Dems Consider Defunding Vice President’s Office

Vice President Dick Cheney has a penchant for secrecy, which is hardly a secret itself. At present, his office is locked in a bureaucratic battle with the National Archives over the preservation of various documents. As part of this argument, the VP’s people have advanced the idea that his office is not actually part of the executive branch, and therefore, not subject to a presidential directive to cooperate with the Archives. To get Mr. Cheney’s attention, Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) will offer an amendment to a bill this week that would remove the VP’s office from the $44 billion in executive branch spending. Not even Dick Cheney can operate without money.

As for the basic dispute, CNN succinctly explained, “The National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office is charged by presidential order with ensuring that classified information and documents are properly handled by executive branch agencies. According to a letter from William Leonard, director of the oversight office, Cheney’ office argued it did not meet the definition of an executive branch agency and therefore was exempt.”

If Mr. Leonard’s view is correct, every civics and government class ever taught in the United States would be wrong, and every naturalized citizen who answered a question on the vice-president in his or her citizenship exam will have to have the exam re-graded. He believes that since the VP also serves as President of the Senate (that is, he is the official chairman of the body), the Office of the Vice President [OVP] is neither part of the executive nor of the legislative branch. This is pure, unadulterated bullshit, and there is no other way to describe it.

According to White House spokesman Scott Stanzel, the President didn’t “authorize” the National Archives to require the reports from the OVP or the White House. This is a matter of some dispute. What is interesting is that the White House has provided the information to the National Archives. This suggests that the White House believes itself to be required to follow the presidential directive. Surely the OVP must as well, or has there been a coup d ‘etat?

Thus, the Emanuel Amendment. Taking the OVP at it word, that it isn’t part of the executive, there is no reason to fund it as such. Since his only constitutionally mandated duty is to preside over the US Senate, one could argue that Mr. Cheney doesn’t need a staff, or an office, or for that matter, anything other than Metro-fare from his official residence at the Naval Observatory to Capitol Hill. His salary is more than adequate for that purpose. Or perhaps, he would like to reconsider his situation. This could well be an example of what the Democrats can achieve if they act like an opposition party rather than collaborators.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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