HARRY Whittington, the hunting companion accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney, has expressed sorrow for clumsily stepping into the shot pattern made by the Vice President's 28 gauge over/under shotgun.

The 78-year-old lawyer, who was to leave hospital overnight, said he was "deeply sorry for cutting short the one opportunity this season Vice President Cheney had to relax and hunt."

		Dick Cheney tells reporters to "Fuck off" after being reminded he's done hunting for the season

Whittington was shocked at the owl-like hearing and lightning reflexes Cheney possesses.

"I shouldn't have approached Dick from down wind," said Mr Whittington. "We were walking into a 20 or 30 mile an hour headwind; I saw the bird start to run away from Dick and the rest of the group. Dick was almost completely obscured from view by a mesquite.  Dick's almost like a damned cat in the field, I swear he paused because he heard that quail tottering along the though the undergrowth. Then the bird spotted me and got up," Whittington explained, "flying with a 25 mph wind the bird was behind me in an instant.  Before I could even react, Dick swung on the bird and fired.  Even though I walked into 90% of the shot charge, he got in front of the bird enough to drop it stone dead at 60 yards. Thankfully he was shooting #9 1/2 shot and not #6."

"Accidents do and will happen and that's what happened," he said. "It was an amazing display of marksmanship.  I'm honored to have seen it, I just wish I hadn't been quite so in-the-middle of the action."

"We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves. Next time I'll wear body armor...or sway up wind so Dick knows where I am."

Cheney accidentally shot Whittington during a hunting trip last Saturday. The vice president be unable to hunt again until after the mid-term elections in November.

back

EMAIL STORY