Now that Cheney's clarified for the rest of us that his office doesn't fit within any of the existing branches of government, we're going to need a name for it.
Wonkette suggested "The Ministry of Information." "In response to questions from Henry Waxman’s office, Cheney’s office asserted that it did not, in fact, exist at all. Then David Addington threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared, leaving behind only the echo of his laughter and his eerie disembodied smile." Wonkette, Cheney Breaks Off, Forms Own Government.
Ana Marie Cox at Swampland: "Yeah, I'll sleep better tonight knowing that Dick Cheney ANSWERS TO NO ONE. " Swampland, When ABC Imitates the Onion.
She speculates that ""his new undisclosed location is an abandoned oil rig he's declared "The Glorious Nation of Dickistan."" Perhaps that would do. I myself prefer "The Ministry of Truth." Perhaps we should have a contest!
But seriously, folks....at Midtopia, Sean Aqui remarks:
Now, Cheney's argument is that the VP's office isn't part of the executive branch, his earlier claims of "executive privilege" notwithstanding. There could be an interesting case to be made there, seeing as how his salary is actually paid by the Senate and his sole constitutional duty is presiding over the Senate. On the other hand, the job of Vice President is laid out in detail in Article II of the Constitution -- the article describing the executive branch.
Then there's the two centuries worth of practice, precedent and legal rulings that undermine Cheney's claim. At USA.gov, the government's directory of itself, the vice president is listed under the "executive office of the President." Besides having an office in the White House, he also has an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building -- which, notably, contains executive offices. He's part of the president's Cabinet, something no legislative branch member is. The list goes on.
Besides, if he's not part of the executive branch, then he's an employee of Congress and can be subpoenaed or otherwise overseen at will. I'm sure Congress would love to exercise that newfound power. Midtopia, Cheney secedes from the executive branch; see also Cheney the legislator update.
So you see: there is a bright side.
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