Guardian: Deadeye Dick

[kskiska]

(snip)

Mr Cheney is not infrequently the butt of Mr Bush's attempts at humour. All he can do is grit his teeth and pretend to be amused. A sense of helplessness might explain the Veep's resort to butts of a different kind in his favourite hunting grounds of South Dakota and, most recently, at the private Rolling Rock Club in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mr Cheney downed more than 70 ringneck pheasants and an undetermined number of ducks during a shooting spree there last week. Altogether his 10-man party, whose other members remain unidentified, killed 417 birds. Mr Cheney and bulging game-bag then headed back to Arnold Palmer airport in a Humvee.

If shooting defenceless birds can be described as relaxation, it is possible Mr Cheney's expedition was cathartic. After all, he has many worries. His old firm, Halliburton, is accused of profiteering in Iraq. His private contacts with energy industry executives are now subject to a supreme court lawsuit. Far smarter than the present White House incumbent, Mr Cheney harboured presidential ambitions before his heart grew dicky. Perhaps he still does. Silently suffering his boss's unkind jibes, perhaps he secretly dreams of quite a different, higher-value target when he flicks off the safety catch.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1108510,00.html

[kalian]

1. There's some "compassionate conservatism" for ya....

:eyes:

Caged birds....I mean really. This guy probably even considers
himself a "sportsman"...

[teryang]

2. Poppy used to shoot "Quayle"

I'm sure that the symbolic message was intended as well, in as much as Poppy arranged an assassination attempt on Reagan as soon as he got in office.

I guess here the message goes from the purported vp to the purported potus. They are both cold blooded killers.

[acmavm]

3. Sounds like little Georgie tries to score off his controllers. Maybe he

secretly resents just being the figurehead president with all the power in other people's hands. A form of rebellion.