This is just despicable:

WASHINGTON - The White House blamed the 78-year-old man whom Vice President Dick Cheney shot during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas for the incident, as officials struggled Monday to explain why they waited nearly 24 hours before making the news public.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan tried to absolve Cheney of blame for shooting wealthy Austin lawyer Harry 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."

Dick Cheney is not at fault after he shot a 78-year-old man in the face?

Let's recall the scenario:

Whittington shot a bird and went to get it, breaking from Cheney and Willeford. Armstrong said Whittington then came up from behind without signaling, and as a covey flushed Cheney wheeled and fired his .28-gauge shotgun, hitting Whittington.

Dick Cheney broke one of the cardinal rules of hunting - don't spin around blasting shots without clearly identifying a safe line of fire. From the White House's own reports, Cheney was firing haphazardly, spinning around when he thought he heard a thrush. Because of his blatant irresponsibility, a 78-year-old man was put in intensive care after being shot in the face.

Hunting doesn't make one a man - accepting responsibility for one's actions does.

It's too bad Dick Cheney isn't man enough to know that.