Huffington: FLAP Over Cheney’s Health

Arianna Huffington has this piece from Vail, Colorado:

Arianna Huffington

Is Cheney Alright?

I just landed at Vail airport, right next to the Vice President’s Gulfstream jet (actually, there were two Vice Presidential planes, not one… how much of an entourage does one VP need?). He’s here to speak at the World Forum at Beaver Creek, sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute, and held, of course, behind closed doors. The guy sent to pick me up by the Vail Valley Institute (where I’m speaking) told me that he had seen the VP’s motorcade speed towards the local hospital. Being an intrepid HuffPost reporter, I asked him to take me straight there. Upon our arrival, we encountered a high level of security — and a lot of zipped lips: “We cannot tell you anything,” “No comment,” “That information is not available…” But one hospital staffer, obviously not schooled in the secretive ways of Cheney, let it slip: “He’s no longer here”. And since you cannot “no longer” be someplace you’ve never been, we can deduce — though not confirm — that Cheney did, in fact, pay a visit to the local hospital. The reason? Over to you AP…

UPDATE: Cheney’s Health: What is the White House Hiding?

VAIL — Why is the White House still insisting that the only health issue Vice President Cheney dealt with today is an old football injury to his knee, visiting renowned orthopedist Dr. Richard Steadman? At the Vail Valley Institute dinner tonight, I kept asking what those in the know here knew. Little by little, here is the story I pieced together: After the Secret Service secured the Vail Valley Medical Center, including the parking lot, the Vice President arrived under his own power and checked in at the orthopedic center under the name “Dr. Hoffman”. He was immediately whisked to the adjacent cardiac unit, suffering from what was described to me as “an angina attack”. The security was so high that a Secret Service agent wouldn’t let an ER nurse out of the bathroom that she had gone into just before the Veep arrived. “Get back in there,” the agent told her. Confounded, she called her husband on her cell phone, telling him “something big” was going on. And indeed it was… but you wouldn’t know it from the White House. It appears that not only doesn’t the public deserve to know what is really going on in Iraq (“last throes”?) we don’t deserve to know what is going on with our Vice President’s health.

For more on the long history of the the administration’s obfuscation regarding Cheney’s heart condition, read my March 7, 2001 column.

It appears that this scoop by Arianna is unsubstantiated and unconfirmed:

Cheney Visits Orthopedist in Colorado

(06-24) 18:21 PDT Vail, Colo. (AP) —

Vice President Dick Cheney visited a renowned orthopedist Friday while in town for a forum held by a conservative think tank, his spokeswoman said.

Cheney met with Dr. Richard Steadman to evaluate an old football injury to his knee, Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said.

Steadman focuses primarily on sports medicine, and his Steadman Hawkins Clinic has treated a number of famous athletes. In 2003, Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant was in Vail for knee surgery at the clinic when he was accused of raping a hotel worker.

Cheney was scheduled to attend the American Enterprise Institute World Forum, which was started in 1982 by former President Gerald Ford.

Liberals Decide to Show Their A$$

Last night a handful of us conservative bloggers were spinning trying to confirm or deny an Arianna Huffinton story that said that Vice President Cheney was rushed to a Vail, Colorado hospital for heart problems.

Apparently, that story was poppycock. But, that’s not stopping those darn liberals from saying that the White House isn’t telling the truth and wishing death on the Vice President.

Despite the only facts in the case that Arianna Huffington could muster are highly speculative and also despite the fact that the VP was on a scheduled visit there these liberals still think the White House is lying.

As of noon Pacific time Flap has seen no confirmation of these reports from Vail.

However, the comments coming from the Huffington post either accusing the White House of lyingand/or covering tis story up, ridiculing the Vice President health or wishing the vice President ill will are startling. Flap includes a sample here:

I’ve been telling people since the election that Cheney would not finish out the term.

What will happen is, Cheney will hang on for another year, then sometime around the 2006 elections, they’ll figure out a way to replace him with a more feasible candidate for president.

Bush-Bush, anyone? After all, Jeb will be free about then…

Milt

Posted by: Milt Shook at June 24, 2005 10:17 PM

My guess is that he had one of those Guidant AICDs (implanted defibfillator) that was recalled, so he got his reprogrammed or replaced. just my bet.

Posted by: susan at June 24, 2005 10:25 PM

I hope the reporters and news casters refer to him as Mr hoffman just another god dam lie, the president and cheney are so crooked they couldn’t lie in bed straight.

Posted by: edward higgins at June 24, 2005 10:28 PM

I wonder how many regular readers to this pathetic, self-important blog are hoping that Cheney comes out with a sheet over his head…?

Posted by: Eric at June 24, 2005 10:32 PM

How many of you pathetic losers hope he dies?

Posted by: Eric at June 24, 2005 10:33 PM

Come on Eric, there are enough pathetic losers to go around. Remember when Bill Clinton went into the hospital? The conservative blogs were pretty well lit up.

I can’t stand Cheney, but I have no hopes of him dying.

Posted by: lftthink at June 24, 2005 10:43 PM

I’m in my last throes! Last throes I tell you. Crap, which Bush administration official stopped the recall on pace makers?

“I’m coming, Elizabeth, I’m coming.”

Posted by: Dick Cheney at June 24, 2005 10:44 PM

Darth Vadar will never die, silly fools.

Lynn keeps peeling him fresh baby hearts to snack on while she sits at his side. Surely one of them will keep him going.

Posted by: OneCharmingBastard at June 24, 2005 10:45 PM

To susan:
“My guess is that he had one of those Guidant AICDs (implanted defibfillator) that was recalled, so he got his reprogrammed or replaced. just my bet.”

It might have been something more minor than that. The sad part is that no one in this administration can come clean about anything and its up to Arianna to do the leg work on this story ***her own self**** to get the truth out. Kudos, Arianna. GREAT WORK.

To “Eric”:
“I wonder how many regular readers to this pathetic, self-important blog are hoping that Cheney comes out with a sheet over his head…?”

Oh, I don’t. In fact, Dick Cheney’s inherent creepiness has always reflected badly on the President. And will continue to do so as long as he sticks around. Viva, Veep!

Posted by: Rustyverse at June 24, 2005 10:47 PM

Iftthink: I can’t stand Cheney, but I have no hopes of him dying.
—–
Pray, Iftthink!
“Hoffman”, huh? And a DOCTOR . . . What freaky fascist fantasy IS this, anyway?

Posted by: HopingAgainst”Hoffman” at June 24, 2005 10:48 PM

Eric, I don’t want Cheney to die. But then again, I didn’t want any of our soldiers dying either…

Posted by: Anonymous at June 24, 2005 10:53 PM

Eric,

We don’t want any harm to come to him, we want to prepare indictments and make sure that he receives therapy and understanding…

Posted by: Sirreal2001 at June 24, 2005 10:54 PM

as a liberal and not ashamed to say it, I must selfishly wish Dr Hoffman a good long life well into 2008, after that, I could give a crap.

Posted by: Bleeding Heart Liberal at June 24, 2005 11:00 PM

Crap, VP Cheney dead? Who will run the country?

Posted by: Steve Rogers at June 24, 2005 11:01 PM

“Eric,

We don’t want any harm to come to him, we want to prepare indictments and make sure that he receives therapy and understanding…”

LOL!

Posted by: Steve Rogers at June 24, 2005 11:03 PM

I want him to live long enough to face his trial The Hague.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 24, 2005 11:04 PM

I believe that would be Karl Rove aka Dr Evil
who would run the country alone… mwahhhhhh haaaa

Posted by: Bleeding heart Liberal at June 24, 2005 11:04 PM

Swift boat to hell?

Posted by: Steve Rogers at June 24, 2005 11:05 PM

I’m sorry, weren’t there a couple of posts here disputing the veracity of Arianna’s claim? Wow, even liberals practice censorship if it doesn’t fit their agenda! Whoda thunkit?

Posted by: Charna at June 24, 2005 11:07 PM

Even with these unconfirmed reports, these Moonbats over at Arianna’s place show some extreme insensitivy.

Incredible!

Read about what others in the blogosphere are saying about this FLAP:

Michelle Malkin MOONBAT WATCH: WISHING CHENEY ILL

Backcountry Conservative: Huffington Cheny Hospitalized

Conservative Thinking: Those Peaceful Liberals