reporter," McClellan added. He said that yesterday was "one of those days where I knew exactly what to expect."

This nonsense never gets old. Now I understand why people voted for Bush. This crap is so ridiculous, that it's entertaining, moreso than Grey's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives. We are a pop culture society of convenience, and the politics of today play to both of those aspects.