A couple of notes on this shooting.
1) The White House never (according to what I am reading) actually released the information on the shooting. They left it up to the ranch owner.
2) The ranch owner dismissed the wounds as "peppered" and that he was fine. But the man was airlifted to a hospital and was in ICU for over a day! That suggests that the wounds were more than just some stray birdshot.
3) The ranch owner and many of the writers have easily jumped to the perspective that the lawyer is the one who screwed up--in the owner's words, "You're always supposed to let other hunters know where you are."
I can almost accept the not reporting the incident, since it is clear they didn't try to cover it up. I am not completely convinced, and the cynical side of me--the side that has watched Cheney in politics for years--is pretty convinced that had they not been forced to airlift the man to a hospital, we would have never found out about it.
But letting the blame go to the victim in this seems really problematic. It is many years since I hunted anything, but I remember the emphasis that I was responsible for that gun and anything I aimed at. It was my responsibility. Cheney was responsible and that is clear. There are all sorts of mitigating factors. Birds flitting around, the sun in his eyes, whatever. He didn't mean to shoot the man, I am sure, and I am also sure he feels bad. But he is responsible.
Why is it that this administration can never take responsibility for anything?
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