The view on Cheney from a red state newspaper

Here's what the Idaho Statesman had to say about the Cheney shooting:

Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident could easily have been avoided if he followed basic rules, said Idaho Hunter Education Association President Walter Rost of Homedale.

It's a hunter's responsibility to know the location of his hunting partners, and all hunters should shoot only their fire zones, which ensures they always shoot in a safe direction.

"That's something we really teach," Rost said. "If they had been paying attention, it wouldn't have happened."

Rost, who has been a hunter education instructor for six years and taught over 800 students, said he will use the accident as a teaching tool in his class next week.

"I was kidding with my wife and saying I ought to write Dick Cheney and tell him to visit my class," he said.

Fellow hunter education instructor Bob Lytle of Boise didn't have to wait that long. He used it last night to show his students what happens when hunters don't pay attention.

"I am sorry to say, but there's no such thing as an accident when it comes to firearms," Lytle said. "You or someone has to pull the trigger; it doesn't go off by itself."

Boise chukar hunter Afshin Mofid agreed it's a basic safety precaution to keep track of the location of everyone in your hunting party.

"If you're conscious of your surroundings, you won't get into a situation like that," he said.

A hat tip to Andrew Tobias.