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

[Britta100]

I honestly don't think she understood what was being asked or knew what it was Cheney said. If she truly believes the constitution offers "flexibility" with regards to vice presidential duties then it is an unsettling belief. However, I'd bet money on she didn't realize what she was agreeing with Cheney on, or what the constitution says in this regard. However I'm sure she's been told since the debate what to say if she is asked to clarify her answer.

[Whiteneck]

Consistently falling behind in polls and economy not being their turf, what else could they do except express racism and intolerance under the guise of character assassination?
Sarah Palin's attack on Obama's patriotism over baseless "association" with Bill Ayers legitimates us to raise questions about the Palins' associations with a group founded by an Alaska secessionist who once professed his "hatred for the American government" and cursed our "damn flag."She participated in a conference organized by this secessionist group, of which her husband is a life-time member.

And it legitimizes to question Cindy McCain's association with terrorism. Cindy held $2 million in investment funds owning shares of Sudan-linked companies, thus she supported terrorism in Darfur. His wife's "funds had ties to the Sudanese regime, which has armed and supported militias considered responsible for killing, raping and torturing hundreds of thousands of civilians in the country's Darfur region" (quoted from ABC).In an effort to quickly suppress her association with terrorist genocide, she sold those holdings only after a reporter's inquiries.

It also legitimizes to question Palin's another act of terrorism that her son is involved in ethnic cleansing of Sunnis in Iraq, thus helping to embolden Shia Iraq and, by default, Ahmadinejad's regime in Shia Iran.

It also legitimizes to question Republican party's foreign policy platform of state sponsorship of unilateral military terrorism around the globe against whoever disagrees with their conservative fanaticism, Nazism, deregulated Capitalism, and Evangelism.
Spread this everywhere by copying and pasting.

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

Cheney= Ck your voter/status/now/ at www.votersUnite.org, (recommended by RobaetFKennedyjr@ vote your conscience. p e r i o d

[Richard22]

Cheney in lipstick is a frightening thought.

http://richardhine.blogspot.com/2008/10/just-add-lipstick.html

[jmbates]

A Cheney-wannabe, perhaps, yet, despite her shallowness, in a way as potentially destructive.

Shallowness can be made to work here because we have become a low-standard TV society, and she uses her surface to soften the underlying vapid naked ambition and the meanness that comes from only being primitive enough to think of yourself. Heck, all the Repub males would line up to buy a calendar showing her splayed on a car.

That she freely lies, is willing to destroy the lives of millions of Americans (financial, health insurance, etc.), just doesn't matter to her.

But, HEY!, she's good TV, HUH?, good story, entertaining, good-looking broad, right?

WHY does out reasoning stop?

Let's sell out America for a tramp.

[forebode]

Palin is proof that the Repugs want men to vote with their privates just to see her on tv should the repugs (God forbid) win.

[Bitsko]

Her handlers need to tell Gov. Palin that her winking might look cute to some on television, but as a photo still in a newspaper, magazine or on-line it looks awful stupid.

[lthuedk 1]

Aren't dictators mavericks of a sort? Who does Sarah admire?

http://www.light-to-dark.com/sarah_cheney.html

[helonias]

It is time to enact the "Excessive Executive Pay of Failing Financial Companies that We are Baling Out With Taxpayer Money Repayment Plan" act.

In short all the executives of all the financial companies that were driven to bankruptcy by their actions and decisions and that are being bailed out with public tax dollars, must return all salaries above $100,000 per year, that they have received, retroactive for the past five years.

Or they get all their wealth confiscated and thrown in jail.

[JAMKINGFL]

This is something that no one has picked up on or I might be wrong, but during the debate Palin said she use to sit around the table with Todd having kids heading off the collage wondering how they were going to pay the tuition bills, and had a son in Iraq fighting, now how is that? track just got deployed in September and what kids in collage?!! all her kids are young and track went to the military (and we know why on that one) wink wink, they can afford $500,000 in fishing equipment and a sea plane a couple of houses and she's worrying about tuition bills?? does she ever stop lying!! NOV 4 please hurry!!!!!!

BO/JB 08

[SuiginTou7]

No I missed that but thank you for pointing it out. I guess her might be attending the university of Bagdad?

[JAMKINGFL]

LMAO (UVBD) thanks for the reply's and is the Rolling Stone article still online? I would like to read it?

[SuiginTou7]

I meant 'he' not 'her'

[Samalabear]

I read this article in Rolling Stone online called Make-Believe Maverick. It's 10 pages and it's quite an eye opener about McCain. The guy is really is G.W. Same M.O. It was positively chilling reading it. Lies, lies. What is wrong with the Republicans. What's with the constant embellishments and lies?

I really hope the voters do their homework and realize how dangerous it would be having McCain and his henchwoman Palin in the White House.

[Americatortures]

If she likes Cheney, she would have LOVED Nixon as VP....Agne­w,too!!! She's digging a gigantic hole for her ticket and party...an­d I'm tickled pink!!! It couldn't get deep enough if it went all the way to China!!!

[forebode]

I hope and pray that by the time the election rolls around that the Republican candidates get so few votes throughout the entire country that they will not even have as many votes as some Congresspeople in their own districts. America needs to wake up and realize that another huge bailout like the one we just saw will have to take place after a McCain/Palin pRESIDENDy, and again, it will go to the same corporate cronies raising funds for a golden parachute while they too, lay off hundreds of thousands across the country. Want a perpetually bad economy and ill-conceived attacks on other nations, perpetual wars, regressive policies? Then vote Republican at your own risk and downturn in the national quality of life. Answer this: Are you better off than you were when Clinton left office? There's your answer.

[DonDavis]

Palin’s Advice: Put MORE Vice in the Vice Presidency
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=3752

[gorachel]

I mean, I don't think she is really in the same league as Cheney (Darth V of american politics, etc)...if she is, then this country is really in big trouble. even if their ticket doen't win, she will be around to cause real damage, seeing how she has become a star personality within the party

[Voting Must Happen]

Oct 4 Polling Update
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=89&ArticleName=Poll+Update

Bridging the Partisan Divide of Election Projections
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=88&ArticleName=Bridging+the+Partisan+Divide

Checkout my piece on Youth Voter Registration. For every 100 registered voters aged 18-24, the democrats accrue a 9 vote advantage.
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=85&ArticleName=Youth+Vote%3a+The+Power+of+Registration

VP Debate Live Analysis
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=86&ArticleName=VP+Debate%3a+Live+Analysis

Obama 355, McCain 183
http://voteforamerica.net/electoral.aspx

Will McCain Re-suspend his Campaign?
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=80&ArticleName=Will+McCain+Re-suspend+his+Campaign%3f

[obamanation31]

She's a good student. Cheney in a skirt with a touch of GW.

[MargaretO]

I can hardly wait until Palin loses and goes back to Alaska and we don't have to see or hear her any more.

[SuiginTou7]

Sorry Margaret, she won't go away, this is the future of the GOP. She'll be back, under your bed late at night giving answers to questions she couldn't answer and talking all folksy to you. as you lay there
Be afraid be very afraid.

[Bitsko]

You betcha she is.

[forebode]

Losing the election won't put her out of the way. However, if she does any damage to the Repuglican ticket or to the Republicans, period, she will be discarded like an old pair of shoes. That's how they do to those who have proven no longer "useful."