Ah, the three branches of government in the United States of America, the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial. A three ring circus of “check and balances” that seem to be way out of kilter these days with Good King George in the White House. Now we have this recent revelation. Apparently the Vice President is not part of the Executive. He is actually some newly formed 4th branch, all super secret and beyond any oversight. From the Oversight Committee:
The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information. The Vice President asserts that his office is not an “entity within the executive branch.”
I love these revelations. Actually, I don’t love them. I hate them all with a righteous hellfire that makes me want to see someone send some sort of a bitch slap of a reminder to our current leaders and media that the government isn’t supposed to be run like this.
Alright, so what is this all about? There is an Executive Order, Number 12958, which is intended to define the rules, procedures, etc. for the care and safeguarding of classified material handled and produced by the Executive Branch. This order was signed and approved by our current President, King George.
But, in this most recent revelation, the Vice President says that his office is not part of the Executive branch of government, and that the order does not apply to his office. This is of course a bunch of bullshit. There is no question about which branch of government establishes the Vice Presidency. The US Constitution clearly states in Article II, Section 1:
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:[…]
Couldn’t be any plainer. But now here comes the Vice President, arguing that the plain language here does not apply. During a White House Press Briefing Today, the story gets even better. As outlined here and here. This exchange is awesome (not).
Q: What do you make of what congressman Waxman referred to as “absurd,” which was the Vice President’s contention that his office is not part of the executive branch?
PERINO: What I think, as I said, I think that is an interesting constitutional question that people can debate. What I think is absurd is —
Q: Would you agree with his contention?
PERINO: What I think is absurd –
Q: Hang on a second. Do you agree with his contention?
PERINO: What I think is absurd is Chairman Waxman asserting some sort of authority over the president in regarding [sic] an executive order, of which he is the sole enforcer.
Q: Would you agree with the contention that the office of the Vice President is not part of the executive branch?
PERINO: What I know — and I am not a lawyer and this is an interesting legal question that legal scholars can debate and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of them inside the Beltway — is that the Vice President has a unique role in our United States government. He is not only the Vice President of the United States, but in that role he is also the President of the Senate. I will go ahead, I will let that debate be held, but what I’m answering questions on, in regards to this morning, is Chairman Waxman’s accusations about this small provision and going back and reading the E.O. and realizing that the President did not intend to have the Vice President treated any differently than himself, and remembering that the executive order is enforced solely by the president of the United States. I think this is a little bit of a non-issue.
Any interesting question to debate. How can there be any debate? I mean, seriously, its written in the first fucking paragraph. Its bald faced lies like this that make me question the ethical nature of current government spokespeople and the media. I haven’t seen this mention on Fox News or CNN or MSNBC yet, but its happening.
Some have questioned the value of all these current investigations into the activities of the government. Certain conservative friends of mine would say this is a witch hunt without value. But when the government acts to suppress our freedoms, destroy our rights and sell out our futures to corporate interests and big money lobbyists, and do it all behind an illegal veil of secrecy, then we absolutely must investigate all of these matters (Attorney Firings, NSA Wiretapping, CIA Prisons, Voter Caging, etc.) and find out just how deep the roots of corruption go.
