Well you are one of few people that take that ill-advised postion. Congrats.

Please explain to me how it's ill advised to want the second most powerful man in the country to have a reason to be in the position relating to his competence at that job rather than purely whos ass he's licking?

Because you haven't been in the position he was hunting, and when following a potential shot it is very easily to lose track of your surroundings, making it potential for an incident like that to happen when your hunting buddy wanders off from the line you've set up.

And the power of the vice president is overrated. if the president doesn't die he's little more than a figurehead.

He's the leader of Congress. He's one of the Presidents main advisors. Figurehead or no his word alone holds an incredibly amount of sway. Are the current Government the ones who want to push down taxes? How much is Cheney getting payed to be "little more than a figurehead"?

The guy left the line before he started following the shot according to the eyewitness account.

He's a figurehead. And his word doesn't even hold that much sway.

And you just didn't even acknowledge the first part of my post. That hurts.

In which case, you're ignoring the second part of my post:

Actually didn't even notice it. There are times firsthand when i've gone hunting and lost the sight of my partners. It happens. Quite easily to depending on the brush you are in.

My point is that if he's got such a hand in making decisions, he's the kinda guy you'd WANT to notice that sort of event. If you lose site of your partner, and you don't know where they are, do you carry on shooting? I'd bloody well hope not. If you become aware that the partner is missing but are willing to carry on pulling the trigger you are as much responsible for the ensuing incidents as the person who wandered off. I believe the term is "criminal negligence".

Alright, so I prefer to find a good leader based on his intelligence. You pick yours for his peripheral vision. To each his own.

*Smacks head against desk*

Arguably, if you're an intelligent man you realise that inadequacies of peripheral vision hinders your ability to be fully aware of everything that is around you. Therefore, if you're both intelligent AND off on a hunt, you will LOOK AROUND YOU so as to negate the ill effects of peripheral vision. Thus and hence IF CHENEY WAS INTELLIGENT he would have known whether or not his hunting buddy was in the group because he would know to check that everyone is there. It's not that great a leap of logic.