Since Dick Cheney’s ill-judged shot landed up to 200 pellets in the chest of lawyer Harry Whittington, the media has been quick to draw parallels between the US vice-president’s quick trigger finger and his political reputation.
Political commentators and blogs have pilloried Mr Cheney since the accident, in which Mr Whittington was sprayed with birdshot during a quail-hunting outing in Texas. Mr Whittington’s condition was described on Wednesday as stable a day after experiencing a minor heart attack caused by the shooting.
Bloggers and commentators have used the quail hunting accident to make comparisons with what they see as the US administration’s own gung-ho, down-on-the-ranch image.
“Keep in mind that hunting, especially quail hunting, is deeply embedded in the political culture of this state, and invitations to hunt on prestigious spreads like the Armstrong Ranch are among the most prized of political perks,” writes Paul Burka on the Slate website.
The incident has sparked broader comment and some sharp digs at Mr Cheney. Souvenirs of the incident already retailing on e-Bay include a t-shirt emblazoned with a hunter carrying a corpse, reading: “Dick Cheney Hunting Club - We always bag the big game.”
Another website hosts the Dick Cheney quail hunting game, exhorting visitors to “try to outscore the vice-president in this game of skill, timing and valor” while, tapping the popularity of Oscar-nominated Brokeback Mountain, the CBS Late Show put “I thought he was trying to go ‘gay cowboy’ on me” on its list of “top ten Dick Cheney excuses”
Since the extent of Mr Whittington’s injuries became apparent, however, the debate has assumed a more serious tone.
There have been tough questions about why word of the accident was released after a 24-hour delay, through a circuitous call to a local paper; surprise at Mr Cheney’s failure to make a public apology; and quibbles about the fact that Mr Cheney apparently lacked the correct stamp on his hunting license.
Others say the accident has reinforced existing perceptions of Mr Cheney as trigger happy in his approach to Iraq and secretive, for example over the energy task force. It “tapped a rich vein of humor because it symbolised so many of the traits that critics have leveled at him,” wrote David Jackson for USA Today.
Comedians embroidering a theme included Comedy Central’s Rob Corddry, parodying US handling of Iraqi intelligence. “Everyone believed at the time there were quail in the brush. And while the quail turned out to be a 78-year-old man, even knowing that today, Mr. Cheney insists he still would have shot Mr. Whittington in the face,” he said.
In return, the White House has expressed anger at the media’s devotion to chasing what it regards as salacious trivia. Spokesman Scott McClellan - who first joked that he was wearing an orange tie to avoid any further mishits - repeatedly told reporters: “It’s time to focus on the priorities of the American people.”
Some of the most passionate comments, though, have come from America’s hunting enthusiasts, worried that the vice-president’s exploits are giving their sport a bad name.
“It is unfortunate that upland bird hunting has gotten this kind of bad press because of irresponsible hunting practices by a prominent member of the upper class,” says a hunter on dailykos.com, a liberal blog.
“How many vice presidents does it take to shoot a 78-year-old Texas lawyer?” asked the Washington Post’s aptly-named Stephen Hunter, before launching into a fervent exposition of the hunting etiquette Mr Cheney appears to have disdained.
Describing a similar experience of his own, Mr Hunter said: “Hubris, arrogance, self-love, narcissism, all the truly destructive male pathologies.
“The point of hunting is to control them. I had not. The silence was louder than any expressions of anger, though the guide had a good reason to call me a stupid SOB. He didn’t, but still I was.”
