Distracted by the VP shooting story.

The Cheney shooting story is the biggest distraction in the political discourse I've seen in a long time. It's interesting and, of course, we had to crack as many jokes as possible, but as a component in the political debate -- where there are many issues that deserve attention -- it's utterly meaningless. Here's the NYT editorial page trying to pump some relevance into it:

The vice president appears to have behaved like a teenager who thinks that if he keeps quiet about the wreck, no one will notice that the family car is missing its right door. The administration's communications department has proved that its skills at actually communicating are so rusty it can't get a minor police-blotter story straight. And the White House, in trying to cover up the cover-up, has once again demonstrated that it would rather look inept than open.

So, slot it right in there with the lying liars material. Do Bush opponents really think that concentrating their attention on this story will help their cause? Joe Gandelman has some analysis:

Is the Cheney controversy going to help [Bush's approval ratings]? Some suggest YES — it's keeping the bad news about Katrina (that neither Michael Chertoff, the administration's Homeland and Security Chief, nor the President did a heck of a job on Katrina....according to House Republicans) off the front pages for a while. It also keeps a press seemingly unable to truly focus on several big issues off the warrantless domestic spying story. FALSE. The Cheney story provides of a GENERAL CONTEXT that shows an administration either in disarray or marked by incredible arrogance when it comes to obeying laws in a way that everyone else and even other politicians would be required to do. The Cheney story will NOT help Bush rise in the polls.

Hmmm... so he's buying the NYT concept. Me, I think it's a distraction from more damaging stories. Whether it helps or hurts Bush is -- or should be -- less significant than whether we can concentrate on issues that matter as opposed to a freak accident.

IN THE COMMENTS: Icepick has perfect timing. Palladian wonders why no one at the NYT noticed that the car wreck analogy risked stirring up the wrong memories of a politician delaying to report an accident. John (classic) reveals the secret Cheney-Rove plot to distract America.

UPDATE: Victoria Spurs coins a word: Cheneyquiddick. Perfect. It even has the "dick."