On Mistaking a Man for a Quail

I've been slow on the whole Dick Cheney hunting accident thing. But even at a few days distance, the incident doesn't seem to be getting any clearer. Apparently Harry Whittington was merely "peppered" with some shot from a "pellet gun." No big deal. He should be fine. Except that he's been in the hospital ever since and isn't expected to be released for a few more days. He's been in and out of intensive care, although he's currently in the ICU at his own request for reasons of privacy. (Which is not a bad idea, let me tell you. Whenever I need to get away from it all for a few days, there's nowhere better than the ICU at the local hospital.)

One of the odd questions still hanging out there is the nature of Whittington's injuries. Was he thirty feet from Cheney or thirty yards, as Cheney himself claims? There's been speculation as to whether Whittington could get hit by 200 pellets if he were a full thirty yards away--the most entertaining argument is probably put forward by General JC Christian, in his magic BB theory.

And then there's the issue of alcohol. Cheney admits to having had a beer at lunch (after it was claimed that nothing stronger than Dr. Pepper was consumed by anyone in the hunting party), and I'm sure he didn't have any problem with the beer interacting with what is undoubtedly a fairly complex regime of medication for his heart condition. Was it just one beer at lunch? Was it more than one at lunch and after? Did it effect his aim, his judgment, his vision, or all of the above?

There are plenty more oddities in the official story. Feel free to add your own questions in the comments section.