The Washington Post has a chilling piece on the frightening amount of power accumulated by Vice-President Dick Cheney. It seems Cheney de facto has a good chunk of the powers of the presidency while avoiding most of the media scrutiny and resisting all attempts at accountability.
A telling quote on Cheney's belief in impunity:
His general counsel has asserted that "the vice presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive branch nor a part of the legislative branch," and is therefore exempt from rules governing either.
In other words, the vice-presidency is the governmental equivalent of Guatanamo Bay: a sort of limbo, a legal black hole asserted for the purpose of avoiding respect for the law and American values.
Judging from his actions during the last six years, it's no surprise to read that Cheney doesn't believe in the law or the Constitution since he hasn't shown much respect for either. It's just surprising to hear this admitted publicly.
Update: Apparently some in Congress thought it would be a good idea to call Cheney on his b.s. Some House Democrats tried to strip him of his executive branch budget. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee suggested that if Cheney were in fact part of the legislative branch, as president of the Senate, then that would mean the same body could also expel him. The vote to follow Cheney's contention to its natural conclusion failed 209-217.
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