When the vice president shoots a friend in the woods and no one hears a sound about it until the next day, that is a problem.

But the timing of the announcement about Dick Cheney&8217;s unfortunate quail hunting accident is less important than what the accident should remind us about hunter safety.

Cheney and his staff should have handled the situation differently; regardless of their intentions, they came off seeming inept at best and secretive and insensitive at worst.

And for those asking why the story is such a big deal, the answer is simple: A sitting vice president shot someone. Accident or not, that&8217;s a huge story. Cheney himself called it one of the worst days of his life.

At first the shooting of Harry Whittington became fodder for the late-night talk show monologues, but when his condition took a turn for the worse earlier this week it became another powerful reminder of the need for safety.

If the vice president of the United States can be involved in such an incident, everyone who takes part in hunting exercises needs to make safety a top priority when hunting or handling guns.

Like it or not, Cheney&8217;s office mishandled the public relations on this story. Maybe be can help fix it by emphasizing the importance of hunter safety.