Palin: Cheney's Worst Act Was "Duck Hunting Accident"

In an interview aired Thursday, Sarah Palin claimed that Dick Cheney's worst act as vice president was his "duck hunting accident."

As part of Katie Couric's interview series with both VP candidates, Palin and Joe Biden were asked to name the best and worst things that Cheney has done over the last eight years. The responses stood in stark contrast, to say the least.

Biden offered a withering critique of Cheney, charging that he had "done more harm than any other single elected official in my memory in terms of shredding the Constitution," citing the vice president's promotion of "torture as a policy" and the idea of the unitary executive. Even Biden's "praise" for Cheney was brutal: "I admire his willingness to take positions that are completely contrary to popular opinion."

Flash to Palin, sporting a goofy smile: "Worst thing, I guess, that woulda been the duck hunting accident, where, you know, that was, that was an accident. And that was made into a caricature of him, and that was kind of unfortunate." (In fact, Cheney accidentally shot his friend Harry Whittington during a quail hunting trip.)

Cheney's best act, according to Palin: "[H]e's shown his support along with George W. Bush of our troops."

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Comments

[seabass]

she is cheney so she couldn't find anything remotely bad about him besides his shot...but be a halliburton corporate officer, little miss abuse of power sarah. what a trip...a total disgrace with her winkin eyes and shrill voice...da­nger to our country.

[Sammy00400]

She simply didnt want to talk about Cheney's job as VP and publically disagree with him on anything. However I dont know if she genuinely feels that way or was advised to stay away from it for the good of the ticket.

[musholmes]

You give her too much credit. She is so superficial all she come up with are the sensationalized, tabloid type stories. She has no substance. Compare with Biden who had a thoughtful and well expressed answer. She is an embarrassment.

[WolfLarsen]

Sounds like only a leftist liberal would confuse duck hunting with quail hunting!

[skatscan]

I remember when Fox news would ridicule people who confused birdshot with buckshot as a way of pointing out how liberals were out of touch with regular folks who spend thousands of dollars to shoot caged flightless birds with their mistresses.

[NABNYC]

The biggest tragedy for the nation is that Cheney was pointing the gun in the wrong direction at the time he fired.

[wm1066]

Off topic, in a way.
Good job this morning on C-Span Nico Pitney!!!!
But why didn't the moderator let you respond to the call in questions?

The CNN running graph showed her answer fell flat but Biden's answer connected with people.

[dojinho]

I don't know if anyone else noticed the interesting answer from Mr. Biden. For Cheney's qualities, he says: "I admire his strength, I admire his willingness to take positions that are completely contrary to popular opinion." And then goes on to say on the opposite part of the question: "I don't think Dick Cheney trusts that the american people make judgements that are in the interests of the country."

So he admires that Cheney doesn't listen to the people's voice but he is sorry that Cheney doesn't care to listen to the people's voice! Very political answer! By political I mean hypocritical; it demonstrates what he thinks about the american people!

Sorry to burst some people's bubble!

[jacobomorales]

she is a sad case, the 3/4 million dead in Iraq is not mentioned.­..

[oandjoe08]

and McCain's worst act was putting you on the ticket

[fafner]

Unbelievab­le....neve­r mind her empty answers, she does not understand the question(s). Cheney accidentaly shooting someone quail hunting is not a decesion, it is an accident. I am surprised she even knew who Cheney was.
Very scary to think she could be the next VP and then possibly the President if something happened to McCain.

[Semper]

Palin was an example of what happened in America over the last 30 years. She wanted fortune and fame at any cost. and read the guides on how to get there without putting in the time. She reminds me of the college graduate who got her degree by correnspondence courses and expects to get a officers commission because she put college graduate on her resume.

[Grannysue]

Ya, don't worry bout the torture, IRAQ, politicising our Justice dept. outting a CIA AGENT, spying on everyone, GITMO, secret energy meetings, nope just the old huntin trip where he shot that guy in the face! Im sure our forefathers are laughing their asses off!

[ssb752]

All serious and respectful hunters know it was a controlled released quail "hunting" accident. And nearly all serious and respectful hunters have a inherent philosophical problem with controlled release "hunting." We don't consider it hunting, just like shooting fish in barrel is not fishing.

[JulieSA]

This particular hunt was not released birds--it was wild quail. I know the people who own the ranch, so I know you're wrong.

[jacobomorales]

so you are saying that cheney is a serious hunter? how should a serious hunter release his shot from inside a vehicle? safely that is?

[TheProverbialMan]

You got that right. Farm rasied birds are bad enough, but controlled release is the worst.

[moonrider 73]

he's was quail hunting not duck hunting there's a difference

[SkyPilot126]

Isn't MAVERICK just another word for a CON MAN, like that TV show.

just wondering.­...? just a interesting thought bon my part, a strange choice of a Theme for their part. Why would mccain and palin want to word that in the popular tv culture MEANS a con man.....

maybe this is their only TRUTH

[Blue in NH]

I'd say she was like a moose in the headlights, but I wouldn't want to insult the moose.