John Nichols: Calling Cheney's Bluff (The Nation)

[marmar]

BLOG | Posted 06/25/2007 @ 08:50am
Calling Cheney's Bluff


Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel has come up with the right response to Dick Cheney's attempt to suggest that the Office of the Vice President is not part of the executive branch.

The House Democratic Caucus chairman wants to take the Cheney at his word. Cheney says his office is "not an entity within the executive branch," so Emanuel wants to take away the tens of millions of dollars that are allocated to the White House to maintain it.

The root of the controversy is in a fight that the vice president has picked with the National Archives, which is charged with keeping tabs on how the offices of the president, the vice president and their appointees handle classified documents.

Under federal legislation enacted in 1995, members of the executive branch must work with the Archives to preserve classified documents. The law was backed up, at least in part, by an executive order issued four years ago by President Bush. But Cheney and his staff have refused for five years to file reports that are required as part of the oversight process. Why? Because the vice president -- that's the vice president -- claims he is not exactly a member of the executive branch.

So what is Cheney? Because the vice president serves in the frequently ceremonial position of president of the Senate, Cheney's office now claims that he is a member of the legislative branch -- and thus unburdened by any responsibility to cooperate with the Archives.

Forget the fact that the Constitution clearly defines the vice presidency as an executive position. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=207869

[Bitwit1234]

1. The democrats will CHICKEN OUT like they always do.

Wonder what in the devil they will do if they just happen to win the presidency and have a larger majority in the senate so they could get a real bill passed. Would they cave to the republicans and pass the laws the republicans want, because they don't want to appear partisian....probably.

[soothsayer]

2. lol, i'm afraid you're right.

[L. Coyote]

5. What a crock. You sound like an R without an education. GET REAL.

Educate yourself about the 36 investigations, 200+ hearings, numerous resignations, White House subpoenas. Have you been hiding in the pare-lie patch all this while?

[Demeter]

3. Rahm Would Need To Defund the White House Too

Bush signed up for the same exclusion as the Dicktator.

[ejbr]

4. YAWN

Democrats won't do shit. If they won't impeach them for all the shit they have been doing already, why should Cheney or Bush care about Rahm's threats? Does anyone REALLY think the Dems will go through with it, those chicken shit fuck faces? I didn't think so. Move along, nothing to see here.