"My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week," Whittington said. "We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves."

Thus spoke Texas lawyer Harry Whittington, the 78-year old man whom Vice President Dick Cheney shot in the face with a shotgun. Clearly, the vice president could have blown this guy's brains out, because he apparently doesn't use them. Why else would the victim of an accidental shooting apologize to the shooter? This just gets more and more unseemly with every passing day.

Saying "accidents happen" is fine. Which Mr Whittington did: "We all assume certain risks in whatever we do. Regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen. And that's what happened last Friday," Whittington said.

Although it happened on Saturday. I hope that's not an indication that Mr Whittington is now going to go through life a day off. But saying that should have been enough. Why didn't he just end it there? Why go on to brown nose the guy who shot him in the face with a shotgun? Was he pressured to absolve the vice president publicly? Did he believe it when the propagandists at the White House said it was actually all his own fault that he was shot in the face with a shotgun by the vice president?

On February 13, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan tried to absolve Cheney of blame for shooting Mr Whittington, saying that hunting "protocol was not followed by Mr. Whittington when it came to notifying others that he was there. And so, you know, unfortunately, these types of hunting accidents happen from time to time."

I remain unconvinced. It seems to me that when one person shoots another, if it turns out to be an accident, then the blame rests with the one who pulled the trigger, because in the final anaylsis he could have not pulled the trigger unless he was absolutely sure it was safe.