NYT: Dick Cheney, Palin's Role Model

Saturday's New York Times runs an editorial hammering Gov. Sarah Palin over her debate comments about expanding the powers of the vice president:

In all the talk about the vice-presidential debate, there was an issue that did not get much attention but kept nagging at us: Sarah Palin's description of the role and the responsibilities of the office for which she is running, vice president of the United States.

In Thursday night's debate, Ms. Palin was asked about the vice president's role in government. She said she agreed with Dick Cheney that "we have a lot of flexibility in there" under the Constitution. And she declared that she was "thankful that the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president also, if that vice president so chose to exert it."

It is hard to tell from Ms. Palin's remarks whether she understands how profoundly Dick Cheney has reshaped the vice presidency -- as part of a larger drive to free the executive branch from all checks and balances. Nor did she seem to understand how much damage that has done to American democracy.

Here's the video:

The NYT continues, saying Palin's understanding the vice presidency "frighteningly wrong":

Mr. Cheney has shown what can happen when a vice president -- a position that is easy to lampoon and overlook -- is given free rein by the president and does not care about trampling on the Constitution.

Mr. Cheney has long taken the bizarre view that the lesson of Watergate was that Congress was too powerful and the president not powerful enough. He dedicated himself to expanding President Bush's authority and arrogating to himself executive, legislative and legal powers that are nowhere in the Constitution.

Any president deserves a vice president who will be a sound adviser and trustworthy supporter. But the American people also deserve and need a vice president who understands and respects the balance of power -- and the limits of his or her own power. That is fundamental to our democracy.

So far, Ms. Palin has it exactly, frighteningly wrong.

Comments

[barbwiregrrl]

She is a sad commentary as to what happened to the party of Lincoln. He would not recognize it today.

[Alessan]

Lincoln wouldn't have recognized the republicans had he rose from the dead three days after
he was shot to death. It hasn't been the same since. That's why Samuel Jackson said in
an interview, he cannot understand why black people join the republican party, it's just
a little weird. Neo-cons anti-human race.

[GSMRaleigh]

No kidding. When those fools say they are the party of Lincoln it is a slap in the face of the old GOP. (not that I have ever been a member.)

What was the party of Lincoln turned into the party that suppressed equal education, civil rights, suffrage, etc.

[songman]

Check out song/video parody of Sarah at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqUv0jq8QIs
"The Lady is a Sham"
And pass it on!

[barbwiregrrl]

If She is the best that the G()P can offer then I am sure Lincoln is spinning in his grave as to what they have done to his party.
http://www.essortment.com/all/gophistory_rjoo.htm
G()P amazing history destroyed by people like P@lin.
Thomas Jefferson was elected President in 1800 (and re-elected in 1804) on the Republican ticket. His Republican Party was the party of liberalism, of slashing the national debt and national defense expenditures and the end of the National Bank. Jefferson was denounced as being un-Christian by the opposition, who cited his belief in deism as proof enough that he shouldn't be elected. Not the picture of the R3publican Party that we have today, by a long shot.
The 1860 election also featured in fighting, but this time among the D3mocrats, and R3publican candidate Abraham Lincoln won the election. (The D3mocratic Party had split into Northern and Southern factions and offered two different presidential candidates-Stephen Douglas from Illinois and John Breckenridge of Kentucky.) The third party candidate, John Bell, was the choice of the Constitutional Union Party, made of the disgruntled members of the now non-existent Know Nothing and Whig parties that had not found a home with the R3publicans or D3mocrats.

[dolphy]

THAT FACE! UUUUUUUGGG­GGGGGGHHHH­HHHHHHHHH!­!!!!!!!!!!

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

If Obama follows through with what the People need, I will be blessed.

Check your voter status at-www.votersUnite.org.

[sharonh]

Cheney is unique in that he has invested himself with the power to expand his own power. Constitution? gofuckyourself. Now his clonette is parroting this or...have you ever seen them together, in the same place at the same time? Nooooooooo­oooo......­........

[JenMI]

This is the most important point to be taken from the VP debate...a­nd should be taken seriously. We have see this movie before and look where we are now.

[dolphy]

Maybe she wants Dick's favorability rating.

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

(Noodle is that you?)

Jen , I Love you and your Dad.

[ChiGuy]

The woman has no clue of which she speaks.

[NU81]

I'm really surprised Palin's comments on VP responsibilities and expanding her role as VP, MISunderstanding the role of a VP, were so unbelievably outrageous that it mystifies me that more mainstream media haven't picked up on this. I thought this would be front-page news. It certainly it front page BAD news with me. Nightmare, in fact.

Obama-Biden 2008

[Donnat]

She's planning a coup against McCain if they win. Heck, she's probably planning one against Obama when he wins.

[forebode]

Right now as we speak, the Republicans are investigating the real location of Obama's birth, hoping that McCain becomes the only candidate left to vote for as a default candidate. But you know what? You can still write in Hillary's name in the blank if Obama was found to have been born in Kenya. Voting for Hillary may not be "tasteful" to many of you, but consider the alternative, four or more years of this country's continued ruin under Republican RULE.
By the time they get done with us, women and blacks will not be allowed to vote anymore, and there will be no limits on how long an employer can keep you working for pennies on the dollar per hour. There will be no laws to protect people from job discrimination, and every progressive law ever passed in this country will be repealed. There will be no health insurance for anyone except the physically most perfect people, and only for the rich. If you get hurt on the job, you will get fired and blacklisted to keep you from getting another job if or when you recover enough to work. You will not be allowed to verbally criticize McCain or Palin without being dragged into a police station, fingerprinted, and charged with being an "enemy combatant.­"

[HNC]

Ugh...why do I fade off in her "blizzard of words"?Just answer the questions? In EVERY SINGLE interview, the enterviewer has to repeat the question atleast 2 or 3 times. I turn the channel everytime she's on...she makes my head hurt.

[Mitchell4A]

I think a couple of good laughs are in order.

"Palin, The Latest Revelation (with an audio link that will knock at least one of your socks off)"
http://msa4.wordpress.com/

"Palin/McCain: Cows, Good Old Boys (and Gals), and the Daily Show"
http://msa4.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/palinmccain-cows-good-old-boys-and-gals-and-the-daily-show/

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

She's probably a better aim than he is, at least.

[forebode]

Then her cronies REALLY need to watch out if she takes them hunting! She will use a moose gun to shoot quail in a cage and laugh thinking about how much fun it would be to shoot at a barrel full of liberals.

[uclafan]

Oooh I so want an expose on the family Palin grew up in. Dad seems creepy - Mom looks like she has something to hide. Both daughters marry domineering men who are at times scary or have been scary. One girl grows up to be narcissitic and manipulative, the other passive. Grandchildren carry on the sins of the past and at the least including young children assuming the role of the mother...

This family is a genealogist's or psychology class dream case

[uclafan]

Significant acting out in such a way as to get caught (pictures on the internet for example)

[uclafan]

Why the move from Idaho to Alaska?

[uclafan]

Pattern of needing people around who are loyal at all times and at all costs or off with their head

[Deadmoose]

When Bushie was elected the first time I thought that there was no way that he could get elected twice. I was wrong. I have lost faith as an American that justice will prevail. I guess the last painful straw is the belief that I would rather have a third term of Bush et al than Unstable/Inable. How sad is that?

[MandyVin]

Well, both of those elections were obviously rigged. He wouldn't have even won the first time around if it wasn't for the typical Republican bull****; lying, cheating, stealing..­.

[forebode]

All those people really didn't vote for Bush. Diebold just made it look that way. Diebold is a conservative Republican (read FASCIST) crony and contractor. THE REPUBLICANS CHEAT IN ELECTIONS AND THEY WILL TRY TO CHEAT IN THIS ONE. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. VOLUNTEER TO BE A POLL WATCHER. I AM GOING TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T TURN AWAY PROPERLY REGISTERED VOTERS WHO ARE MINORITIES. i AM ALSO GOING TO FOLLOW WHOEVER GATHERS UP THE BALLOTS TO SEE WHERE THEY REALLY TAKE THEM. IF IT IS TO THE DUMPSTER, I WILL PUNCTURE THEIR TIRES SO THEY CAN'T GET AWAY.

[MizFlagPin]

A cross between a . . .

Pit Bull: Known to maul people to death. Highly sought for dog fighting.

and a

Rottweiler: Aggressive dogs because of their keen territorial instincts. Make great guard dogs.

Mmmmmmm . . .