[BigSkyFreeper]

Cheney's companion at fault in shooting, White House says

That's what Alan Simpson told Chris Matthews on Hardball today.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I was at fault for getting my nose broken once.

I kept banging it into this other guy's fist during a fight.

[CindyDawg]

I read an article that the SS notified the police within the hour.

[Boundless]

So was the normal risk of hunting party fratricide
increased because this was the VP, and the party
included a bunch of Secret Service folks, and perhaps
a photographer?

[IRememberElian]

They're old friends. Has the word "alcohol" been spoken out loud yet?

[joesnuffy]

Always be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.

[Williams]

I cannot see the scandal in this one. There is no law that you call the press right away to report a hunting accident.

[harpo11]

I'm sorry, but I'm thinking that the No. 2 elected official in this country might have a lot more on his mind than renewing some $7 dollar hunting license stamp. I mean after all, cut the guy some slack. Why doesn't he have staff to pick up on some these less critical details, like hunting license stamps? Where were his protective agents and why didn't they see who was behind our Vice President to ensure his safety?

I also want to send my prayers and thoughts to Mr. Whittington and his family for a speedy recovery.

[tomahawk]

We need to bomb Iran's nuke facilities, not hunt for birds.

[Lancey Howard]

Was Cheney wearing his glasses?
Do Whittington and Patrick Leahy look alike?

[DoNotDivide]

McClellan ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Just say "He messed up real bad, he's sorry, and fortunately, his hunting buddy will be alright. Mistakes happen and this should be a lesson to all hunters.".

[Petronski]

Cheney might have violated a cardinal rule of hunting...

Crucify him!

[ArmyTeach]

Here's the deal. Error on both sides. Whittingdon for not announcing his return to the firing area and Cheney for not maintaining situational awareness. Thank heavens nobody was seriously hurt. Move on, no story here.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan tried to absolve Cheney of blame for shooting wealthy Austin lawyer Harry Whittington."

He shot a lawyer?

His job approval rating is going to be in the 90's by the end of the week.

[AD from SpringBay]

The White House blamed the 78-year-old man whom Vice President Dick Cheney shot during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas for the incident, as officials struggled Monday to explain why they waited nearly 24 hours before making the news public.

What a sentence - 'blamed' and 'struggled', but only for a Republican administration. Does anybody have any original news stories about a Mr. Vincent Foster and Fort Marcy Park? What were the headlines about then? I wonder why the Press Corps didn't want a minute by minute account of that incident? Or, where were all these inquiring minds when Mr. Clinton was governor of Arkansas? There was quite a body count back then, but of course the details weren't important.

[TheDon]

...officials struggled Monday to explain why they waited nearly 24 hours before making the news public.

Perhaps because they didn't want to embarass the victim, i.e. it was the victim's fault.

I don't know why the WH has to explain anything about the incident to the lamestream press in any case. Talk about a non-story. Iran is about to get nukes, the US will soon be executing a military strike on Iran, and the most important story of the day is a hunting accident. Yawn... No wonder no one listens to them anymore.

[SuziQ]

"Particularly identify the game that you are shooting and particularly identify your surroundings, that it's safe to shoot," said Mark Birkhauser, the incoming president of the International Hunter Education Association, a group of fish and wildlife agencies. "Every second, you're adjusting your personal information that it is a safe area to shoot or it's not a safe area to shoot."

Cheney didn't mis-identify his game. He wasn't shooting AT the man, he was shooting at some quail that were flushed from the covey. Sounds like at the instant Cheney pulled the trigger, the man stepped into the path of the birdshot.

[Ruth A.]

Considering that the WV miners survivors story was so batched in the rush to get it out quickly, that so many of the Hurricane Katrina Superbowl stories were concocted, the early calling of elections, etc. happen I want to know what the heck is wrong with waiting! I also thought journalists were supposed to investigate stories and not wait for press releases. Bottom line: this is a non-story they are trying to inflate into a cloak and dagger story.

[zarf]

When does the "Cheney crack pipe" discovery flow from the pen of Nedra Pickler?

[paul51]

Generally speaking, the guy who does the shooting is responsible for shooting someone. The discussion re whether or not the shooting was justified starts there. In this case, hard to see any justification.