Secret Service agents guarding Vice President Dick Cheney when he shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington on a hunting outing two weeks ago say Cheney was "clearly inebriated" at the time of the shooting.

Agents observed several members of the hunting party, including the Vice President, consuming alcohol before and during the hunting expedition, the report notes, and Cheney exhibited "visible signs" of impairment, including slurred speech and erratic actions.

According to those who have talked with the agents and others present at the outing, Cheney was drunk when he gunned down his friend and the day-and-a-half delay in allowing Texas law enforcement officials on the ranch where the shooting occurred gave all members of the hunting party time to sober up.

We talked with a number of administration officials who are privy to inside information on the Vice President's shooting "accident" and all admit Secret Service agents and others say they saw Cheney consume far more than the "one beer' he claimed he drank at lunch earlier that day.

Yeah, it's a rant peppered with anonymous sources. And hunting accidents are an unfortunate happenstance. However, this is another perfect illustration of how some folks frp, Washington are allotted special treatment, and remain above the law.

While the cited article is weak on substantive references, here is what we do know for certain:

• Law enforcement was not given permission to interview the shooter until any chance of discovering whether or not alcohol was a factor was gone.
  
  
• At first, questions about party alcohol consumption were met with outright denial. Then Cheney confesses that he had "a beer". How many people have simply stated they just had "a beer" when queried about their drinking?
  
  
• Heart medication, like the kind Cheney must take on a regular basis, doesn't mix well with alcohol.
  
  
• Hunting accidents, like motor vehicle crashes, often are the result of excessive alcohol indulging.
  
  
• Vice president Dick Cheney has a past history with multiple DUI convictions.
  
  
• Unlike Cheney, other hunters who have accidentally shot fellow humans have faced punitive consequences for their deeds.

Again, one set of rules for you and me, a different set for the privileged Washington cabal.