Documenting Instanity

Lawrence O'Donnell asks if the VP was drunk

Hugh got wind of this post at the Huffington insane asylum. Lawrence actually went on Hugh's show for 15 minutes to defend the position that this was a really serious possibility. Hopefully RadioBlogger will put up the audio as well as the transcript. It is worth the time for the humor factor.

How do we know there was no alcohol? Cheney refused to talk to local authorities until the next day. No point in giving him a breathalyzer then. Every lawyer I've talked to assumes Cheney was too drunk to talk to the cops after the shooting. The next question for the White House should be: Was Cheney drunk?

Let us think about this for a minute. Rational explanation:

1. Secret Service informed the local police about the accident soon after, arranged for VP to be interviewed the next day.
2. VP's buddy in hospital, VP wants to be with him and get any resources needed.
3. Local police in TX carry loaded guns. The Secret Service does not let people near VP with loaded guns without doing their own background first.
4. It was an accident witnessed by Secret Service guys. I would imagine when a Secret Service guy tells you that a shooting was an accident you would believe them.
5. The guy was alive and expected to recover. I presume the locals have interviewed him and a pile of other witnesses by now.
6. You don't send out CSI and grill people when EVERYONE involved says it was an accident.

Lawrence's explanation (proposed possibly but not actually out right stated)

1. VP and buddies all got drunk while out shooting guns.
2. VP shot the lawyer in a drunken haze.

There are a couple teeney tiny problems with this scenario.

1. The VP is not known to be a heavy drinker.
2. The Secret Service does not let people hang out drunk with the VP while holding loaded guns. So the VP was drunk and everybody else was sober?
3. While the Secret Service's primary function is the security of their charge and don't talk about personal things they witness as a rule they are required to report crimes, at least in most circumstances and would be in Lawrence's scenario. I don't know but would guess that shooting someone while drunk could be crime even if it is an accident.
4. There is a high likelihood, I would think, that the hospital took a blood test on the lawyer. Don't they screen for alcohol and drugs in Intensive Care as rule? It would be a good question.

They have truly gone around the bend over there.

Update: Radioblogger has come through with both the audio and transcripts on both Hugh's Lawrence O'Donnell interview and his, even funnier, Helen Thomas interview of Wednesday. Thank you sir.

posted by mailgeek @ 6:19 PM