This reader is onto something:
"I'm not a paranoid lefty who ascribes the worst motives and monster qualities to Bush/Cheney/Rove. So I'd never say they shot someone on purpose. However, it's worth noting that this Cheney debacle has provided cover and substantially diverted attention from some otherwise very icky news stories this week: Congress close to deep-sixing any investigation into the NSA spying program; Chertoff and HSA getting slammed by a new Katrina report and hearings; new Abu Ghraib torture photos; the Shays hearings; Rice getting grilled by members of her own party over lack of progress in Iraq, etc.
On balance, if I were a Bush flack I'd take a bizarre hunting accident over those more terrible news stories any day. In fact, now's the time to release names or reports or legislation or bill signing statements or nettlesome employees while we're fixated on the fact that the Vice President shot a man in the face on his way to confirming once and for all how awful his judgment is."
My only quibble is that the pretty good economic news was drowned out.