US: The White House struggled yesterday to explain why it took almost 24 hours for news that vice-president Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter to be made public. Mr Cheney sprayed 78-year-old Harry Whittington with gunshot on Saturday afternoon while both men were hunting quail at a Texas ranch.
During a contentious press briefing yesterday, White House spokesman Scott McLennan said the vice-president's staff were preoccupied with ensuring that Mr Whittington was receiving adequate medical care after the shooting. He said President Bush heard about the shooting accident on Saturday evening but that the spokesman did not himself know of Mr Cheney's involvement until Sunday morning. Instead of making an announcement through the White House press office, Mr Cheney agreed with ranch-owner Katherine Armstrong that she should tell her local paper about the incident on Sunday morning.
"I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job," Mr McLennan said. Mr Cheney's shooting accident has been seized on by TV comics and Washington wags, some of whom have suggested that the vice-president's aim might have been better if he had served in Vietnam.