The Buck(shot) Stops Somewhere Else

Just one comment on the Cheney shooting affair and credit to Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo for commenting on it here. But I want to reiterate the point. According to Cheney spokesperson Mary Matalin in the Washington Post:

On the other hand, he was not careless or incautious or violate any of the [rules]. He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do.

As a life-long hunter I can tell you that this is not true. It is your responsibility to know where the other members of your hunting party are, and to know the safe zone for shooting. On numerous occasions when I have been grouse hunting with my son, I have passed up shots on birds because I wasn't sure where he was. This is also why I never shoot at deer when they are running through the woods; I can't possibly know what is behind the animal. If I shot and hit someone, it would be an accident, and it would be my fault.

Hunting accidents do happen. Fortunately, the man on the receiving end of Cheney's shot is going to be o.k. But it is disengenous for Cheney or a spokesperson to claim that he wasn't being careless. He was, and he violated one of the basic rules of hunting.

Is there anything at all these people can just tell the simple truth about?