A bit late for that.

The office of Vice President Dick Cheney is seeking to block the release of videotaped depositions given by two aides who witnessed a physical encounter between an Iraq war opponent and Cheney.

In a motion filed Saturday, Cheney’s office contended that the videotapes could be used to invade the privacy and embarrass two aides called to testify about the encounter in a civil lawsuit.

The motion for a protective order expressed particular concern that both aides’ faces could wind up on YouTube.com.

“As courts have recognized, using digital technology, a video recording can easily be ‘cut and spliced,’ so as to embarrass and even humiliate a witness,” Cheney’s lawyers wrote in a U.S. District Court filing.

“That much can readily be seen from a visit to YouTube. . . . A simple query using the search term ‘deposition’ yields over 400 video clips, in which many of the deponents are made to look boorish, mendacious, or unintelligent.”