“‘The vice president was concerned,’ said Mary Matalin, a Cheney adviser who spoke with him yesterday morning. ‘He felt badly, obviously. 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.'” (Washington Post)
So, he was “supposed” to shoot Whittington in the face. Presumably it was an accident. The person with the gun is always responsible for where he shoots.
Talk about spin.
Know your target and what is beyond.
Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second. (NRA Gun Safety Rules)
Cheney’s adviser said, “He felt badly, obviously.” Well, I doubt she meant it this way, but considering the nature of the man, I’d say she is probably correct on many counts that he feels badly. A Freudian slip of the tongue, perhaps? Probably not, although I find it humorous. It’s an all too common grammatical error, of course, but when you say you “felt badly” it actually means that you are inadequate (bad) at feeling, not that you felt bad about what you did. (You wouldn’t say you felt rottenly or stupidly.)
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of leisure time activities where, despite not doing anything I’m not “supposed to do,” I might – OOPS! – shoot a friend in the face.
Scrabble is fun. Boggle is also good.
Cheney does feel badly. That’s why he’s such a heartless ***.