Whittington was behind Cheney

The Cheney shooting story makes less sense now than it did a few minutes ago.

CNN just reported, with complete credulity, a ridiculous official account from the hospital that treated the victim. The reporter on site told Daryn Kagan that Whittington failed to announce his presence as he came up behind Cheney, who had taken a bead on some quail. Cheney fired, and Whittington got hit with birdshot. Neither the reporter nor Kagan seemed to think there was anything unusual about this explanation.

To begin with, when someone is about to discharge a firearm, the safest place to be is behind him. Under the official scenario, the only way Whittington gets shot is if, having been startled by his approach, Cheney wheels around and pulls the trigger without looking to see what is in front of his barrel. That is, to put it mildly, bad hunting practice.

Again, this story has only just begun.

UPDATE

The Washington Post reports the same odd explanation that Whittington was behind Cheney without any question as to how on earth someone gets shot standing behind someone who is discharging a firearm.

According to Armstrong's account, she was watching from a car while Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of the vehicle to shoot at a covey of quail. Whittington shot a bird and as he went to retrieve it, Cheney and the third hunter discovered a second covey.

Whittington "came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself," Armstrong said, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Scott McClellan is on television as I write this claiming that on Saturday night, he was informed that someone had gotten shot during the V.P's hunting trip, but that nobody told him that Cheney was the shooter. Reporters are calling him on it. He looks like he is about to have a stroke.