It was the buckshot heard 'round the world.
When Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a quail-hunting companion on a Texas ranch on Saturday, he also flushed out a gaggle of grouse at the White House press briefing and a dizzy vulture flying in circles because she only flaps her left wing.
Mr. Cheney's friend inadvertently walked into the line of fire. The pellets knocked him back. One pellet hit the outside of the heart and caused a minor heart attack, doctors said. But a full recovery is expected.
The local sheriff was notified that day -- even though hunting parties are not required to report accidents unless there is a fatality. Not long after the victim was taken to the hospital, the ranch owner called the local newspaper to say what had happened.
However, the White House press corps was in a snit because it was not informed first. The reporters spent about 24 minutes on Monday firing questions encased in venom about the supposed cover-up that, in fact, was public record the instant the sheriff's office was informed.
Sarah Brady of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was at her ghoulish best trying to exploit the near tragedy. Mrs. Brady called Cheney "scary" for always opposing gun-grabbing bills in Congress. Her husband hinted that Cheney was an idiot.
Could the screeching birdbrains have been more obnoxious had the vice president done something wrong?
