And in domestic news, Vice President Dick Cheney has spoken publicly for the first time about how he accidentally shot his hunting partner on Saturday. The prominent Texan attorney Harry Whittington remains hospitalized. Cheney shot the 78-year-old man in the face, neck, shoulder and chest. Earlier this week Whittington suffered a minor heart attack. Cheney has come under increasing criticism for withholding information from the press about the shooting for nearly a day and then waiting three more days to make a public statement. On Wednesday the Vice President spoke with Fox News’ Brit Hume. “Well, ultimately, I’m the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. And you can talk about all of the other conditions that existed at the time, but that’s the bottom line,” Cheney said. “And there’s no — it was not Harry’s fault. You can’t blame anybody else. I’m the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend.” During the interview Cheney also defended his decision not to report the shooting to the national press. The story leaked out on Sunday after first appearing on the website of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, a paper in South Texas. Questions have also been raised about whether alcohol played a factor in the shooting. Up until Wednesday the owner of the ranch, Katharine Armstrong, had said no one was drinking alcohol before the shooting and that Dr. Pepper had been served at lunch. However Cheney admitted yesterday he had a beer during lunch several hours before the shooting but the Vice President denied that anyone was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The “Shooting Safety Rules” of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department warn, “Don’t drink alcohol or take drugs before or while handling firearms or bow and arrows.”