Twisted Dick Cheney....VP from hell.

[marmar]

Here's an excerpt from a really interesting piece on Cheney's obsession with power, and proof that he's the shadow president:

...Previous vice presidents have had neither the authority nor the interest in reviewing legislation. But Cheney has used his power over the administration’s legal team to promote an expansive theory of presidential authority. Using signing statements, the administration has challenged more laws than all previous administrations combined.

“Addington could look at whatever he wanted," said one former White House lawyer who helped prepare signing statements and who asked not to be named because he was describing internal deliberations. "He had a roving commission to get involved in whatever interested him."

A roving Executive Branch commission to get involved in any legislation that interested Dick Cheney or David Addington before it ever hit the President’s desk? Influencing the DoJ attorneys to do likewise to make Cheney happy? Does this start to sound familiar in terms of thestories that were floated that the CIA was shaping its findings to make Dick Cheney happy after repeated meetings with the Veep and Scooter Libby? Anyone else seeing a pattern here?

The entire article is at: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/11235

[Virginia Dare]

1. Sick and twisted indeed...

I have no doubt that Dick Cheney will go down in history as the politician most damaging to our country. Even McCarthy is small potatoes compared to this guy.

[peacetalksforall]

2. In terms of human lives and bodies, dollars and debt - no one has

surpassed him. However, he is only an operative - he operates for others - the barons whose faces you don't see on FOX, GE, and CNN. He also represents stockholders of the companies directly involved in this war and accompanying propaganda, it also includes the stockholders of any companies represented by the barons.

At some point soon and in the future, you will hear someone defending their position by the words - 'we had our stockholders to think about'. In this case, thinking about - means making money by any rules. Including declaring Executive Orders and Executive Signing.

[Virginia Dare]

3. Agreed, the human cost is well worth...

improving the bottom line as far as these sick criminals are concerned. Not to mention the environmental costs....we are living in a corporatocracy and paying a high cost. The next
generation(s) will pay an even higher one I'm afraid if we make it that far.

[cliss]

4. When I heard Dick Cheney say

"The President should have many expanded powers during a time of war", I knew exactly what he was talking about.

And it wasn't about George Bush.

[treestar]

5. Why does he concern himself so much with authority

Is he doing anything to exercise it to the benefit of the people? Why does he waste our time trying to make sure it is as expansive as possible?

One only wishes Congress would at least get a spine and do the same thing.