Report: Cheney Exempted His Office From Executive Order Protecting Classified Information
Report: Cheney Exempted His Office From Executive Order Protecting Classified Information
House investigators have learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from a presidential executive order designed to safeguard classified national security information.
According to a letter from House oversight chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA):
– Since 2003, Cheney’s office has failed to provide data on its classification and declassification activities as required by Executive Order 12958, which President Bush has amended and endorsed.
– In 2004, Cheney’s office specifically intervened to block an on-site inspection by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), which is a requirement of the executive order.
The Office of the Vice President has asserted that it is not an “entity within the executive branch” and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders. Waxman writes, “To my knowledge, this was the first time in the nearly 30-year history of the Information Security Oversight Office that a request for access to conduct a security inspection was denied by a White House office.”
To resolve the matter, the ISOO wrote Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington on two separate occasions in summer 2006, disputing the claims made by Cheney’s office and requesting that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel settle the matter. Cheney’s office ignored both letters. Finally, in January 2007, the ISOO directly asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resolve whether the executive order applies to Cheney’s office.
In response, Cheney’s office has retaliated. It has requested changes in the executive order that would abolish the ISOO and eliminate the ability of the National Archives to appeal disputes to the Attorney General.
In his letter to Cheney, Waxman writes, “I question both the legality and the wisdom of your actions.” Specifically citing reports that Cheney personally instructed Scooter Libby to disclose classified national security information to former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, Waxman says it would be “particularly irresponsible” to give an office “with your history of security breaches” an exemption.
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Forget John Gotti – - Dick Cheney is the real Teflon Don.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:39 amHenry, please do something besides talk about this crap!
Do whatever it takes to put the SOB in Leavenworth for the rest of his lying days with his Chimpy cellmate.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:42 amOh my god, this is f*cking amazing.
What the hell is Cheney up to — that we don’t know about yet?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:42 amThe more I learn about Cheney and his cohorts, the more I think he is the real evil force guiding this administration.
For him to declare that the Office of the Vice President is not in the Executive Branch is nothing but delusional.
He is insane.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:46 amAnd, of course, congress will do nothing but whine…. again.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:46 amJust IMPEACH the bastard.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:47 amFunny how he says his office is NOT part of the “executive branch” but when he doesn’t want to disclose REQUIRED information, he yells:
“executive privilege”.
Truly an EVIL criminal. Torture him with MICROWAVES, unitl his pacemaker gives out…
June 21st, 2007 at 11:47 amWHEN IS THIS GONNA STOP!!!!!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:49 amImpeach this SOB. The congress better do something about this.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:49 am“F” Cheney!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:49 amI keep thinking I can’t be amazed any more by these revelations, but I am sitting here absolutely stunned and speechless here.. I keep thinking it can’t possibly get any worse — and then it does. And worse yet, nobody does ANYTHING to stop him!! I don’t know which is worse?? As an American, I no longer feel protected by our government, our laws or our Constitution. I don’t feel ANYONE in Washington DC is doing anything to protect the precious things that hold this country together and make it work. They are letting these criminals hold our country hostage. If ANYONE deserves to go to prison, it is Dick Cheney. There will be a very special place in hell for him.
Dick Cheney is like a drunk with a loaded shotgun that is pointed in the face of every single American poised to spray every single face. Actually, it is sounding more and more like he has already pulled that trigger. Now, will the police just please come and ARREST HIM!!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:49 amThis is classic.
First he claims the Office of VP isn’t part of the Executive Branch so is exempt from Executive Orders. Then, when when this is brought to the Attorney General for review, he then wants the Order changed, even though the original contention was that it doesn’t even apply to them anyway.
Talk about subversion of legal procedures….
June 21st, 2007 at 11:50 amThis man is a rogue criminal. He must be impeached.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:50 amWell since Cheney is President, the man can do anything he wants. Isn’t that the Cheney Theorum of a Unitary Executive?
Impeachment can’t come soon enough. Imprisonment can’t come soon enough.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:52 amOMG!!! This is unbelievable!!! What does it take for more Dems in the House to sign on to Cucinich’s Articles of Impeachent for this cowardly SOB??? WHAT???? I am just sitting here stunned! JUST STUNNED!!!! Yeah, this is democracy at work for ya.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:52 amIt seems to me that Cheney recognized a loophole in the law that would allow the VP’s office to operate outside the law and in the absence of any oversight since it was “not an entity within the executive branch.” At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, perhaps our fears about Cheney being the real power behind the throne were not so misplaced after all. We DO have a dictator, but it’s not George W. Bush (he’s not that intelligent) … it’s the Dark Lord Cheney!
June 21st, 2007 at 11:52 amtheRealist:
The Office of Vice President is Constitutionally unique in that it is not entirely within the Executive or Legislative branches.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:53 amFor him to declare that the Office of the Vice President is not in the Executive Branch is nothing but delusional.
He is insane.
Comment by theRealist — June 21, 2007 @ 11:46 am
Insane like Stalin was insane. The only thing missing from the BushCo regime, is the targeted murder of its enemies.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:54 amAnyone have a countdown clock that says how many days are left til he has to get out of office?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:55 amrandron:
Since when do you know that any “dictator” would ever agree to step down within 18 months?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:55 amNO Stick Dick. Thanks republicans for allowing the destruction of our constitution.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:55 amIf the devil’s brother Dick does it . . . then it’s not illegal.
I agree with No. 11: JG
June 21st, 2007 at 11:57 amCheney gets his marching orders from the Halliburton Board of Directors. And Satan.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:57 amDick Cheney goes fishing out here in southeast idaho often, mucks up the whole river for everyone else when he does, nobody else can use the public waterways when he is around.
What’s good for the goose apparently isn’t good enough for the gander.
We chat a lot about this.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:58 amDick’s a CRIMINAL.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:01 pmI’m not sure where Cheney thinks he gets the power to do such things. Precedent maybe? Well, there’s nothing in the Constitution that gives him the authority to do this.
And the Constitution – the law – remains valid even after presidents and vice presidents violate it.
These people violate the law nearly every day, and it’s time for us to put a stop to it. Impeachment, unfortunately, is the only way this can be done….but there’s plenty of justification!
“Clarification of the Uses of Impeachment”
June 21st, 2007 at 12:02 pmhttp://www.populistamerica.com/clarification_of_the_uses_of_impeachment
For the record, I am not an independent. I am obviously a party line whacko that thinks the spirit of the law certainly doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t matter if Cheney does something wrong, as long as he doesn’t get caught, then good for us all.
Clinton did it too
Libby should be pardoned
50 years in Iraq is just fine
Wild borrowing and spending is what I’m all about
Taxes are bad, debt is good
June 21st, 2007 at 12:02 pmNo supprise here…Don’t ya all remember he also has his own seperate mercernary army and no one know’s who pay’s them or how many the number.?…Yep! Mr.super evil…Blessings, we need them
June 21st, 2007 at 12:02 pmlabdad:
Executive Order 13292 specifically excludes the Office of Vice President from such oversight. In fact, Sec. 6.1. clearly defines “Agency” to mean any “Executive agency,” as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105; any “Military department” as defined in 5 U.S.C. 102; and only other entities within the executive branch that come into the possession of classified information.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/eoamend.html
June 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pmDick Cheney hates his countrymen. That is obvious. He has no respect for the history of his nation. That is obvious.
He should be trying to follow the law instead of constantly attempting to find ways around it.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:04 pmThat was the fake “Jake” @ 12:02 pm.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:04 pmOne wonders why Pelosi will not let the impeachment papers already drawn on Cheney move forward?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:05 pmThey have something on her or is she complicit?
She was booed at the Take Back America Conference over the Iraq war, because they think she sold the voters out.
I can hardly contain my excitement over this further subversion of the idea of open government. Secrecy is the only way to run a democracy. Go get ‘em Cheney!!
June 21st, 2007 at 12:06 pmImpeach him. And impeach Gonzales for not enforcing the law. This shit really needs to be put in front of the public so they can see how this entire administration is out of control. No patriotic and sane American wants an executive branch that does whatever it wants whenever it wants, ignoring the laws, and never answering for it.
Americans may not have the greatest memory for their history, but most of them remember what we were fighting against when this country was founded. And this is it.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:06 pm…and why aren’t the articles of impeachment against him being acted on in the House?
I just don’t get it.
Congress, you were given power to establish laws. When those laws are broken by high government officials, you have the power to remove those from office that do not follow the laws you pass. You not only have this power, but you have this responsibility. Do what’s right. Please.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:07 pmThat was the fake “Jake†@ 12:02 pm.
Comment by Jake
You’re both fakes as far as I am concerned.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:07 pmThe smell of treason is in the air. Who will take note and save our constitution?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:07 pmhttp://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/eoamend.html
Comment by Jake — June 21, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
You are arguing like you’re somehow trying to convince a jury of Cheney’s innocence. Why don’t you send your information to Waxman, you’re not going to change any minds here, and what if you do? Are we somehow going to stop this investigation by Waxman?
Cheney is criminal many times over. For the record, if I believed in an anti-christ, Cheney would have to be one of the front runners.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:08 pmCan you say ‘Dick-tatorship’?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pmCheney has been shown by this action and a whole host of mischief to be the most dangerous threat to the constitution in American history. What’s his code name in Al Qaeda? He works for the enemy.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pmjust check the government chart from the US printing office at
bensguide.gpo.gov/files/gov_chart.pdf
Cheney is in the executive branch according to the official organizational chart.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pm“The only thing missing from the BushCo regime, is the targeted murder of its enemies.
Comment by Namtillaku — June 21, 2007 @ 11:54 am”
That has already happened……
Remember the Anthrax?????
How about the one Senator or Congress man that was killed in a plane crash???
The list does go on….
June 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pmif VEEP is also the ‘president of the senate’ isn’t cheney also subject to legislative oversight too?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:10 pmOut of curiosity: Is he legally able to do that?
Not that legality ever slowed him down…
June 21st, 2007 at 12:12 pm“and only other entities within the executive branch that come into the possession of classified information.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/eoamend.html
Comment by Jake — June 21, 2007 @ 12:03 pm”
I would say that the VP office falls into the OTHER ENTITIES catagory!!!!
Jake the snake….
June 21st, 2007 at 12:12 pmDefund the veep. Apparently, he’s not part of government.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:13 pm.
And what are Harry and the Dems going to do about this??? Can’t they see the Republicans are getting away with piles of corruption and lies and yet, the Dems have no consequences for these criminals? I am so outraged that with every passing day. I am becoming more inclined to not vote at all in ‘08.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:13 pm#32 Wayne
One wonders why Pelosi will not let the impeachment papers already drawn on Cheney move forward?
Is she doing something to stop it? Last I heard there were about 8 co-sponsors. I don’t see it moving quickly, but I’m not seeing anyone trying to block it, either.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:13 pmNow, what are the legal arguments for Cheney’s position? I can think of two. Either:
Under either argument the Vice President asserts that the President can exert no control over the Vice-President.
Therefore, the only check on the power of the Vice-President is IMPEACHMENT.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:14 pmAnd IMPEACHMENT is off the table.
The Office of the Vice President has asserted that it is not an “entity within the executive branch†and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders.
So… what branch of government IS the OVP, exactly? I mean, according to Darth Cheney?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:16 pmThe Rebel Alliance closes in on Darth Cheney
June 21st, 2007 at 12:17 pmI’m rubber
Your glue
Whatever you say
Bounces off of me
And sticks onto you…
Na na na na
June 21st, 2007 at 12:17 pmComment by chimpeach
Nancy “Table Phobic” Pelosi: “Impeachment is off the Table”
June 21st, 2007 at 12:18 pmFor the record, I will only argue with those who are less smart than me. That means if you are smarter than me, and you begin to win a debate, you will be placed on the “Ignore List”.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:20 pmThe list does go on….
Comment by RemoveBush — June 21, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
Sounds a little ‘Vince Foster’-ish RB. The one that I think maybe closest to reality is Saddam Hussein – conveniently hung before the charges of using gas on the Kurds came up in public (avoiding the subsequent embarrassment for Rumsfeld, Cheney about who sent him his chemistry set and crop-sprayers).
June 21st, 2007 at 12:20 pmIf this isn’t grounds for impeachment, what is?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pmDoes he have to personally shoot every Senator and Representative in the face?
That was the fake “Jake†@ 12:02 pm.
Comment by Jake — June 21, 2007 @ 12:04 pm
That’s disappointing, Jake. That was the first thing posted under your name that sounded at all grounded in reality. I thought maybe you were finally discovering some insight into yourself and the world around you. But I guess not, huh?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pmI would say that he litterally has no legs to stand on with this statement….
Article. II. – The Executive Branch Note
Section 1 – The President Note1 Note2
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:
The only other place mentioning the VP is in an Amendment, and the Legislative section talking about how he is the President of the Senate.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pm#50 ~ The Imperial Vice Emperor’s office.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:23 pmCheney questions someone else’s wisdom? Proof positive that he is neither wise nor smart. The only thing being kept under wraps is criminality. Like most thugs, the VP talks tough and tries to look menacing, but I doubt there is much bravery or capability behind the bluster and bravado. Is there a Dem out there who can stare him down?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:23 pmWe have known all along the bull shit bush is nothing more than a drunk, druggie, arrogant, raving pupett…It come’s as no suprise to any of us who runs this cabal that once was an administration for the people…Now by their own admission we know it is merely for a few evil people, namely big dick and rovie backed by people like wolfie, lieberman, rice, chertoff and a few more.
This is yet another tip of the iceberg folk’s…Take my word for it, you have no idea how truly evil and distructive these monster’s have been and are continueing to be..Also keep in mind the representatives in D.C. know more than the public and still they are stonewalling us….How big is it.? Huge..In fact unless we totaly clean house the cancer will spread even further….In your worst night mare’s, not even close…..Demand removal of all these people and if it it not done we must remove all the enabeler’s…Blessings
June 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pmSo if the Office of the Vice President isn’t a part of the Executive Branch, just what branch of government is the VP in? Ya know, I’ve read the Constitution and the number of options available are pretty limited. Of course, the Constitution is quaint… I have to keep reminding myself of that.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pm“Sounds a little ‘Vince Foster’-ish RB. The one that I think maybe closest to reality is Saddam Hussein – conveniently hung before the charges of using gas on the Kurds came up in public (avoiding the subsequent embarrassment for Rumsfeld, Cheney about who sent him his chemistry set and crop-sprayers).
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 12:20 pm”
Nope!!!
Who were the MAIN people to receive Anthrax in the Congress???? The ones making waves, and what party are they a member of???? DEMOCTATS.
There was a plane that went down with a Congressman (I believe) with his ENTIRE family on board that was making waves early on also….. Strange how when someone makes waves with this Administration that something happens to them.
I don’t believe in coincidences….. The odds of that are very LOW!
With all the THREATS that Generals and whistleblowers have received from this Administration, you really doubt that???
June 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pmre: “The Office of the Vice President has asserted that it is not an “entity within the executive branch†and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders.”
My my! What ever happened to the “unitary executive” ?
Perhaps Bush meant the “unitary vice-executive”.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:27 pmRemember the Veep debate in 04, where his first words to John Edwards were, “who are you, I don’t recognize you”? or something to that effect.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:27 pmEdwards should have replied, well, we sure know you, and your horns are getting dull, they need some polish.
Wait a minute…The office of the vice president is not an entiity wwithin the executive branch so it is not subject to that particular law. Isn’t this the same viice president who continually hampers investigations with claims of executive privledge?
I’m confused is he part of the executive branch for the executive privledge angle, but not part for other purposes?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:28 pmFor the record: You’re not an American, either.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:29 pmThe Office of Vice President is Constitutionally unique in that it is not entirely within the Executive or Legislative branches.
Comment by Jake — June 21, 2007 @ 11:53 am
“Constitutionally unique”, eh Jake? Next time, try actually reading the Constitution before you post such drivel.
Article II of the Constitution embodies the Executive Branch of the federal government (just as Article I embodies the Legislative Branch, and Article III the Judicial Branch), and specifically provides for the election and impeachment of the Vice President. This makes the Office of the VP a part of the Executive Branch, since it’s Article II of the Constitution that actually establishes the position of VP itself.
Contrary to what you may think, Article I, Section 3, clause 5 only provides for a DUTY of the VP — to be President of the Senate. This does NOT make the VP a part of the Legislative Branch any more than Article I, Section 3, Clause 7 makes the Chief Justice of the US, who presides over impeachments, a part of the Legislative Branch.
Now go away, Jake, or I shall taunt you a second time…
June 21st, 2007 at 12:30 pmExcuse me? The Vice President is not part of the executive branch? Then, which branch is he part of? Am I misreading that statement?
According to usa.gov, the Office of the Vice President comes under the Federal Executive Branch.
So the Vice President, as an entity in and of itself, is beyond the reach of any oversight and beholden to no one, even more so than the President. That’s what I am reading here. Someone please tell me how and why and when the Vice President became the most powerful person in government. How has this been allowed to happen? WHEN IS CONGRESS GOING TO STOP THIS MAN!
June 21st, 2007 at 12:31 pmJake said:
Er… Since we (s)elected the CEO of Halliburton, which now promptly exits stage left to Dubai, right on time…
Keep Jakeing off…
June 21st, 2007 at 12:31 pmNo, the Geneva Conventions are quaint.
The Constitution is nothing but a gotdammed piece of paper.
Clear now? :)
June 21st, 2007 at 12:31 pmI have been screaming about this for over two years. Thank you TP for finally acknowledging.
Vice President Refuses to Report Classification Activity
For the third year in a row the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney has refused to disclose data on its classification and declassification activity, in an apparent violation of an executive order issued by President Bush.
“The Office of the Vice President (OVP), the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), and the Homeland Security Council (HSC) failed to report their data to ISOO this year,” the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) noted in its new 2005 Annual Report to the President
http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/2005rpt.pdf
(at page 9, footnote 1).
The Office of the Vice President has declined to report such data since 2002. Yet it is clear that disclosure is not optional.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/05/vice_president_refuses_to_repo.html
June 21st, 2007 at 12:32 pmMy my! What ever happened to the “unitary executive†?
Comment by Michalel Charney — June 21, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
maybe Cheney turned that into the eunichary executive.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:33 pm“Comment by Candyce — June 21, 2007 @ 12:31 pm”
They can label a website any way they want, but the facts are in the Constitution and by that the VP IS part of the Executive Branch!
Don’t fear…. When in doubt, always turn to the Constitution…..
June 21st, 2007 at 12:34 pmFunny how the Administration claims that they want to democracy in Iraq and want the Iraqis to come up with a constitution and yet they continue to ignore and distort their own constitution! It’s no wonder Iraq can’t get it done when the occupiers can’t follow their own.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:36 pmRemovebush:
I need to see more than coincidence…. I know about Paul Wellstone and the anthrax. whachagot?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:37 pmRemoveBush, I was pointing out the irony of their own website, run by the GSA, saying the Office of the VP is indeed part of the Executive Branch.
“USA.gov is an interagency initiative administered by the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications.”
Obviously someone at GSA still has faith in the Constitution.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:38 pmKids, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but this admin will never step down. There is going to be a cataclysmic event somewhere in the world that will forestall the 2008 elections, martial law will be implemented and all hell is going to break out. (By NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51…HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-20. Read it and weep: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html)
The 2nd Revolutionary War will be upon us because of what we allow this rogue government to get away with.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:38 pmObviously James Madison et al intended for the Vice Presidency to be NOT part of the Executive Branch so that for a couple of centuries it could lay dormant with very particularly decribed duties until the Assumption of Cheney who would come forth and declare the REAL function of the office which is the ascendancy of this hero, this man-god to explain to us, the proles, what the Constitution REALLY means–how the Revolution and establishment of a “new form of government” in Jefferson’s words away from the tyranny of an hereditary monarchy and towards a secretive, authoritarian state that rejects habeas corpus and embraces domestic surveillance, “shadow government”, large detention centers built by Halliburton and run by Blackwell , and, of course, torture of “enemy combatants” as described by the administration. Isn’t that obvious from the text?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:40 pmCheney is still part of the halliburton, war for profit, hire entire armies of mercernaries and move to Dubi to escape detection bunch…He is along with rummie and a few other very evil black hearted souls that are wondering about trying to keep his evil behind closed door’s….To get the entire picture out in the open he and this entire bunch need to be charged for war crime’s, all information ( not already shredded) confiscated and made public and this evil bunch jailed and held forever….No mafia can even come close to this evil..Blessings
June 21st, 2007 at 12:41 pmwhere have all the strict constructionists gone?
June 21st, 2007 at 12:42 pm“I need to see more than coincidence…. I know about Paul Wellstone and the anthrax. whachagot?
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 12:37 pm”
Sorry, but I don’t consider many things “coincidence”…….
Things like 3 steel framed buildings falling into their own footprints, people opposing this administration being sent killer Anthrax, or a plane crashing (Which the FAA was not able to determine why it crashed) with a person on board that was also apposing this administration.
It’s good to be sceptical, but it’s bad to just say its “coincidence”……
Sorry, but the odds of those 3 things happening the way they did in the timeframe that they did is about a TRILLION to ONE.
That’s what I have…..
June 21st, 2007 at 12:42 pm“I was pointing out the irony of their own website, run by the GSA, saying the Office of the VP is indeed part of the Executive Branch.
Comment by Candyce — June 21, 2007 @ 12:38 pm”
I’m sorry….. I mis-understood your post…
Thanks for the clarification.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pmRemoveBush, no harm. I wasn’t clear in my remarks.
Now, I am trying to discern if indeed the Vice President’s Office is Constitutionally a part of the Executive or not. Sometimes these things are vague and left to interpretation.
Regardless, surely the Founders did not intend for the VP, who was originally nothing more than a successor, to exist outside the laws and customs of the land. I would think that as the office has evolved into one in which the VP has access to all government secrets from one that was merely functionary, that by default he then comes under the Executive and must answer to the people through the Legislative.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:52 pmComment by RemoveBush — June 21, 2007 @ 12:42 pm
I understand your suspicion and I am surprised that the anthrax case is unsolved, but I don’t see anything other than coincidence. Sorry.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:53 pm“I understand your suspicion and I am surprised that the anthrax case is unsolved, but I don’t see anything other than coincidence. Sorry.
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 12:53 pm”
I see…..
So it is just a coincidence that the Anthrax was traced back to a MILITARY instillation??????
June 21st, 2007 at 12:56 pmThe fact that nothing is being done about him and the rest of it, is pure proof that both sides of our government are totally in this pile of shit together.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pmThere was a plane that went down with a Congressman (I believe) with his ENTIRE family on board that was making waves early on also….. Strange how when someone makes waves with this Administration that something happens to them.I don’t believe in coincidences….. The odds of that are very LOW!
Are you referring to Sen. Wellstone? That is one very strange story. Wellstone voted against granting the president power to invade Iraq.
“Wellstone reported that before the Senate vote on Iraq, Dick Cheney had warned him that bucking the administration could result in severe consequences for both him and the state of Minnesota. Neither was the vice president happy about the legislation Wellstone had introduced to improve protection against asbestos poisoning. Cheney had left Halliburton in a position to be sued by its insurer for asbestos claims staggering in their potential for remuneration. Only his assumption of the vice presidency granted him immunity from deposition.”
http://www.freezerbox.com/archive/article.php?id=309
I don’t know what happened to his plane, but I know there are an awful lot of very weird coincidences that can’t be ignored.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pmHe along with Sen. Patty Murray in June 2002 had introduced a bill to ban deadly asbestos and increase protections.
This is all too convoluted to put in one post. Just ‘Google’ Wellstone, asbestos, Halliburton, Cheney, WTC, and WR Grace. They are all connected.
Wellstone was killed on October 25th right before his re-election.
such a criminal — he shames America
and for all his crimes and all the destruction he has caused, he is not prosecuted
instead he will retire with millions and millions of our dollars
June 21st, 2007 at 1:00 pmCheney is part of the same crowd that derided Pres. Clinton for asking what the definition of “is” is. The difference here is so overwhelming. Cheney is a traitor, a murderer, and a coward. Even though the lapdog Republicans won’t go for it, we still need to make the statement that we won’t stand for him and his ilk by impeaching him.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:01 pmWhere are the trolls on this thread to speak up and support Darth? Come on Boyz & Girlz, you know who you are, let’s get behind your God and help him out here. Or he may just jet off to Dubai and give you all the 1 fingered sulute like he has the rest of the world.
Maybe PudgeBoy Rover about ready to throw Cheney under the bus now!!!! Now that would be worth watching!
June 21st, 2007 at 1:03 pmSo it is just a coincidence that the Anthrax was traced back to a MILITARY instillation??????
Comment by RemoveBush — June 21, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
I thought the US was a country of laws not coincidences, I’ll reserve judgement until the case is solved. It took years to catch the Unabomber and Eric Rudolph too.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:05 pm“I thought the US was a country of laws not coincidences, I’ll reserve judgement until the case is solved. It took years to catch the Unabomber and Eric Rudolph too.
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 1:05 pm”
There’s your problem……
We no longer have laws…… Have you not been reading the news???
Have you not been following how the Justice dept. has been politiciced???
When that happens, then the laws are gone.
Oh…. and many cases have been convicted with circumstantial evidence…. Simply because a MOB member can’t be touched does not mean that he is not ordering hitman to kill his enemies.
Please don’t tell me that you are that naive?
June 21st, 2007 at 1:10 pm“It took years to catch the Unabomber and Eric Rudolph too.
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 1:05 pm”
Right! But did you consider those bombings to just be a coincidence???
Or did you realize that someone had a reason????
There is no difference here!
June 21st, 2007 at 1:12 pmWhere are the trolls on this thread to speak up and support Darth? Come on Boyz & Girlz, you know who you are, let’s get behind your God and help him out here.
Comment by upside00 — June 21, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
Shakey Jake was here for a minute, but didn’t last long. if it was a normal person, I might think that he realized his argument wouldn’t hold up under much scrutiny, but this is Jake we’re talking about. He’s never been shy about flogging a loser argument long past its sell-by date. Doesn’t even seem to realize the flaws in his thinking, even when they’re pointed out to him repeatedly. He’s like Dubya in that regard.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:13 pmPlease don’t tell me that you are that naive?
Comment by RemoveBush — June 21, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
No, I wouldn’t call it that – I might call it objective instead.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:16 pmWhat are the odds that for the next two years a talking point of the right will be that the VP is not part of the executive branch but simultaneously is entitled to executive priivledge?
Also at this point it is obvious the VP has destroyed everything incriminating. I have to assume that everything unholy has been run thorough his office and this explains the papershredders at his residence last fall. But since there is no evidence what is there to do to punish him except impeachment? Criminal charges & Jail time? Something has to be done.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:16 pmOr did you realize that someone had a reason????
There is no difference here!
Comment by RemoveBush — June 21, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
Until he/she/they are caught, there’s nothing to suggest anything other than some attention seeker trying to grab headlines and at the same time push their politics – same as Eric Rudolph.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:18 pmSpit take -
He was the only one, and I am getting the impression that we may be in the “final throes of troll insurgency” here. They are losing their energyand any sense of reason as well..
June 21st, 2007 at 1:19 pm“No, I wouldn’t call it that – I might call it objective instead.
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 1:16 pm”
Fairenough, but being objective also means recognizing the FACTS….
How many Republicans received Anthrax????
How is it possible for Military Grade Anthrax, traced back to a particular military installation, to be sent to only those people opposing the war????
Is it possible that there is another explaination? Sure! However, the likely hood of that other possibility being viable is about ZERO! Why has the FBI not investigated this completely???? It’s not like they don’t know where the Anthrax came from! So how hard is it to determine who had access to it and who obtained the stuff????? Could it be that someone HIGHER up is not allowing them to investigate this??????
Being objective means that you look at the data objectively as well…… What about the data does NOT say that it was a function of the WH???
June 21st, 2007 at 1:23 pm“Until he/she/they are caught, there’s nothing to suggest anything other than some attention seeker trying to grab headlines and at the same time push their politics – same as Eric Rudolph.
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 21, 2007 @ 1:18 pm”
I would normally agree with you on that….. HOWEVER, when the administration blocks EVERY point of the investigation then this is a HUGE flag that they are probably involved….
Only those that are part of a crime will try to derail the crime…..
Do you dispute that this administration has blocked almost EVERY investigation?
June 21st, 2007 at 1:25 pm“Only those that are part of a crime will try to derail the crime…..”
Should read derail the investigation…..
Sorry.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:27 pm#92
Of course this is all coincidences (concerning the anthrax attack). But, it is an awful lot of coincidence don’t you think?
In order for the case to be solved, there would actually still need to be an ongoing investigation. I don’t believe that is the case.
Cheney is the person who suggested that “it is “reasonable” to assume the recent anthrax cases in the United States are linked to the September 11 terrorist attacks, because Osama bin Laden’s terrorist training manuals teach “how to deploy these kinds of substances.”
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/10/12/gen.cheney/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks
Talks about how they identified and traced the origin of the anthrax sent to the only two Democratic Senators who were trying to slow down the rushed passage of the Patriot Act. (Fairly intimidating I would guess). Also talks about how the Anthrax had been weaponized. Talks about the investigation up to now.
“Associated Press reported that members of Vice President Cheney’s staff took Cipro a week before the first anthrax attack. ”
June 21st, 2007 at 1:27 pmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_in_the_21st_century
Why would Cheney and his staff know to take Cipro before the anthrax attacks even occured? Is he also psychic along with all his other many talents?
Can the President fire the Vice President?
June 21st, 2007 at 1:28 pmThe right wingnuts were so eager to “get” Clinton on something — anything — that they even wanted to subpoena Secret Service agents to testify to what they saw and heard with the POTUS while performing their job. If it had been Cheney instead of Clinton the Secret Service was being asked to rat out, the right-wingers would gleefully point out that if the Secret Service were required to do such a thing, it would hamper their access to the POTUS (and VPOTUS) to the point they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs effectively. And they’d be right. Still, trying to turn the Secret Service into tattletales is a creative approach.
Now the sides have switched — and the Executive Branch is being asked to fork over all official e-mails (which have convenientlly disappeared). Slick Dick is slithering out by claiming he’s not part of the Executive Branch??? Well, ya gotta give him points for creativity — that’s a new one.
Seems that no matter what side of the fence the Reps are on, they like to make up the rules as they go along. Why do I feel like it’s 1973 again?
June 21st, 2007 at 1:32 pm“Why would Cheney and his staff know to take Cipro before the anthrax attacks even occured? Is he also psychic along with all his other many talents?
Comment by JG — June 21, 2007 @ 1:27 pm”
Thanks for bringing that up…..
This also blows the “coincidence” theory out the window…. When someone takes something that will counter the very thing that is distributed, then it is no longer a “coincidence”……
I have NO DOUBT that the Anthrax came from the WH…. I simply just don’t have any evidence…
Just like I have NO DOUBT that the WH had this warrantless wiretapping planned long before 9/11, as the recent AT&T lawsiut shows the govt. making arrangements with them only 3 weeks after getting into office……
When things happen before the “coincidence”, then those things are not a coincidence.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:33 pm“Can the President fire the Vice President?
Comment by DM — June 21, 2007 @ 1:28 pm”
NO!
June 21st, 2007 at 1:34 pmIn the original setup the VP was the second runner up in the elections. Basically it was changed, because it caused a lot of damage in the Federal Government. Can you imagine if Carter had been Reagan’s VP, or if Bush I had been Clinton’s Vp.
Anyway, I don’t think the Veep can say he isn’t under the executive branch, since he is first in line for the post if anything should happen to the President.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:36 pmHow many Republicans received Anthrax???? Post #98 If Cheney is so ruthless, why not spread the wealth? Its not logical just to attack Dems and media people if you want to create fear of a foreign enemy. This actually points more to another ‘Eric Rudolph’ IMO.
How is it possible for Military Grade Anthrax, traced back to a particular military installation, to be sent to only those people opposing the war????
Without reading reams of analysis, this does not seem to be the current concensus zeitgeist: http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/Update-History2006.html#060815
Sure! However, the likely hood of that other possibility being viable is about ZERO! Why? What other possibilities have you considered?
It’s not like they don’t know where the Anthrax came from!
Again, the anthrax seems to be of a common strain called Ames, not associated with military anthrax at least this site seems to think that. http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/Update-History2006.html#060815
And this more recent report too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5377744.stm
So if it really is a common form of anthrax, just apply Occam’s Razor.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:40 pmAnyway, I don’t think the Veep can say he isn’t under the executive branch, since he is first in line for the post if anything should happen to the President.
Comment by Krazny
Since the next person in succession is the Speaker of the House, this isn’t really an answer to the question. The Speaker becomes the President and stops being a legislator, and the Vice President becomes the President.
The real answer is as noted above: the Constitution clearly defines the Vice President as a member of the Executive Branch. Historical precedent for over 200 years supports this interpretation and there is absolutely no evidence to support Cheney’s b.s. other than his desire to avoid answering to anyone but his own ego.
Millions of schoolchildren who actually took a civics class will be left wondering, “WTF?” because they’ve always been taught that the Vice President is a member of the Executive Branch. Period. And they’re right.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:51 pmThis guy is a major criminal. If you aren’t doing illegal things, then why all the secrecy. He needs to be impeached and imprisoned.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:09 pmDidn’t Cheney claim executive privelege in not releasing the names from the Energy Task Force, and a court held it up? How can you claim to be in the executive branch before a federal judge and then claim otherwise to Congress?
June 21st, 2007 at 2:36 pmDidn’t Cheney claim executive privelege in not releasing the names from the Energy Task Force, and a court held it up? How can you claim to be in the executive branch before a federal judge and then claim otherwise to Congress?
Comment by Keith — June 21, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
Because it suits his evil purposes.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:40 pmthis may be repeating another comment, but if the VP’s office is not an entity within the executive branch & not subject to it’s regulations,
doesn’t that also mean the office of the VP is not allowed
to claim “executive priveledge”?
Subpoena his ass now then!
June 21st, 2007 at 2:41 pmWell, I read this article by John Dean wherein he claims Cheney has not claimed executive privilege.
“Cheney has not claimed “Executive Privilege,” for the Vice President has no such power. Rather, Cheney has claimed – and Bush has backed up his claim – that GAO (and therefore the Congress, too) has no authority to seek the information they have requested.”
June 21st, 2007 at 2:50 pmThis is what the judge said in his ruling:
“there is no doubt here that the issues framed by the parties invoke core separation of powers questions at the heart of the relationship among the three branches of our government.”
Sounds like he doesn’t consider Cheney part of the legislative branch.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:01 pmTalk about living in the shadows.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:15 pm“The Office of the Vice President has asserted that it is not an “entity within the executive branch†and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders.”
If that is the case, then the Vice President’s office won’t be protected by Executive Privilege. You can’t have it both ways Chaney.
Time to impeach Chaney. What more do you want?
June 21st, 2007 at 3:24 pmIf Cheney is NOT part of the executive branch, and he is NOT part of the Judicial branch, and he is NOT part of Congress, and he is NOT part of the military, and he is not part of the CIA, then what gives him his authority and his protections? What DOES give him the right to do all that he does? What gives him the authority to break laws and work in secrecy and in the shadows. What gives him the right to plan wars and order others to do things that break the laws and cross the lines? What DOES give him the right to keep everything he does and says secret?
If he is NOT part of the executive branch, what gave Cheney the right to set up his own shadow National Security Council staff? What gave him the authority to call in all of those oil and energy executives to participate in the Cheney Energy Task Force having secret meetings at the White House prior to 9/11.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:32 pmOK, so if he isn’t a part of the Executive is he a part of the Legislative Branch? His duties do include being president of the Senate.
If that’s his argument then he is clearly under the jurisdiction of the Senate Ethics Committee. Right?
Let’s try that and see how long it is before he’s back in the Executive.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:37 pmLynne Cheney wrote a book called “Executive Privilege”.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:38 pmhttp://www.amazon.com/Executive-Privilege-Lynne-cheney/dp/0671240609
Do you suppose they have given this a lot of thought?
For the record, the Constitution does NOT clearly define the Vice President as a member of the Executive branch — as for the argument it is because of “Executive Privilege” being invoked, if I gave the President advice (I am not part of either Executive or Legislative branch), the PRESIDENT could assert the Privilege — it doesn’t matter from whom he gets advice.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:39 pmRandyBastard:
The Office of Vice President is neither EXCLUSIVELY within the Executive branch nor the Legislative Branch. Because of the separation of powers argument, he is not “clearly” under the jurisdiction of the Senate Ethics Committee.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:41 pmIsn’t it an impeachable offense to violate and executive order?
June 21st, 2007 at 4:10 pm“For the record, the Constitution does NOT clearly define the Vice President as a member of the Executive branch”
For the record, yes, actually, it does. It’s only trolls like you who pretend otherwise. Should a lawsuit be filed, and I hope one will, Cheney will lose in a summary judgment.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:11 pmBy the way, if Cheney is not exclusively within the executive branch for purposes of compliance with executive orders, then he is also not authorized to receive intelligence reserved for the executive branch and not for Congress.
Thus, Cheney is in violation of the laws governing intelligence dissemination as is anyone who gave him that intelligence.
See, it works both ways.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pmI can’t say enough what an eye-opening book “Vice” was (Lou Dobose and Jake Bernstein). Pages 178 and 179 especially hit me. They explain the role that Dick Cheney played in setting up the power structure of this executive branch of government, and how he overpowered and overshadowed the president. There is no doubt in my mind who controls everything that goes on there. He is one very slippery snake the way he is working around everything and everyone. Yeah.., like a snake – quiet, STEALTHY, and slippery.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:30 pmSorry.. Lou Dubose.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:30 pm#78, MsJoanne-
After Fart Boy was appointed President the first time, my father expressed to me that he feared they would pull a coup, initiate martial law and lead us into fascism. I replied that I did not doubt their desire to do so, but I added that there was no way Americans would let that happen & that even the sheeple would be up in arms over that.
Still doubting they could get away with it, I read with dismay, shortly after Katrina, that Bush wanted the National Guard put solely under his direct orders. He failed in that effort, thank God, but now, I don’t think it matters anymore. I didn’t realize how many people there are in this country who would welcome a fascist nation simply because they are convinced terrorists are targeting their specific suburbs.
The end of a great country is at hand.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:31 pm“Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order, to efficiency of operation, to scientific advancement and the like.” -William O. Douglas (1898-1980), U. S. Supreme Court Justice
“Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government.” -Henry Kissinger, Speaking at Evian, France, May 21, 1992. Bilderberg meeting.
“Complete and accurate surveillance as a means of control is probably a practical impossibility. What is much more likely is a loss of privacy and constant inconvenience as the wrong people gain access to information, as one wastes time convincing the inquisitors that one is in fact innocent, or as one struggles to untangle the errors of the errant machine.” -Victor Ferkiss, Technological Man: The Myth and the Reality, 1969
“The American people should be made aware of the trend toward monopolization of the great public information vehicles and the concentration of more and more power over public opinion in fewer and fewer hands.” -Spiro Agnew, U. S. Vice-President, 13 November 1969
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” -Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President
June 21st, 2007 at 4:34 pmUnf***ing believable.
I thought it couldn’t get much worse, but this is all kinds of worse.
And none of the news outlets (except maybe MSNBC with Keithy) will cover it, and it will fade away.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:48 pmSeriously…WTF?
June 21st, 2007 at 5:42 pmI guess if he doesn’t like the rules, he just changes them. Nobody is going to beat this guy. I think he has been planning and putting a lot of thought into all of this for a really long time.
For me, he is definitely at the top of the heap of these bad guys..
June 21st, 2007 at 6:03 pmI M P E A C H
June 21st, 2007 at 6:07 pmHe invokes executive privilege when it is convenient for him, then he denies being part of the executive branch when it isn’t.
June 21st, 2007 at 6:34 pmWhy is this man still walking the halls in the White House?
The entire Executive Branch has been taken over by a band of criminals, and the SPINELESS DEMOCRATS won’t even mention the word “IMPEACH”.
Damn those worthless bastards all to hell.
June 21st, 2007 at 6:43 pmSome girl needs give these guys blowjobs so we can impeach them
June 21st, 2007 at 6:44 pmI’d blow them myself if I thought it would do any good. I would dislike doing it, but compared to the suffering they’ve caused our citizens and the rest of the world, it would be nothing.
Unfortunately, the rules they make for Democrats do not apply to them.
June 21st, 2007 at 6:47 pmSo Cheney doesn’t actually work for us. Why are we paying him?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:55 pmRead an AP article on this that was (surprise!) on the front page of our local paper’s web site. Not even under the “Latest News” section of CNN.com.
From the AP article:
Well, duh, seeing as how there are no laws saying that the VP cannot exempt himself from the executive branch.
I guess this means that if we impeach Bush, Nancy immediately becomes the new president. Since Cheney has exempted himself, he’s out of the running.
And this…we’ll have to change the electoral process, because now we can cast a separate vote for the VP in all future elections.
Woo Hoo!
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:16 amAfter reading this article and the dozens of comments, I am reminded of an event I witnessed in law school in 1969…a young, rather angry black male stood up and threw a very heavy law book directly at the professor, who while ducking the projectile, was heard to say,
“Mr. ____(calling the student’s name out)…seems to me that you are a hypocrite!..If you were truly a radical as you’d have us all believe, instead of throwing books inside this predominantly white law school, you’d be outside of it, throwing rocks at it!…Sir, you’ve been co-opted!!”
I rather suspect the same thing is at play, all I see is people commenting on what a bastard, Constitution-wrecking virus Cheney is, but nobody seems to be doing anything to call him to task, must we wait those 30 years of history for the Kingdom of Dick to be judged in the light of day…assuming his Darkness had not already shredded and destroyed all evidence of his obvious numerous criminal acts and supreme arrogance???
Thomas Jefferson, widely considered one of the great minds, once referred to the American electorate as the ‘vile rabble’…can Dickie Boy be less an advocate of his total disdain for us all…we really have no one to blame but ourselves…let’s get off our ass and DO SOMETHING prior to waiting until the entrenched politics as usual boys control our destiny again during the upcoming elections…we hailed the ‘change’ emanating from 2006, but what has transpired since?
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:51 amThe Republicans in Congress will prevent the Democracts from doing anything about Cheney’s actions, as it should be. Cheney is a great Republican and the Republicans have every right to protect him. God help us should the Democrats get total control of Congress.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:21 am“I’m NOT going to tell you who views this classified information and I’m NOT going to tell you how I prevent it from being copied”, said Mr. shoot-you-in-the-face. And since you’re pushing me I’m going to DESTROY your office”, he shouted in plum-faced rage.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:06 amYou folks need to turn down the emotion a bit and turn up the intelligence. Read the Constitution and, when you find it (you won’t), show me where the Vice President is part of the Executive branch of the government. The VP is the President of the Senate.
Does the Executive branch get a vote in the Senate?
Last time I checked, no.
Does the Vice President get a vote in the Senate?
Yes, when there’s a tie.
I’m disappointed that the reaction of most people in this forum is Hate Bush First, To Hell With The Facts.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:19 am#
Just IMPEACH the bastard.
Comment by fat karl — June 21, 2007 @ 11:47 am
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:24 am“ditto”
He is very good or his shareholders.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:32 am#143, the Vice President is refusing to obey the law. This is commonly known as a crime. Many people who commit crimes are arrested and put on trial. If they are found guilty, these people go somewhere known as jail.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:50 amThe Vice President is breaking the laws of the Federal Government. I believe this category of crime is called a felony. If he’s commited a felony he should be Impeached, removed from office, tried, convicted and Put In Jail. These are facts. The emotion comes from the fact that he’s still thumbing his nose at the law and getting away with it. To paraphrase another poster, what’s he got to do, shoot every member of congress before anybody even says Anything about it?
Thank you, Jim in Georgia.
P.S. Leporello: unjustified homicide with malice aforethought is against the law here in California — Penal Code Section 187 — which crime(s), as in specific code section(s), are you accusing the Vice President of violating?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pmCounterintelligence is the bread and butter of the War on Terror. Reviews of national security classifications are routine and critical in preventing leaks. Some of the most explosive secrets in the world pass through the offices of the President, Vice President, and key Congressional leaders.
By blocking counterintelligence agents from doing their job, the Cheney office has pretty much admitted that they’re doing SOMETHING that involves serious, go-to-jail violations of national security.
By trying to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office, the further damage is to make it more difficult to protect the nation’s vital secrets. Even the attempt diminishes the ISOO’s clout. If successful, this is like replying to a request for a fire inspection with a demand that the fire service be disbanded!
Whose side is the VP on, anyway?
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:27 pmLeporello
Can you cite which federal law the office of the Vice President is breaking – or this just an emotional reaction to your perception that he must be breaking a law because you disagree with anything and everything he and the administration stand for?
Be honest, now.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:38 pmBoth parties continue to turn there backs on us.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:28 pmVote independent, green or any other options available during the next elections.
I hope this administation will be exposed for what they are really about one day, a collection of megalomaniacs. Bush isn’t intelligent enough to be this evil and deceitful, but he is surrounded by some real veterans of the power insane ego driven elite. Certainly the most dangerous executive branch of government we’ve had in my lifetime. The misguided ambition and greed that drives these people has been in existence always, but we as Americans like to think “But not our government”. I think people need to consider some of the reasons our foriegn policy is so criticized all over the world. Primarily, we as Americans (and rightly so) would do anything to protect our soveriegnty as a nation. Yet those in power feel it is ok to violate the same in many other countries with little or no justification. Usually in the final analysis it comes down to the all encompasing statement: “We have to protect the interests of The United States”. That statement has much too broad an interpretation apparantly to justify what the secret arm of our government\military has been up to in the world in the last 50 years. It is a well know fact that the CIA has been covertly operating illegally in the world for a very long time and it continues. We only know a few snippets of information as the public and would be shocked as a people if all were disclosed. Just one example that is pertinent to our current predicament as follows: We as a government supported Saddam Hussein in the 80’s during the Iran\Iraq war, because it “Was in the interests of The United States”. He was and evil dictator then, and continued as such until someone deemed he was no longer useful for our purposes, then he became our mortal enemy. The purpose of this invasion should be clear. We as a government have wanted an opportunity to establish major military bases in the Middle East for decades to try and “Stabilize” (control) that region. Don’t misunderstand me, I support Israel and their sovereign right to exist and defend their country, and furthermore hope our government and people always do the same. But it’s more than just that one issue. Big oil, and big business greed have a large part of the equation. It’s just arrogant to think that we are this superpower that can control the world, AKA Megalomania! We have to realize that the world has changed. We are no longer have that kind of clout either militarily, or politically. By the way, I have a 21 year old Son in the Marine Corps currently serving in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, so He and I & the rest of our family and loved ones have a vested interest along with many others. My opinions have nothing to do with supporting the troops, in fact I consider it a total disconnect. Of course anyone with a grain of intelligence can separate the soldier from government & politics. The little man has always, and will continue to fight the wars for the psuedo-intellectual upper one percent of the masses and what they deem as the prevailing “world view” AKA “New World Order”. Thanks for the indulgence if you read this whole piece. Pete Baysingar, and I don’t care who knows it. I would welcome a conversation with any of these men in power.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pmY’all,
Save this blog, the future politicans will take similar actions, and
cry and complain………
Then you can just copy this and only change the names.
Single term limits, four month sessions ONLY. run for office on YOUR
OWN time. Not the taxpayers……
We’re the only ones that can correct the power and greed, that
we’ve let control our “leaders” Send them home……..
Steve Berndt
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:53 pmOur founding fathers are turning in their graves!
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:04 pmI wish we had as much guts as they did and have another house cleaning.
BEFORE the 2000 election, Cheney ordered his staff to gather all intelligence on Iraq…then we attacked them. Shortly after Saddam was ousted our government announced reconstruction and contracts were made for the billions of dollars of reconstruction…Cheney’s “former” company, Halliburton, got those contracts.
American companies are forbidden from doing business in Iran but yet Halliburton relishes in making billions working there as well. How does he do it? Simple…he is the one in control. Bush is just a Cheney puppet who does as he is told. Cheney claims he does not answer to the executive or the legislative branches of our government. So who does he answer too? Bush. Ok simple then. Congress needs to tell Bush to fire Cheney or be subject to impeachment himself for allowing Cheney to continue breaking the law and making money from the deaths of our brave soldiers who are dying everyday just so Cheney can get richer than he already is. I have never understood the logic of rich people. Just how much money do they need?
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:05 pmHere is a good explanation at another commenter as just 1 example of why this creates grounds for impeachment for both Bush and Cheney…. I couldn’t say it any better so forget the copy and paste….
>>>This little snippet from the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, J. William Leonard adds an interesting twist to the tale:
“If the OVP is not considered an entity within the executive branch, I am concerned that this could impede access to classified information by OVP staff, in that such access would be considered a disclosure outside the executive branch.â€
So, the Vice President’s contention that his office is not part of the executive branch would automatically render the actual executive branch culpable of disclosing state secrets to an inappropriate recipient in violation of national security regulations. Nice.
Comment by Goldilocks — 6/22/2007 @ 3:39 pm
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:09 pmMark my words: This will stick on CHENEY!
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:44 pmHis days are numbered.
Stephen in San Antonio:
572 days, specifically.
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:06 pmThis man swore to uphold and defend the Constitution. Now he is taking the Constitution and all that our forefathers fought and died for and twisting it to serve his secret agenda.
Indeed, there is no explicit clause in the original Constitution that says that the Vice President is part of the executive branch, but let me say this: We elect our President and Vice President on the same ticket, and they are both privy to the decisions and information that influences the President’s policy for the whole nation, so by that logic, how can he NOT be a part of the executive branch? It’s like being the assistant manager of a store and claiming that it’s not your responsibility to know the codes to the safe deposit.
This man is more dangerous than any terrorist. This man is Public Enemy #1.
He thinks that we can’t stop him. He thinks that we are beneath him. He thinks that we can be fooled. And if he thinks we can be fooled, then he thinks that we are stupid.
Show him that he’s wrong. Take the power back, and smash his petty preconceptions into oblivion. Write your congressman. Tell him that you will no longer stand silent while our leaders break the very laws that they swore that they would uphold and protect. Tell him to get off his butt and demand impeachment. This is criminal.
This isn’t democracy.
I don’t even know what this is anymore. And that’s just frightening. If any of you don’t feel outraged and terrified by this blatant act of dictatorship, I suggest you sit down and rethink life. Because these people are leading us into oblivion.
If Congress doesn’t stop him, who will?
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:31 pmPeople, pay attention. Congress is just as responsible as Bush & Cheney. The two party system is a sham. Have the balls to vote the bastards out and maybe, just maybe the country will be what it used to be.
Vote for and strengthen the lesser known parties. Make your vote revolutionary.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:35 amWhat I find most laughable (and more than slightly ironic) is that the ISOO would ask one of the most ardent defenders of the “unitary executive” to tell the most ardent practitioner of same to obey a rule that is clearly inimical to it’s practice. Can you say “Babes in the political woods”?
Also, is it really any surprise that this Administration tortures logic the way they tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib?
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:02 amImpeach the crooked bastard
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:05 amlol your just now becoming aware of this? better late than never they say :)
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:06 amI know I probably shouldn’t be, but I’m STILL completely astounded that impeachment proceedings haven’t been initiated. Clinton was impeached for lying under oath. What are they waiting for?
I really think starting a war illegally, ignoring the other two branches of government (and in many cases, stripping them of their powers), using information obtained without warrants against people in court, authorizing torture, voiding habeas corpus if someone is deemed an “unlawful enemy combatant”, purposely leaking classified info (Valerie Plame) to the media…
What warrants an impeachment nowadays? Does he have to kill someone with his bare hands? This is just ridiculous!!! …And FRUSTRATING!
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:56 amCheney is the most depraved individual ever in our nations’s executive branch. He makes Nixon and Agnew look like choirboys.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 amIt’s impeachment time. Long overdue.
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:50 pmgbrown and -=Slake=-
The Vice President also casts any tie-breaking vote in the Senate that influences the Congress’s policy for the whole nation, so by that logic, how can he NOT be a part of the Legislative branch? The Constitution does NOT vest any Executive power in the Vice President. Congress can easily stop Cheney by impeaching and convicting him — good luck with that.
June 23rd, 2007 at 11:40 pmTime once again to call your congressperson and Senators. They have to get some balls and DO SOMETHING about these constitution hating criminals that are in our White House.
June 23rd, 2007 at 11:49 pmyet still he laughs and gives Fredo a clap on the back while turdblossom hands him a cigar. 43 is asleep, secure in his own private idaho.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:21 amCheney causes more evil developing, eventual, and inevitable no less and as much as Osama, Sadam, and Adolf. Go Madame Nancy (CONGRESS WOMAN) and expose the archives of this Administration to allow history learn it has the our worse crime – - illegal elections of criminal dictators.
June 24th, 2007 at 10:06 amIt’s amazing how the most important information is released on the weekends. Americans go to the park, spent time with their families while our country is hijacked. Then on Monday it’s all forgotten and we are back to Paris Hilton type news. We need to demand that this stays front page news.
“GIVE US OUR COUNTRY BACK”
June 24th, 2007 at 11:25 amit doesn’t matter if Cheney “exhempts” himself from an EO. OVP is required under 32 CFR 2800 to comply with security handling requirements.
32 CFR 2800 relies on Executive Orders to implement. For details, see the link under ”Anon” below.
June 25th, 2007 at 4:32 pmEvery day you Americans loose more and more credibility as world players. Your inept foreign policy and the megalomania of your White House leadership scares the hell out of the rest of us out here. Your internal bickering and inaction regarding the alleged misdeads of certain people in the current White House administration, further gives cause for other countries to believe that we are witnessing the final disintegration of the United States of America. No one seems to be able to take the necessary corrective action that would restore world confidence in your former leadership role. A modern day ‘Roman Empire” disintegrating before our eyes.
June 26th, 2007 at 7:23 pmBut then it is no surprise really….It is already written in world history and can’t changed. (clearly defined in the Bible).
So now almost all the final players are in place and have begun their prophesied tasks. All is unfolding as written.
I’m not a devoutly religious person, but my parents are, and they told me this is how it will unfold….according to the Bible.
So sad.
Do you Cheney-supporters have any clue as to what the President of the Senate does? Well, it might be clearer if I mentioned what he doesn’t do: legislate. He does not introduce bills, he does not debate, and most Vice Presidents in history don’t even vote 10 times. Hell, he doesn’t even preside over the Senate, either, as the Senate generally uses freshman senators for that role so that they may learn procedure. So there comes a tie once in a while, and the VP stumbles in and votes his party line. The vote is practically automatic. He’s little more a part of the Senate than I am.
June 27th, 2007 at 1:30 pmLet’s say for the sake of argument:
Cheney isn’t part of the executive branch
Fine.
Cheney DIDN’T claim executive privilege.
Fine.
One Problem:
If he is a member of the legislative branch, then he should be subject to the same oversight said members have when dealing with classified materials… and yet…
he is not and I doubt he would let that happen either.
June 27th, 2007 at 11:39 pmSorry to interrupt your tireless search for black helicopters and Sasquatch, but the Vice President is NOT a part of the Executive Branch. The Constitution specifies only two official roles for the person in that office. First, the VP serves as the President of the Senate, and can only vote in that body in case of a deadlock. You may want to Google “Constitution” and check me on this, but my 8th grade Social Studies teacher told me that the Senate is a part of the Legislative Branch. The only other task assigned to the Vice President is to assume the duties of the President in the event he or she (I threw that in for you Clinton boot-lickers) cannot function in that capacity. The VP switches to the Executive Branch only if he is sworn in as President or as acting President. Unless I’ve missed some major news event, I don’t think that Cheney has ever been in either category. Stay vigilant, you conspiracy theorists! Continue to rely on the internet gutters for your news – maybe that will keep you from voting.
June 29th, 2007 at 8:27 pmWhy would a multi-billionaire like Cheney be worried about a measly $4.8 million in government credit?
July 10th, 2007 at 8:15 pm