I just caught a bit of the White House presser with Scott McClellan on the whole Cheney timeline thing. I have no problem with journalists being as confrontational as they feel necessary at an event like that, though David Gregory certainly seems to mug for the cameras with a lot of bottled outrage. But the assault on McClellan and the White House for dragging its feet on telling the American people “that the Vice President shot somebody” was way over the top. When you say “the Vice President shot somebody” of course it sounds like the public should know right away. But it also sounds like Cheney filled some guy full of lead for having a fifth ace in his sleeve. I’m not really defending the White House so much as expressing sincere confusion. Is it really a threat to all we hold dear that the administration waited 24 hours before releasing the news that there was an unfortunate hunting accident? Where, exactly, was the harm in waiting to get the guy to a hospital, waiting for his condition to stabilize etc? Of course, politics probably played a role in the delay but does anyone think it wouldn’t in any other administration? This isn’t the sort of news that hits the White House over the weekend that the system automatically knows how to handle. Anyway, by all means demand answers from the White House, but color me un-outraged.