Vice President Harry S. Truman plays the piano as actress Lauren Bacall, perched on the instrument,
looks on, at the National Press Club canteen in Washington, Feb. 10, 1945.
After extensively researching the US Constitution this morning before I attacked the crossword puzzle I have discovered that the term Vice President appears in that revered and trusted document and its amendments no less than than twenty four times. In no instance does the term appear near the words “shall be an employee of the executive department,” however, the term also does not appear near the words “shall maintain an office in the White House where he will hold secret meetings with the various “Captains of Industry” and where it will be convenient for him, from time to time, to pick up the President by the ears for a good corrective shake.”
I guess what we have here is something historians call a “Constitutional Mexican toss up” which will be decided by the courts long after the deaths of the parties involved.
I do believe however, that a cursory study of photograph of the Vice President engaged at his duties above will convince even the most disinclined observer that the Vice President has historically exercised executive functions.
If anyone needs further research on this please wait until later, I still have to deal with that puzzle.
Bob Higgins
Maybe I’m mistaken but it seems Cheney just basically declared himself King of the World-not that he doesn’t already act that way but now it seems he’s decided to dispense with any semblance of being a law abiding citizen much less law abiding VP.
The question isn’t what Cheney is doing but if any of the dems are finally going to say enough is enough to him and no I ain’t gonna hold my breath on that one.
Not so much “I am not subject to the law” as “I can say what the law means.” This story is kind of a combination of Bushco’s usual “any excuse to keep everything secret and shut the peasants out” approach to governance AND a bunch of reporters who seem to be using a fairly poor understanding / analysis of the argument being advanced. But controversy sells….
As usual with these guys, the justification is “my lawyer can beat up your lawyer” in nature, but according to a WaPo story that the Houston Chron picked up, the actual legal theory is, if not particularly convincing, at least not complete vaporlock.
It seems that Cheney’s people argue that the VP is not only the No. 2 elected official, but constitutionally he’s also the Presiding Officer of the Senate. As such his office is at least partly covered under the legislative branch provisions in the Constitution, and hence to some extent NOT subject to the “executive branch” provision in the executive order.
IANAL but it seems VERY thin…. part of their secrecy/paranoia mania covered in the typical pseudo-“strict-construction” rhetoric they like to use when their revisionist reinterpretations get way out there into lala “I am God” Bushland….
It’s not much, but if I were looking at the kind of hard prison time these guys are staring at, I’d want my lawyers to take the shot, too. There may actually be a litigatable issue here, especially given that they own the Supreme Court.
V.P. Cheney an:
1)Agency of one
The bottom line is W doesn’t have control of his own White House. And now we know why he was thumping his chest saying “i’m the president.”
http://www.correntewire.com/dallas_morning_news_friends_say_wild_eyed_bush_thumps_chest_declares_i_a
m_the_president
But really all W needs is the illusion that he has control. I’m sure he’s fine with Cheney’s lawlessness as long as it’s presented to him as a great way to thumb his nose at the American people and show them he’s the Decider.