Grumbling by Friends of Man Shot by Cheney

Even Republican friends of Whittington are skeptical of Cheny's account and the spin coming out of the White; here's the story from Slate (as found in Firedoglake, 2nd story):

When the quail flush, hunters are surrounded by panicked birds. Each hunter is supposed to fire forward, but in the adrenalin spike of the flush, it is easy to lose your bearings. That is why it's good practice for someone who is not shooting to be in charge of the hunt. The hunters are supposed to maintain a horizontal line as they move forward, but this is easier than it sounds in rough country. When someone falls behind—someone, for instance, like Harry Whittington—the person in charge calls a halt until the line forms up again. Whittington, as we know, dropped back to pick up a bird. This happens all the time in quail hunting; the question is, why did the other two hunters keep going? Perhaps, veteran quail hunters are speculating, no one was in charge on the Armstrong Ranch, leaving the three hunters in Dick Cheney's party on their own...

(snip)

Whose fault was it? If there is anything that Harry's friends at the Vaughn Building are angry about, it is not the shooting itself but the attempt by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to place the blame on the victim. It's the shooter's duty to know what he is shooting at and where his companions are. A shooting accident is always the fault of the shooter. Always.

I consider it entirely possible that when Whittington recovers, he will fall on his sword and accept the blame for the accident. In no way will that excuse Dick Cheney from his obligation to accept responsibility for his act. Why is it so hard for the gentlemen in Washington to admit when they have made a stupid mistake?