The really sad thing about Cheney's shooting accident . . .

. . . (well, I mean besides poor Mr. Whittington getting hit!)

It's that Mr. Cheney will be mercilessly mocked by pinko pantywaists who wouldn't know the business end of a gun if they needed to, who've never been hunting (and are probably proud of it), and don't know how painfully (in all senses of the word) common peppering accidents are. I mean, they don't happen all the time, but hunt long enough, don't mind fire lines, and it'll happen. (At least they quote Miss Armstrong to that effect, see below.)

Well, I hope Mr. Whittington feels better soon and heals quickly. Shot doesn't damage much permanently but it can hurt like hell in the short term. And I hope he's not too embarrassed. Yeah, you heard me right. In a "normal" hunting situation -- one where the national media isn't involved -- the embarrassment here would lie more with the guy who walked into the line of fire without calling, and not the guy who was following his bird (he would be a little embarrassed but feel a lot more like, "Geez, Joe, why'd you come up like that?")

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday.

. . . The accident occurred Saturday at a ranch in south Texas where the vice president and several companions were hunting quail. It was not reported publicly by the vice president's office for nearly 24 hours, and then only after it was reported locally by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on its Web site Sunday.

Katharine Armstrong, the ranch's owner, said Sunday that Cheney was using a 28-gauge shotgun and that Whittington was about 30 yards away when he was hit in the cheek, neck and chest. [Ouch! That's gonna hurt!]

Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time, Armstrong told reporters at the ranch about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. She said Whittington was "alert and doing fine."

. . . Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch where the accident occurred, said Whittington was bleeding after he was shot and Cheney was very apologetic.

"It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that.

. . . Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year and is "a very safe sportsman." She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.

"This is something that happens from time to time. You know, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

And could the AP have run a more unflattering photo with this story? No, no bias there.

Oh, sweet Jesus, we are never going to hear the end of this. I'm sure Harry Whittington's looking forward to all the David Letterman jokes.