It is not hunting when you slaughter several hundred tame game birds thrown up in the air in front of you. This is like putting an animal on a stake and shooting it. He is lowest fucking asshole in the administration. At least bush can legitimately claim he doesn't all his faculties.

When will the American people finally grow tired of this narrative? How many scandals and pseudo-scandals is it going to take before the Bush administration is utterly devoid of credibility? After enduring five years of relentless and seemingly boundless levels of incompetence, when will the American people and the MSM wake up to the chilling reality that denial, obfuscation and reflexive mendacity are standard operating procedure in the Bush White House?

Obviously, hunters filling each other with shot is a common occurrence. As is having a few drinks before doing so. Can anyone tell me if it is STANDARD (not recommended) procedure to breathalyse all hunters involved in hunting accidents, in Texas or anywhere else? If so, was Cheney tested? What was his result? Or did he not get tested? If so, why not? Oh, and Jeff Myers: I reckon someone in the Bush Administration would actually have to SHOOT someone before even the morons turned on them . . . mmm . . . wait a minute . . .

Karl Rove is not a "close friend" of Karen Johnson, Katherine Armstrong's business partner. It is widely known in Texas that Karen Johnson is Rove's mistress.

You couldn't make this up!

Agreed, when will we be rid of these idiots?????

You're missing the point. Having a system that allows a "Texas Aristocracy" to develop isn't bad at all.

We need to refrain from doing anything that would curtail the ability of people to amass that sort of wealth and unfettered power, so that we can ALL become Texas aristocracy.

Once that happens, everything will be fine.

Don't you have anything more important to write about? Aren't there emabassies burning in the Middle East? Isn't that new report about Katrina really damning to the administration?

For once, I believe Cheney...it was an accident. I think few people believe otherwise. So what that in the heat of the moment some people had different accounts? On the scale of lies being told, this is insignificant.

and researched as well I might add.

Thanks a lot Sidney. You came as close as making sense of this totally bizarre incident as possible I'm sure. Still though someone has to explain what it is the President does on a daily basis?

Cheney ignored him totally.

What's that all about?

Seemingly a grown man has taken on the role of being a puppet without any resistance at all. I guess as long as the handlers let the President wear nice suits and strut in public he's happy.

I don't get it.

I don't get it at all.

Thanks again though. Viva Salon!

I'm surprised people aren't noting that the NRA has yet to mention the shooting at all on its website. They talk endlessly about how gun owners are so safe, and now something like this...and nothing.

Excuse me, I'm mistaken, well down the page there's a link titled "Hunting accidents down in U.S."

well done.

The worst day of WHOSE life? Has he actually visited the victim, given condolence to the family and co-operated with authorities like a mortal might, or has he just bunkered down with the lawyers and spindoctors like Ted Kennedy after Chappaquiddick?

If Cheney had done that anywhere else, it would have been covered up just the same. Nothing will happen unless fundraisers turn off at the prospect of being associated with Cheney and Republican candidates distance themselves from a "straight shooter" who can't pick the target.

Excellent piece, and I hope Mr. Blumenthal will pursue this investigative trail: What medications (or combinations of) is Dick Cheney ingesting, and how might those medications impair his general perception and/or judgment?

Blumenthal writes, "On the Hunting Accident and Incident Report Form of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the shooter, Richard B. Cheney, checked the "No" box for the question, 'Under the apparent influence of intoxicants or drugs?'"

A man with a heart condition and other health problems takes no drugs??

No reporter has addressed this issue, and I would dearly love to know if Cheney should have had a gun in his hand at all.

If Mr. Blumenthal has access to avenues to pursue this slant, I hope he will follow them to the answer.

What gets me about this story is the media feeling left out in the dark on this one. "Why did we only find out about this 20 hours after the incident occured?" the media asks. Good God, a whole day. It seems to me the media is more upset that they weren't able to cut into Olympic figure skating with "this just in" fanfare. All the 24 hour news stations irate because they had to harp on the incident for hours- be it twenty hours too late. And of course the Post and Times feeling a little taken aback that it was a little 'ole paper in podunk Corpus that broke the story. Yeah there's probably a deal there, the ranch hostess says "I'll say what you want me to as long as you let my paper break the story." But truly no different when the other major media outlets left us in the dark for years concerning domestic spying, Iraqi prisoner abuse, and any other story that concerns our civil rights or national image. So we wait twenty hours to find out Cheney peppered one of his hunting buddies, but two years to find out that the current administration has been tapping our calls to Antwerp with out warrant. We can read into the hunting incident as much as we want. We know Cheney will get special treatment where most regular joe hunters would have to visit the police station for further questioning, a breathalyzer test, and a court date. The sheriff couldn't even question anyone because the secret service had everything "under control." What does one expect? Had this happen in Texas or Maine, the outcome would have been the same. This not some Texan or Southern way, it's the v.p. and money and power thats keeps this story just a little hush-hush. I'm sure the same questions would arise if it were Gore, or Mondale, even Edwards had they been in that situation.