Shooting Your Friend: A Minor Incident for the Architects of War
When Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington in the face during a quail hunt (in 2006, as The Independent recalls), the astonishing part wasn't the accident itself, but Whittington's swift, public apology for being shot. This bizarre public deference to power, where the victim takes the blame, isn't just a hunting anecdote. It mirrors the DC ecosystem where career-ending votes are cast for policies
benefiting powerful lobbies over constituents. One might remember how readily politicians, flush with campaign cash, apologize for 'misunderstandings' when confronted about votes that send billions in aid, or indeed, bullets, overseas. While Whittington recovered, the mainstream narrative focused on the absurdity, not the underlying culture that demands such servility. It's the same culture that
sees lawmakers like Rep. Steny Hoyer, having accepted hundreds of thousands from AIPAC ($319,900 from 1990-2022, per OpenSecrets), championing bill H.R. 815 , funneling billions to a foreign military while domestic needs languish. The 'apology' for being shot in the face becomes less of a hunting story and more of a parable for how dissent is minimized and accountability avoided when power brokers
are involved. How many times have we seen the victim of policy pay the price while the architects remain untouched?