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Sumbitch Can't Handle a Gun

Media Matters tries to detangle who's lying, and it's not easy.

Byron York today in the NRO:

Katharine Armstrong said she did not coordinate with the vice president's office before calling the Corpus Christi paper. If Armstrong had not made the call, it is not clear when, if ever, the vice president's office would have told the public about the incident. Asked what would have happened if the accident had happened another way -- if, for example, [Harry] Whittington [the Texas attorney that Cheney shot] had accidentally shot the vice president -- the administration source told NRO that it would have been handled in a similar fashion. "The priorities would have remained the same -- first medical care, then law enforcement alert," the source said. Still, in the case of Saturday's shooting, those matters were taken care of on Saturday, and the press was still not notified until after Katharine Armstrong made the decision to call her local paper.

No. She was not coached, not a bit. Just ask her.

MALVEAUX: Are you saying that she's lying? That her --

But don't ask Scott McClellan:

MALVEAUX: Katharine Armstrong talked to CNN Sunday evening [February 12] and she said that she thought this was going to become a story, so she was going to go to the local press. She also told CNN that she did not believe the Vice President's Office was aware that she was going to go to the local press. How do you square that with your account, that --

McCLELLAN: The vice president spoke with her directly, and they agreed that she would make it public.

MALVEAUX: Are you saying that she's lying? That her --

McCLELLAN: No. You ought to check with her.

MALVEAUX: We did check with her. So you're saying that's not correct?

McCLELLAN: The vice president spoke directly with Mrs. Armstrong, and they agreed that she would make the information public.

Is it just me, or does it seem like Byron York and Scott McClellan are both competing to throw Cheney under the bus?

Also...per Brad Friedman, still no video of today's gaggle up on the White House web site. Small wonder.

Update: The NYT is reporting that Karl Rove was talking to Mrs. Armstrong within 90 minutes of the shooting. This was no doubt when Mrs. Armstrong told Karl about all the fine plans she had for handling the press while he nodded in silence.

(thanks to LJK for the photo)

posted by Jane Hamsher @ 2/13/2006 08:25:00 PM