Friendly fire

The news Sunday carried a surprise item about the Veep hitting a friend with shotgun pellets in a hunting accident.  (The victim is reported to be in good condition.)  It appears undeniable that the Vice President forgot, ignored or never learned the first rule of firearms safety:  be certain of what you're shooting at, and never aim a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot.

Unsurprisingly, this has caused all kinds of action in the blogosphere and elsewhere.  I think this sums it up rather well:

While the event is newsworthy, I find it most interesting as a metaphor.  This administration is headed by oil men, and Cheney in particular is said by many to have no vision for the USA other than using ever-increasing amounts of oil.  As US production will never again reach its 1970 peak, this means more foreign oil.  Further, it means ever-more-expensive oil.

This means ever greater profits for the oil companies (and oil dictatorships which still have oil to pump).  This is Cheney's bird on the wing:  money, money, money.  But when he shot at the money, he hit the American public.

¶ 2/13/2006 06:53:00 PM