Hyper inked.

Yes, it’s true: after reports surfaced about the vice-president accidentally shooting his friend Harry Whittington, a 78-year old attorney, while quail hunting, another long-time friend and hunting pal of Dick Cheney’s, Alan Simpson, the former Republican Senator from Wyoming, arose out of the tall grass to say this:

“But when this man, the victim, the poor guy, it‘s a sad thing what happened to him, but it has less to do with Dick Cheney and much more to do with him. He apparently went for another bird, picked it up, came back and got behind the two other hunters and didn‘t say I‘m back, I‘m behind you, I‘m here. And if you don‘t do that, let me tell you, anything can happen.”

Simpson’s went on to praise Cheney’s extraordinary marksmanship, as if he were Wyatt Earp.

I heard this on MSNBC.

Forget all your hunting safety courses if you are the vice president of the United States: the guy you shoot is at fault. Not you, who pulled the trigger.

Imagine if the same accident had happened with the roles reversed. Would the US government be considering serious federal charges. Yes, they would.

Do you think that then it would be the victim’s fault? No, it wouldn’t. (Maybe it’s the Secret Service’s fault?)

(Then too how close and involved is the Secret Service? Do they just prevent the vice president from being shot? But if their boss is about to shoot someone, it’s look-the-other-way? )

Hello? It is always the responsibility of the hunter to know what they shooting, not the people walking with the hunter. (If you are the vice president’s situation, see how long the police wait to question you. And see how far “it was the other guy’s fault” gets you.)

Should future hunting partners of Mr. Cheney be issued body armor? That would seem prudent.