Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Cheney's Marksmanship

There's been a number of jokes about Dick Cheney's shooting ability recently - and it's hardly surprising, too. Nor am I surprised that it has escalated into a fairly major story. The public responsibilities of taking on such a high role mean private mistakes will be amplified. (Although, of course, the poor guy who got shot at least chose a good person to be shot by for on-hand medical care).

What I can't understand, though, is Democrats making a big fuss over the White House not releasing the story:

The dustup over the accident and when it was made public "is part of the secretive nature of this administration," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "I think it's time the American people heard from the vice president."

What relevance on this earth does what Dick Cheney does in his spare time have to do with his official duties? There is no good reason why this should be a story in the public domain, other than its somewhat bizarre nature. It certainly doesn't affect his discharging of duties as Vice-President. If I was about to go on a hunting expedition with Cheney, then I'd be concerned. If I'm just living in a country where he's second-in-command, what he does off-duty doesn't really bother me at all.

There are good reasons to hate Dick Cheney as a politician. Get at him for those, not for something of no relevance at all.