Not Exactly Clearing Things Up

"Cheney is in a 'state of meltdown' over shooting his friend and the political fallout it has caused, a source close to the Cheney has told CBS News."

Todd J. Gillman writes in the Dallas Morning News: "Kenedy County sheriff's deputies have redoubled their efforts to investigate the case after criticism of their decision not to interview witnesses until a day after the shooting.

"Ms. Armstrong said she faxed a detailed account to deputies on Wednesday at the sheriff's request. She said she would have done so sooner if she'd been asked and added that everyone at the ranch has been encouraged to tell the truth about the shooting."

Nancy Martinez of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times snags an interview with Kenedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas III, who tells her that "no one in the federal government has told him or his deputies how to do their job. He was the one who decided not to go to the ranch to investigate until Sunday, the day after Cheney shot and wounded Austin lawyer Harry Whittington on a quail hunt. Salinas based the decision on witness accounts and advice from people on the ranch he knows and trusts, including a former sheriff.

" 'Everybody's been saying there's a cover-up from the time they heard about this,' he said. 'That is not true.' . . .

Salinas sent Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr. to investigate in the morning.

" 'I was introduced to Mr. Cheney and I sat down and spoke to him about what had happened. I can tell you Mr. Cheney cooperated with me and explained everything,' San Miguel said, refusing to go into detail about the 30-45 minute interview.

" 'I could tell he was still upset. He was very, very upset. He came, shook my hand and told me he was willing to cooperate with whatever I needed.' "

Jaime Powell of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times writes: "In the minutes following Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of Austin lawyer Harry Whittington, Cheney's medical crew scrambled to treat the injured man while the Secret Service called for medical backup."

About That Venue

Holly Rosenkrantz writes for Bloomberg: "Vice President Dick Cheney succumbed to pressure for a public accounting of his accidental shooting of a hunting companion -- partially, and on his own terms.

"Cheney, facing one of the most serious controversies of his political career, expressed regret about the shooting, though none about the way it was revealed to the public. While critics called for a press conference, he made his first public comments in an interview on the Fox News Channel."

Verne Gay writes in Newsday that "it's not what Cheney said last night, but what he didn't say that will keep this firestorm raging. Sometimes it's actually better to endure a tough interview than a gentle one. The media beast is far from satiated."