If it's not straight, then it's crooked.

As anyone who has dealt with the public (children or adults) knows, if someone or some group's story isn't straight, then somebody is hiding something. The mess surrounding VP Cheney's shooting of a hunting companion is a clear case of a story's facts changing with every telling. Here's a quick description of how the major details changed over time.

These discrepancies add up to only one thing: a cover up. So whether Cheney merely had an innocent accident or got drunk and nearly killed a man, it's still a case of the truth being too damaging--either politically or legally or both--to let the public know.

When a victim begs forgiveness for being attacked, you know something very screwy is going on.