In Cheney's Shadow, Counsel Pushes the Conservative Cause

[True_Blue]

Since he took office, Vice President Cheney has led the Bush administration's effort to increase the power of the presidency. "I have repeatedly seen an erosion of the powers and the ability of the president of the United States to do his job," he said after a year in office, calling it "wrong" for past presidents to yield to congressional demands. "We are weaker today as an institution because of the unwise compromises that have been made over the last 30 to 35 years."

Cheney has tried to increase executive power with a series of bold actions -- some so audacious that even conservatives on the Supreme Court sympathetic to Cheney's view have rejected them as overreaching. The vice president's point man in this is longtime aide David Addington, who serves as Cheney's top lawyer.

Where there has been controversy over the past four years, there has often been Addington. He was a principal author of the White House memo justifying torture of terrorism suspects. He was a prime advocate of arguments supporting the holding of terrorism suspects without access to courts.

Addington also led the fight with Congress and environmentalists over access to information about corporations that advised the White House on energy policy. He was instrumental in the series of fights with the Sept. 11 commission and its requests for information. And he was a main backer of the nomination of Pentagon lawyer William J. Haynes II for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Haynes's confirmation has been a source of huge friction on Capitol Hill.

more....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22665-2004Oct10.html?nav%3Drss_politics&sub=AR

[Dark Jedi]

1. Big Dick the Puppeteer.

Very interesting article! Add this to the file of: More Proof that Cheneys Controls Bush.

[TaleWgnDg]

2. your url got me no where . . .

edited to add: this url got me to the WashingtonPost article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22665-2004Oct10.html
(requires registration, free)

edited again to add: and I'll go along with this article saying that Addington seeks "privacy," because Addington for all the powerful position that he presently holds is NOT LISTED in Martinsdale lawyer listings.