Wednesday, June 27, 2007

WTF is the Vice President thinking???!!!???

I know you usually read about me ranting about liberals, Democrats, and the hypocrites at NBC/MSNBC, but I am not a Republican by any means.

I consider myself to be a Libertarian (even if Sammy says that this means I'm really a Republican who isn't into the "God" aspect so much) and independent of the partisan stupidity that seems to be everywhere these days. I always say that I will call the Republicans on their b.s. just as easily as I do the Democrats (and the affiliated cultists mentioned above) - but this entry will show you all that I actually mean what I say by that comment.

I finally can't let this one go... I must comment or I would be as hypocritical as the people I rant about in this blog when they attack the opposing party just for the spite of it and not because of any factual basis.


So, those of you who love to hate me, enjoy this entry while it lasts. I'm sure you'll mark this day on your calender as if it was the day that Halley's Comet returned. :)


Of course, the topic of this blog entry is how Vice President Dick Cheney has obviously lost his mind in his attempt to remain exempt from the rules that apply to the rest of Americans, not to mention that of the other Vice Presidents before him and/or elected officials in general.

I can't defend how this man has repeatedly pushed the boundaries when it comes to how he conduct's the Peoples' Business in his role as Vice President. I never had any faith in him being the right man for the job... but his comments/actions recently warrant that I vent some of my frustrations about this man.

His claim that he isn't part of the Executive Branch of our Government, because he is also President of the Senate - which is part of the Legislative Branch is what I consider to be a misuse of power for the sole purpose of allowing him to avoid having to be monitored by the famous "checks and balances" that our Founding Fathers felt was necessary. It is this critical function of the three branches to keep any one branch from going beyond their power we give to them as elected officials.

I understand the need for some things to remain hidden from the eyes of the public when it comes to National Security - but I don't agree with they way this Administration in general (and the V.P. in specific) broadly defines what should be and should not be kept secret.


I'm not going to waste my time with a long entry explaining why I know that Dick Cheney is wrong, and why he needs to comply with the rules that the rest of the Bush Administration (as well as all elected officials) must follow as stated in the Laws of this country.

I might do that, but it's not necessary. To prove my point all I had to do was visit the website for the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ and the one for the U.S. Senate at http://www.senate.gov

First let's address the fact about the Vice President that seemingly contradicts what will come afterward. It comes to us from the chart defining how the Senate is organized at this URL:

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm

This chart explains that Article I of our Constitution creates the Legislative Branch and its two parts - the Senate and the House of Representatives.

This chart further explains that the Vice President is part of the Senate because he is the "President of the Senate". with his chief duty being in charge of breaking a "tie" should a vote consist of equal votes both for & against.

We know that this position is usually held by the "President Pro Tempore" of the Senate and not the Vice President.

So, even though he has duties in the arena of the Legislative Branch, this is not where the Vice President "exists" in regards to which branch he belongs to. (even if he gets paid from funds that begin from the Senate budget)

Here's what the website for the White House has to say in reference to the Vice President:

President Bush's Cabinet


The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. One of the principal purposes of the Cabinet (drawn from Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution) is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of their respective offices.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Under President George W. Bush, Cabinet-level rank also has been accorded to the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, National Drug Control Policy; and the U.S. Trade Representative.


I'll repeat the most important piece of information from this section:

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments.



So, by very definition, the Vice President is part of the Executive Branch, as defined by Article II of our Constitution. That pretty much takes care of any other argument people might make to change this fact.

But, here's another piece of this puzzle that supports the validity of the fact about the Vice President not being part of the Executive Branch.

Vice President's Ceremonial Office

Former Office of the Secretary of the Navy

In addition to the Vice President's Office in the West Wing, the Vice President and his staff maintain a set of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), which is located next to the West Wing on the White House premises. The Vice President's Office in the EEOB is called the Vice President's Ceremonial Office. This restored, historical office served as the Navy Secretary's Office when the EEOB housed the State, Navy and War Departments. Today, the Vice President uses the office for meetings and press interviews.


The offices that the Vice President uses for business are located either IN the White House or ON White House property.


If he weren't part of the Executive Branch, then he wouldn't have his office on White House property.



So...

Even though the Vice President has some duties outside that of the Executive Branch, Dick Cheney knows damn well that he is a member of the Executive Branch.

He doesn't want to admit this next part... but I'm sure that Cheney knows that he MUST BY LAW comply with the transparency that is our Checks & Balances system. He can't choose what he can do and what he doesn't need to do.

And I don't accept any potential argument that President Bush gave Cheney a different set of rules post 9/11 when that "shadow government" was created. If something like that did happen, I believe that the President went beyond his power if he gave the Vice President exemption from the normal rules a Vice President must follow.

If that happened, then it needs to be corrected, and possibly those involved need to be punished for such transgressions.



BOTTOM LINE:


This Administration needs to go on record that the Vice President is subject to the same rules of all elected officials and the members of the Executive Branch.

Full disclosure as is appropriate must happen immediately, and everyone needs to comply to all rules/laws that apply.


If a position of secrecy is continued in conjunction of an attitude of aggression towards the Laws of the Land by the Vice President's Office (and this Administration) then Congress needs to do their sworn duty & apply the necessary Checks & Balances to correct the situation.


Whatever that may mean - our Country deserves no less if our integrity is to be maintained.