Dick Cheney vs the Constitution

[H2O Man]

Cheney Power Grab: Says White House Rules Don't Apply to Him
By Justin Rood
ABC News
Thursday 21 June 2007
"Vice President Dick Cheney has asserted his office is not a part of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and therefore not bound by a presidential order governing the protection of classified information by government agencies, according to a new letter from Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to Cheney. …."


The reports of Dick Cheney’s claim that the Office of the Vice President enjoys a unique status that puts it beyond the rules of law has caught many people by surprise. Journalists on CNN and MSNBC reported it as a somewhat humorous curiosity, and focused on the Constitution and jr. high school text books to attempt to define what branch of government the OVP falls under.

Of course, there is really no question based upon the definition provided by the Constitution. However, those familiar with Dick Cheney will recall from the "Iran Contra Affair: The Final Report" that then Congressman Cheney displayed a curious lack of familiarity with the Constitution. Cheney accused congress of "abusing its power" when it followed the rule of law regarding placing limits on Reagan’s investment in the Nicaraguan "contras," and stated that "the Constitution mandates the President to be the country’s foreign policy leader." (Excerpts: Majority, Minority Views of Committees; Los Angeles Times; 11-19-87) As John Dean noted, "Contrary to Cheney’s assertion, the Constitution has no such mandate." (Worse Than Watergate; page 182) Dean writes that Cheney’s thinking was formed during the Nixon-Ford years, when he came to resent congressional efforts to reinstate Constitutional oversight to dismantle the "imperial presidency." (pages 181-183)

Cheney’s efforts to advance an imperial presidency are closely related to his work in the planning for COG (Continuity of Government) in times of national crisis. We find information on this in James Bamford’s "A Pretext for War." The COG plans predate Cheney, of course; they were began during the early years of the Cold War, when there were rational concerns about running the country if there was a nuclear war between the "super powers." Those plans took on a new life after Reagan was shot, and there was a conflict within the administration regarding who was in charge. To help resolve this conflict, Bamford notes, a secret plan known as the Presidential Successor Support System was devised. It went beyond the COG plans in advocating that a "shadow government" that would be beyond the Constitution would rule the country.

Bamford writes: "Given overall responsibility for the secret government was Vice President George H. W. Bush, with Lt. Col. Oliver North, a key player in the Iran-contra scandal …. Among the key players in the shadow government were Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and James Woolsey." (page 72) This should provide some insight on Cheney’s outrage when congress investigated the Iran-contra scandals.

"The existence of the secret government," Bamford writes, "was so closely held that Congress was completely bypassed, Rather than through legislation, it was created by Top Secret presidential fiat. In fact, Congress would have no role in the new wartime administration. ‘One of the awkward questions we faced,’ said one of the participants, ‘was whether to reconstitute Congress …. It was decided that no, it would be easier to operate without them.’ When George H. W. Bush was elected president, he continued the program, but with the Cold War over, President Bill Clinton decided to end it." (pages 72-74)

Bamford describes how on September 11, 2001, a decision was made to place the "shadow government" in control of the United States of America. Very few people were told about this at the time: "So secret was the decision that no one in Congress – and only Vice President Cheney and a very few within the executive branch – were notified of the establishment of an invisible shadow government."

This event is also detailed in Senator Robert Byrd’s "Losing America." The Elder Statesman, who loves the Constitution of the United States, wrote: "Only hours after the September 11 attacks, the administration installed a ‘shadow government’ of about a hundred executive branch officials …. White House chief of staff Andrew Card directs the shadow government from the White House, where he is immune from giving testimony to Congress (have we heard this before?). The shadow government is supposed to assume control of the government in case of a national emergency. Of course, this shadow government consists of one branch only, the executive branch. …. Congress has not sanctioned the shadow government, nor were members of Congress even made aware of its existence until the story was leaked in March 2002. This shadow government has been described as an ‘indefinite precaution,’ which can mean anything. While a few newspaper stories appeared in March 2002, very little new information has been reported since then. The shadow government is presumed to continue its operation outside of congressional oversight." (pages 78-79)

Chapter 4 in John Dean’s book is titled "Secret Government." On pages 101-105, he details "Cheney’s Shadow National Security Council." Dean quotes the New Republic’s saying that, "Cheney’s office came to be viewed as the administration’s neocons sanctuary." President Bush’s NSC staff referred to Cheney’s operation as "the shadow government," because it was "informally integrated (with) its own agenda as well as the power to realize it through the vice president’s clout. It is a secret government – beyond the reach of Congress, and everyone else as well."

Thus, when we consider the vice president’s claim that his office is not bound by the law, it is important to consider the source of his beliefs. Is it because he did not learn enough in junior high school social studies to know that the OVP is indeed part of the executive branch? Or is it more likely that he believes that he has an authority that is beyond the Constitution of the United States, and that the congress lacks the authority to even question his secret kingdom?

If the Constitution of the United States is to mean anything in the future, then surely Congress must impeach Dick Cheney today.

[baldguy]

1. Dick Cheney vs Concrete Reality

Nothing new here: The VP isn't part of the Executive, Saddam was part of al Qaeda & had WMDs, global warming is a myth, trees cause more pollution than cars and there are five lights.

[rosesaylavee]

2. Could Cheney be suffering from dementia?

I don't doubt at all that he has set up a secret govt, but if you or I had set one up, wouldn't we continue to play along with the perception that the Constitution was still applicable? Wouldn't a sane person still go along for show rather stir up trouble and bring things to a head?

I don't think he's getting enough oxygen - and I think he should be asked to resign. Failing resignation, impeach him. Calling Pelosi again today. Thinking maybe I should just start every day (or at least every week) giving her a call regarding Cheney's impeachment.

Pelosi's office phone: [phone].

[WinkyDink]

3. No. He isn't suffering from anything mental. He simply wants brute power.

[Lars39]

4. And has the systems in place, or darn near close, to enforce it.

What we're beginning to see is a glimpse of the wall behind Zappa's curtain.

[cassiepriam]

38. Yes this is all very revealing isn't it. A further glimpse into his madness.

[rosesaylavee]

5. But is this a sane way to hold on to the power he

already has? Is he intentionally challenging the system or is this a reflection of an insane man's frame of mind?

It is possible that he was faced with a choice of revealing something that would expose him more and therefore consciously chose to make this incredible assertion that he was answerable to no one as the easier road to travel down.

Just when I think I can't be shocked more - well, I guess there is no end to this until we end it. As stated above, I have no other recourse apparently than to call the Speaker's office ... often ... regarding this issue. He is a danger to our Constitution. Hopefully her vow to uphold the Rule of Law will overcome whatever reluctance she has for taking on the OVP.

[lonestarnot]

7. He's a lunk head using time management to run out the fucking clock in the bottom of the 9th.

And I hate fucking sports.

[blondeatlast]

8. This is the thinking of quite rational, but terrifyingly power hungry, minds:

‘One of the awkward questions we faced,’ said one of the participants, ‘was whether to reconstitute Congress …. It was decided that no, it would be easier to operate without them.’

If he were insane, Cheney wouldn't scare me as much.

[blondeatlast]

6. Exactly. nt

[Dr.Phool]

11. He's a power mad authoritarian.

Evil to his core.

I've said many times, I don't think there will be an election next year. These guys don't want to leave. And they could all wind up in jail if they did.

[librechik]

19. and sociopathic

no one with real human feelings could do what he has done. He is a sick, twisted menace, as bad as Jeff Dahmer--worse, because Dahmer could only dream about murdering half a million innocent people.

[CrispyQ]

35. Dr.,

My husband agrees with you. He says that they haven't shredded the Constitution & placed all this power in one branch just to walk away from it.

[H2O Man]

16. I think that

he suffers from impairments in brain functioning as a result of two things: first, the physical health issues which have been a problem for years; and second, a severe personality disorder that has paranoid and violent features. His views on the Constitution and especially on the role of the congress are long-standing. His willingness to lie the country to a war and his plans for a long-term occupation of Iraq are evidence of the pathology of tyrants.

[bleever]

34. Also, he has a wife

who reinforces all of his worst characteristics and attitudes about government. She could have given lessons to Lady Macbeth.

[rosesaylavee]

39. Somehow I don't see her as being that nice.

:)

[Major Hogwash]

47. So, it could be said

That Cheney suffers from "tyrantism."

A form of dictatorism, but only occurs to one who is not in actual control, yet one that desires that control.

Interesting.

There should be a case study conducted for this form of mental illness in order to help prevent it.
I think that Cheney should be hospitalized immediately for just such a study.

[cassiepriam]

36. But he was a sociopath long before his dementia from congestive heart failure.

[whistle]

52. Dick Cheney is a thug and a traitor, he must now be impeached

...because he betrayed his oath to uphold the constitution

[rosesaylavee]

56. Him and the rest of them.

[JanusAscending]

60. Fabulous Idea!!

I'm going to start calling her every day. I'm going to tell her "not one thin dime" from me and that I am going to try to influence the "grass roots" to withhold political donations to anyone, until the congress follows through with the promises that got them the majority. This is now the proverbial "last straw" and the shit has hit the fan. ENOUGH !!!:grr:

[rosesaylavee]

65. I can't think of anything else that

would move her other than getting calls and notes calling for impeachment. He has to go. What more does Cheney have to do to show utter contempt for the Constitution?

[blondeatlast]

9. This chiller needs one more recommend. Thanks. nt

[mwb970]

10. I am so sick of Cheney I could scream.

For six plus long years it's been one punch in the face after another from this vile puswad. Every time you turn around there is some other horrifying BushCo scandal that "appears to lead to the office of the VP".

The fact that America just sits and watches as this bastard craps on its Constitution is the most amazing part of the whole thing. Apparently the 300,000,000 of us are simply helpless to defy the illegitimate, godlike power of this man in even the mildest ways. What is it we are so afraid of? That we might get our country back?

Die, Dick.

[rosesaylavee]

12. Call Pelosi.

It's the only thing I know to do. She has the power, and she alone, to start the impeachment proceedings. Pelosi's office phone: [phone].

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

13. He horrifies me. If we have ANY kind of terrorist event in this country,...

,...we are screwed.

:scared:

[myrna minx]

14. I am speechless. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Reasons why Dickie said something so stupid:

(1) He's preparing a contingency if Scooter's pardon doesn't come through, because Scooter will likely turn Cheney in during a plea bargain. So Dick is "laying the foundation" so he can slow down the Congressional investigations by justifying how he hid his tracks and how he plans to withhold information.

(2) The other possibility, and it's hard to believe, but he may be protecting George Bush. Because now we're all going to be focused on Cheney and see all of this as a VP gone wild. Abuse of power, so to speak, and Bush can walk away, shocked, SHOCKED that his VP was such a rogue and a scoundrel.

[snappyturtle]

27. I think your #1 could be part of it....not the main reason but a

definite benefit of "laying the foundation" as you put it. Number 2....may happen but not because he would be protecting bush...imho cheney has more power and influence than bush and is trying to strongarm the rest of us into submitting to that power. His arrogance tells him he can get away with it. God knows he's already done this with his lies of WMD....he got a long ride off of that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. Maybe this is also the reason why we're hearing about the CIA abuses

in the 70s. Maybe some of that abuse of power filtered through George Bush I and, somehow, Dick Cheney. They really do believe they can get away with it, because they have in the past.

[librechik]

17. We must impeach Cheney today.

Yes indeed.

[mmonk]

18. Another kick and recommend for reason.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Is Dick Cheney entitlted to secret service protection if he's not in the

executive branch?

[IChing]

21. The justice department heard the complaints from Archives and did nothing

Gonzales did nothing. The system is broken.

[H2O Man]

23. The DoJ

is a significant part of the problem in Washington. The chances of Gonzales making an honest effort to restore justice are exactly the same as the chances that Eugene "Bull" Connor would have taken a bold stance for civil rights in Birmingham.

The system is broken, but not beyond repair. If the congress would do its job, Cheney could be dealt with appropriately.

[IChing]

25. "If the congress would do its job"

Gonzales would be held accountable for not performing his duties and impeached
Cheney would be held accountable and impeached
Rumsfeld would be held accountable and impeached.



Article II specifies that sitting civil officers are to be removed upon conviction. It does not say, however, that the ability to impeach ends with an official's service. Given that executive officials have limited terms, there was debate at the Constitutional Convention over allowing an already-powerful Congress this weighty check on the executive. The Framers decided that Congress should have this power, and so specified the ability to remove sitting officials. Ex-officials? That went without saying, and nothing in Article II eliminates the possibility.

The punishment described in the Constitution for impeachment includes not just removal from office, but also "disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States." That is, a successful impeachment does not say merely "Get out!" to a sitting President; it adds an emphatic "And stay out!" While removal becomes moot after a President leaves office, disqualification does not.

[indie_voter]

22. Humorous curiosity! Yep.

This is exactly how the MSM treats every stupid comment coming from these yahoos.

If Gore said something like that, they would have been howling 'run away executive'.

[here_is_to_hope]

24. And what are we or

anyone going to do about?

Sorry, I aint feeling it today.

[Kablooie]

26. Fox News headline for this, "Dems denounce Cheney ..."

And it points out in several places statements that Cheney is acting within the law.

Even in a case like this they decide to support the criminals.

[snappyturtle]

28. Faux News is comprised of Cheny bobbleheads....so they're acting

in a consistent manner....the unfortunate part is that many people believe Fox...

[Me.]

30. The First Thing I Thought When I heard It Was:

If he's not part of the executive, he's not in any way entitled to executive privilege. Others have said the same since then. So let's see *is at 26% and the Dick has declared himself to be above the law and a rogue element of our government. Is impeachment still off the table Nancy?

[BuyingThyme]

41. According to the Constitution, he is a member of Congress.

According to law, anybody who works for the Executive works for the Executive.

[Me.]

42. So If He's A Member Of Congress

Isn't there congressional oversight he is responsible to? What I also dislike about this move by Cheney is that it's based on an opinion by Addington who has been responsible for a lot of the perversity coming out of the veeps office.

[BuyingThyme]

43. Actually, as a member of Congress, Congress probably does not have oversight duties.

But as an executive officer who has been appointed by the Chimp to perform many tasks under the auspices of the President, he certainly does come under Congressional oversight.

It's not the title that matters; it's what the person does and for whom he does it.

[treestar]

45. Exactly, if he is a member of Congress and President of the Senate

Then why should be at any cabinet meeting or have any access to the Executive branch's operations?

He can just spend all his time in the Senate and have his office there and never do anything in the Executive branch.

Dickhead of course wants it both ways.

[Warren Stupidity]

48. No he is president of the senate.

I do not think the constitution refers to the VP as a member of congress.

[BuyingThyme]

51. I do.

[Warren Stupidity]

55. Well then please provide a reference to that phrase

in the constitution.

[H2O Man]

54. Correct.

The Last Caucus


In 2002, Robert Caro published the third in his wonderful series of books on Lyndon Johnson. Titled "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate," it followed "The Path to Power" (1982) and "Means of Ascent" (1990). These are the best books on LBJ, and readers are anticipating the last book in the series, which will cover LBJ as vice president and president.

The 43rd chapter of the book on LBJ’s senate career is titled "The Last Caucus" (pages 1035 - 1040). Caro quotes Lady Bird as saying of the senate years, "Those were the happiest twelve years of our lives." Washington insiders had wondered how LBJ would adjust from being one of the most powerful men in the government, to being the vice president? LBJ told them, "Power is where power goes."

However, as Caro describes, after the 1960 election, Johnson began to understand that he was leaving the position of power he had loved. In January 1961, before he had formally resigned from the senate and been sworn in as vice president, Johnson began to come up with plans to maintain power in legislative branch, while serving in the executive branch. He describes LBJ as taking the stance "that the Constitution already assigned the Vice President functions in the Senate: to preside over it, and to vote in it in case of a tie…."

Johnson attempted to keep an office for himself in Senate Office Building, and to have democrats recognize him as still being the de facto Majority Leader. Even Evans & Novak wrote of this as being an attempt to "breach the constitutional separation of powers by making the Vice President the presiding officer of all the Senate Democrats …."

Robert Byrd commented, "Can you imagine that?" and called it "a mistake." Albert Gore stated that they might as well have President Kennedy participate in the senate. Mike Monroney, a friend of LBJ’s, stated that the senate "will lose its power by having a representative of the Executive Branch watching our private caucuses."

Hubert Humphrey would say that it "was too much for him to leave that center of power. He was just reluctant to give up those reins." Eventually, President Kennedy would send a message that he recognized "the line of demarcation between the legislative and executive branches of government." LBJ had to recognize it, as well.

The House and the Senate needs to make this crystal clear to VP Dick Cheney, too.

[IDemo]

31. CNN poll: is Cheney too secretive? Yes - 84%, No - 16%

http://www.cnn.com/

[IChing]

32. What a lame poll "secretive" hardly describes what he has done.

I voted anyway.

[IDemo]

33. They just want to present "BOTH" sides of the story n/t

[LSK]

37. Dick Cheney vs US Code

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1162157&mesg_id=1162157

:hi:

[BuyingThyme]

40. The Constitution does not provide a "definition"

except to the extent that the vice president is the president of the Senate.

[Tom Joad]

44. So what? impeachment is not on the table. lobbyists don't want it.

corporate donors don't want it.
Whose Democratic Party is it anyway? the riff-raff on the net or in the streets, or the people who paid for it??
Besides, if Cheney could get away with not disclosing all those things and that nosy congress, then a new Dem administration can too. Won't it be easier for Dems to help their friends also when they get the white house? works out well... doesn't it?

[MaryBear]

46. Surely Congress must impeach

Dick Cheney,I agree. But that is not enough. Sunlight must shine on this whole thing. Over and over.

[arendt]

49. At first I thought all this was spoken on ABC News, but then I saw the close quote...

at the end of the first paragraph.

Nice writing, only wish this was what was going out over the air.

arendt

[whistle]

50. There can be no Vice President verses the U.S. Constitution

....Cheney swore an oath to uphold the constitution not wreak it. He must now resign or be impeached, the are no other options.

[diane in sf]

53. Cheney's new branch of government: The Office of Treason and Sedition. eom

[mmonk]

57. As long as congress continues to shirk its duty

Cheney is correct. The law does not apply to him. No law seems to. He has just enough dems in his backpocket to be an unchecked ruler. I call them the Cheney democrats.

[Doc Martin]

58. Rules do not apply to the rich kids

[provis99]

59. If he isn't part of the White House, then

does that mean we don't have to go through the rigorous Constitutional process of impeaching him and removing him from office? The people can simply tell him to collect his marbles and gun collection and go on back home to Wyoming? Wouldn't that be delicious payback for this latest bout of stupidity from the mind of the Vampire of the Executive Branch?

[SemperEadem]

61. on this alone, he should be charged with treason, tried and impeached

[bjobotts]

62. Every single person in the US KNOWS Cheney has committed impeachable acts

We all know it. If Cheney doesn't want to be held accountable to the Legislative branch then they need to stoop funding his office.

If Cheney is not part of the Executive branch then he can no longer claim executive privilege.

Congress should stop playing "patsy" with Cheney and just impeach him, pull his funding , an issue a "no confidence" vote.

This is what I and others believe Cheney is really trying to hide or distract attention from:


It should be noted that
Submitted by Anonymous on 22 June 2007 - 3:46pm.

It should be noted that Cheney's office began its failure to describe classification activities in the same year the US Department of Homeland Security opened its doors...2003.

It is to be remembered that in January of 2005 Tom Ridge who was resigned but hadn't yet departed his Secretary post made two speeches encouraging his successor to follow in his footsteps and create a national civilian DNA database. Ridge's intention was to collect and catalog all Americans' DNA as though we're cattle!

Ridge's legacy was to fix all federal identification credentialing programs to the biometric smart card which uses RFID--mostly Savi Technology's RFID. In January of 2005 Ridge while still DHS Secretary joined Savi Technology's board. Ridge too, had favored Savi in the Container Security Initiative pilot program leading up to his joining Savi's board.

Savi Technology became a division of Lockheed Martin in June of 2006 and likely negotiations went on for far more than 6 months before the acquisition was complete. Lynn Cheney didn't resign Lockheed's Board of Directors until mid-September of 2003 and the Cheneys accounts are full of Lockheed stock. Cheney's son-in-law was a registered Lockheed lobbyist in 2003 and 2004, only to become head of Office of General Counsel at the US DHS in 2005. It is the Office of General Counsel that writes RFIs and RFPs therefore fixed all identification credentialing programs to the biometric smart card. Lockheed controls many programs including the maritime ID program. This past January it awarded the Port of Maryland contract to itself. People close to the program stated authentication could take 9 minutes per worker and there was a 25-50 % error rate. Lockheed's biometric smart cards are so incompetent that they should be incinerated! Furthermore, the security vulnerabilities of RFID are widely known yet all federal identification credentialing programs are widely using it since legislation fixed these programs to adopt the biometric smart card tech standard.

Could it be that Cheney's office beginning in 2003 had the mission to catalog our DNA as though we're cattle? At CREW's website several articles have appeared linking Cheney to Brent Wilkes--Randall Cunningham's coconspirator # 1. Wilkes owned a digital imaging company that was capable of digitizing biometric images collected under Cheney's? National ID program and was doing this for the military's credentialing program. Could Ridge's agenda to catalog our DNA have come from Cheney's relationship with Wilkes? Could Cheney have told Ridge to line Wilkes' wallet? In that Ridge became a Savi Board of Director, his own wallet would have been handsomely lined in the acquisition so it appears Ridge was an agreeable participant in a Cheney-Wilkes-Lockheed-Savi conspiracy.

It is to be noted that Lockheed and Savi were members of the Voluntary Credentialing Industry Coalition from its inception. Even in the Registered Traveler program, only VCIC members have been permitted to participate. VCIC is a front for the Smart Card Alliance. VCIC only has members that sell smart cards or are component suppliers to smart card manufacturers.

Many of the members of VCIC such as Imageware have been implicated in the Cunningham and Abramoff corruption probes. Imageware--based in San Diego flew both Cunningham and Tom DeLay on its private jet many times! Regular visitors to CREW's website know how hard CREW has tried for more than a year to learn what kind of exposure Jack Abramoff was granted to Cheney and the rest of the Executive branch? Also, Cunningham has been linked to Cheney mulitple times in articles appearing at CREW's website, including that a sale of office equipment by Wilkes to Cheney's office in July of 2002 was of the same contract amount as the cost of the Dukester yacht purchased by Wilkes the very next month for Cunningham, and Cunningham did all the negotiating on price.

Could it be that all government identification credentialing programs are using RFID right now so that Cheney can further line his wallet since his Lockheed shares now reflect Savi Technology RFID profits?

This is a connecting of dots that likely is 0.00001 % of what VP Cheney wanted to hide of his greed and corruption by 2003!!! Our Vice President in good time will go down in history as the greatest thief this nation ever knew! When voters went to the polls we were focusing on voting for a President. Americans mistakenly overlooked the VP--perhaps in part because the full extent of his corruption wasn't yet exposed. It takes time to expose corruption.

When Ridge made his January 2005 speeches his words appeared as though he was on the defensive...trying to rebound/recover and justify why he was fired. Ridge hadn't ever publicly discussed his national DNA program prior to his resignation being forced so the general population while Ridge was Secretary didn't realize his opinion was so low of us and that we're sheep to be slaughtered. He actually thought once he spoke of his DNA program that his public audiences would approve of his plans in January of 2005 and even when his audiences flipped-out on him he still wasn't listening in that he made the same speech to a second audience! Greed does terrible things to people and Ridge is an excellent example of how greed can make people completely out of touch!

Our president fired Ridge! Ridge was supposed to be adhering to the President's agenda, not the VP's agenda! I do have more of an inside perspective because my employer's platform was forerunner on all the identification credentialing programs based on merit, and to date has been tried in no U.S. identification credentialing program. I have discovered over the last 5 1/2 years that our President spends much of his time running in place while trying to undo the corruption of his VP who undermined the president's agendas. Hopefully in good time our President whose platform in 2000 to win election was to reduce government waste and end public corruption, lets the Judicial System work to its full effectiveness so that the VP who undermined every one of the president's agendas during two terms as president for the VP and his family's own personal financial gain, results in the VP's indictment. Every year our President's State of the Nation address talked of finding new energy sources to relieve US dependence on foreign energy and even disclosed we have a 200 year supply of coal in this country. For a friend with a more efficient, clean and safe invention to mine oil from shale found in coal I looked at DOE's grants programs. Courtesy of Cheney's energy task force, grants were only for thousands of dollars when the materials cost to build my friend's prototype was close to $ 1 million. The VP deserves to fall for his full breach of the President's most important 2000 campaign promise and with the fall of his own VP, the President will have proven how serious he was to end public corruption!

We know the blood is bad between the VP and President and their respective staff members because news stations such as Fox News regularly report when there are fights between the two offices involving the VP and his staff protecting the VP and his family's business interests. The last time I heard such a report was around the third week of this past January. Right after that, the VP's son-in-law's resignation was announced from the US DHS Office of General Counsel effective in two weeks from that point. At this point in time the President should be aiding the US Congress in its investigations from recovering lost emails to undoing the VP's claim he doesn't have to adhere to guidelines set under the Presidential Records Act, as well as assisting US DOJ, because a President who promises to end public corruption and facilitates investigations of corruption into his own VP, is a President who will go down in history as having been a man of his word...a man of integrity!
» reply

[bjobotts]

63. Damn!!! A National DNA ID card. Our DNA info illegally collected and filed

as DNA records is Biblical 1984. Please somebody impeach this corporate profiteer monster. He should be banned from ever holding public office again, stripped of his ill-gotten gains, and imprisoned for war crimes. He has brought nothing but shame to our nation.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

64. So sorry folks, but all comments to Cheney err to a degree.

Yes, he has gathered power, personal power, on a scope never seen in our country. But these are not his ideas. He is merely the Napoleon strutting from heart surgeryto heart surgery telling his generals to "Do A" or "Fuck Mr. C" or "Why should I care what the president says? Give me another option."

Addington, and until last year, Libby were and are even worse than CHeney.

I find it amusing that in one paragraph, Cheney is shown to have no understanding of the constitution, then another paragraph accuses him of a technical, hypertechnical positioning.

I have no doubts that some secret government has been created, nor do I doubt that congress has rendered itself obsolete and impotent, but I do believe that if congress ever woke up, took a stance on the cosntitution, and told cheney et all, "Enough", that most of America would stand up with Congress.

The root of Congress' low ratings is its refusal to do the heavy lifting we need for them to do