OpEd by Jim Geeting

     I’ve made mistakes. Matter of fact, I’ve made thousands and have endured my share of humiliation, embarrassment, ridicule and self-effacing laughter—all because I had the misfortune of proving my humanity in the presence of those who could not remember their own. Of those did understand that they too were imperfect, the laughter was with me—not at me.

     The embrace of an arm around the shoulder or a slap on the back, assuring me I was still of worth in their eyes, made all the differenced in the world to me. While I’ve never had a hunting accident where I shot another hunter, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard bullets whiz by my head and, how many more I’ve wondered about after I shot. But for the grace of God, I could have been shot probably as many times as I have lofted a bullet into places unknown, hitting some poor slob, two ridges away. You do your best, but sometimes there suddenly appears some guy standing in a spot where there wasn’t anyone, just a fraction of a second before. You squeeze one off, just as you see him enter the sight picture. It’s a horrifying feeling; terrifying and frustrating, especially when you take pride in your practice of good hunting safety and have always insisted upon it in your kids and your hunting friends.
 
     In all of the meaningless, hateful and pointless yapping about Wyoming’s own Dick Cheney, for not reporting his recent accident to the liking of a press that hates his patriotic, loyal, intelligent and strength driven guts; a press that has made this disdain abundantly clear for many years, it seems many have dismissed or at least overlooked, what is a truly devastated man, who must now live with what he has done to a very good friend. Dick Cheney, is a friend to all hunters, gun owners and patriots but so much more, I see him simply as a man, when the pot boils dry, of deeply good and solid character and of blunt honesty, who when he did finally compose himself enough to step forward, did so, in a clear and direct manner which left no doubt of his complete acceptance of responsibility and his candid heartfelt melancholy for his friend.

     My Vice-President is a better man than I. I would feel no compulsion to explain anything to the likes of those I saw snarling and biting in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, pulling at their chains for a chance to take a bite out of Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Like a pack of rabid wolves, they could hardly contain their glee and almost drooled in the hopes of perhaps “having something” on this good and honorable man—a man whose knowledge of military and state matters has given him license to advise four different presidents—all of whom acknowledged him as an incredible example of unwavering belief in American strength and might, backed up by encyclopedic knowledge of our military capabilities.

     This is a man who refuses to surrender; if even if to the members of the press who want his blood. Many in the press, the congress and the extreme left, have suggested our military should surrender in Iraq. At the pre-dawn light of victory, this is the time they say we should cut our losses and run, abandoning the work and sacrifice our soldiers have made. We should turn our backs on the Iraqi people and wash our hands of that entire region—giving it all back to extreme Islam so that they can once again establish a strong hold of terror and a base from which to operate—complete with unlimited funds from their oil to make their dreams of evil destruction of our world, a reality.

     These sadly misguided folks are relentless in this desire to run away—to give up and take back our promise of freedom and democracy to a wonderful people who are just starting to smell the distant aroma of what we gorge ourselves on everyday without so much as a whisper of thanks to a God who blessed us with all that we have. With our place in history and our land of unlimited prosperity and hope. They say this over and over again, to people who listen to Dick Cheney. How laughable. I have never been so glad to have this American in our employ. When others might have tucked tail and run, his advice—advice I can assure you, is listened to by our president—has been to hold fast. To remain loyal to our Iraqi friends, to be strong; never to cave in to the pressure of the uninformed or from those who hate us enough, to want us to fail.

     If I were Mr. Whittington, notwithstanding the painful peppering of birdshot, I would be very proud of my friend, Dick Cheney. For caring more about me than his image to the world and, for reminding the hateful, big media, that friendship, be it personal or international, means something.

For information on Jim Geeting and his books please visit
jimgeeting.com