Cheney gun victim: 'Accidents do ... happen'

WASHINGTON — The man accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney broke his silence Friday, telling reporters that "accidents do and will happen" and saying he "was deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this week."

Harry Whittington, dressed in a crisp business suit, was released from the hospital later in the afternoon, just three days after he suffered what doctors described as a "minor heart attack" caused by a pellet lodged in his heart. Staff members at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital said Whittington is expected to make a full recovery.

For his part, Cheney, who took full responsibility for the accident in a hastily arranged interview with Fox News Channel on Wednesday, briefly addressed the subject in a speech Friday before a joint session of the Legislature in his native Wyoming.

"Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well," the vice president said, prompting some laughter when he said it had been a "very long week."

Whittington, 78, did not take responsibility for the incident last Saturday, despite initial comments by Katherine Armstrong, co-owner of the ranch and a witness, that he had come up behind Cheney without announcing his presence. Instead, he said, "We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen — and that's what happened."

In his brief statement before the cameras, Whittington, looking a bit bruised and pockmarked, appeared to try to put to rest an incident that has captured the national media for nearly a week and had spiraled into a public relations headache for the White House.

Whittington, who works as a lawyer in Austin, Texas, said he wished Cheney well as he confronts "situations that are much more serious than what we had this week." He added that he hopes the vice president "will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation he deserves."

Indeed, a new poll released Friday found that two-thirds of those surveyed believe there is no need for further investigation of the shooting and want the issue put to rest.

The poll, by Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion, found that 65 percent of respondents said no further inquiry was needed, while 34 percent said it should be pursued further.

Democratic respondents were nearly split, while more than 9 out of 10 Republicans thought the issue should be dropped.