Cheney's Out of Angles and Biden's Full of Them

It was refreshing to see Joe Biden refuse to take the diplomatic route about Dick Cheney's preposterous statements on -- where else? -- Fox News Sunday about the sweeping powers that the Constitution grants the vice-president. Biden was having none of it. He didn't simply dismiss the notion that the vice-president has what amounts to monarchical authority, but also the president. Biden emphatically rejected what he rightly called the "unitary executive" theory of the presidency -- the flapdoodle cooked up by David Addington and John Yoo to legitimize torture and a host of other unseemly policies pursued by the Bush administration. This was simply another variant of Richard Nixon's "when the president does it, it isn't illegal" contention.

Even if Cheney remains deaf to the obvious, it is. Cheney's sour remarks are a reminder of why he and Bush can't depart Washington too soon. While Bush has at least feinted at second thoughts in his recent appearance at the American Enterprise Institute, which prompted the Washington Post's Dana Milbank to call him "a walking confession booth," Cheney has remained unrepentant. So has William Kristol's Weekly Standard, which features a hatchet-job on Barton Gellman's excellent study of Cheney's operational code, Angler. As the Bush administration reaches it final weeks, however, Cheney appears to be out of angles. The most he can do is grouse about the ungratefulness of his detractors for his tireless efforts on behalf of the nation. But Biden had it right: Bush and Cheney's ham-fisted war on terror has created rather than suppressed terrorists. Too bad the Democrats didn't take a more vigorous stand, however, when it counted. It remains an amazing fact that Obama was one of the few to denounce the Iraq War even before it was launched. The other prescient voice was Brent Scowcroft, who put it simply in the August 15, 2002 Wall Street Journal: "Don't attack Saddam."

The good news is this: Barack Obama seems to be including Biden in all significant meetings and has now tapped him to oversee a "White House Task Force on Working Families." It doesn't appear to be simply a token task force. It's supposed to push for reforms and develop policy proposals, which can't come too quickly. Oh, and guess what? It won't be operating in secret, either.

Comments

[cacatua]

Ah, Joe Biden, you are a treasure. I'm so pleased that you are in there. You are the very human face and voice of the Obama administration because you are a people person. I saw how authentic you were with us Iowans. You hugged and listened and shared your knowledge without ever talking down or being aloof or unapproachable or in a hurry. Still keeping the faith here in Iowa.

[SparkyDash]

Glad to see you venture from Politico for a bit Cacatua...gets pretty dark over there. I agree, Joe Biden is a treasure. You were fortunate to meet him. I would love to some day.

[cacatua]

I voluteered for him in Iowa. When we had him in our area I would help set up stuff at events, and be there to greet him at the door when he arrived. So I got to hear him speak a number of times. I saw him when things went wrong with the microphone, when he had a cold, and when he carried someone's fussy toddler around while he spoke, to keep him quiet. He was never short with anyone. Always warm, gracious, humorous and self deprecating.

He was not a gaffe-prone buffoon about him either. That is a myth that the media has nutured. When you speak a lot occasionally things are going to come out wrong. When the media are watching and making a point of featuring everything that is misspoken then they make something big out of something inconsequential.

I will always feel privileged to have met him, listened to him speak, had him sign my copy of his book, and to have gotten a hug and kiss on the cheek (me and a number of others). I helped with Jill when she came out too, and she is a very impressive lady - a real sweetheart who, as Joe says, is drop-dead gorgeous. Also had coffee one morning in a small group with Beau, who is a chip off the ol' block, and has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen on a man. Pretty much met the whole family. Great people.

[motoGpifupleez]

Don't turn your back on him Joe! Not for one bleepin' second!

[MAragon]

Whoops! My apologies. I misspelled Cheney's last name. I guess whenever I hear that name I prefer to think of the great Lon Chaney, who hurt no one.

[MAragon]

Hey, Chaney! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

[Wirehedd]

gee, guess darthcheney missed that line about the tighter you squeeze the more slips through your fingers.

[cobraxus]

Those who are calling for an investigation and possible prosecution/imprisonment of The Bush Administration overlook one thing:Under the Patriot Act they can all be arrested and detained without trial until such a time as it's seen fit to release them.

[darcy]

Great point, cobraxus! I wonder if a bunch of us could get together and do a citizens' arrest.

[davispty5]

In case you didn't get the message cobraxus, starting on January 20th, there will be a new way of doing business in Washington. We will no longer be under the "marshall law" of the the Bush Doctrine, WE THE PEOPLE are taking our country back.

[jamesdaddio]

impeach investigate no one is above the law once the tide turns on you he will run scared he is an insecure hawk and easily brought down once the ball is rolling unfortunately it's a mob mentality everyone is scared to say want they know-one should throw a finger at the the constitution and our laws leave us with no order or conscience.

[Pulemerci]

While I enjoy a good Biden gaffe as much as the next guy, his view of the constitution is a bit off. During the debate with Governor Palin, Biden stated that Article 1 defines the executive branch. He is quite wrong, Article 1 defines the legislative branch. That's the branch he has been in for the last 4 decades. I know he was at best a mediocre student and had been caught plagiarizing papers in law school, but his self aggrandized intelligence is laughable. Let's keep Obama healthy.

[Sparty1]

Good one. :)

[3fingerbrown]

Actually, Biden was correct during the debate. Here's what he said.

BIDEN: "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that."

He didn't say Article I defines the executive branch; he said Article I defines the role of vice president, an office that happens to be in the executive branch. And he's right; Article I is the only place in the document where the VP's role (president of the Senate) is defined. The mention of the VP in Article II deals with how the VP is elected and the line of succession. (It's this very lack of definition of the VP's role outside the Senate that allowed Cheney to make it up as he went along.)

I too enjoy a good Biden gaffe now and again. But this wasn't one of them.

[HeresHoping]

THANK YOU 3FB, for keeping it real. I'm so sick of out of context and erroneous statements like the troll's.

[GetTheFreakOuttaHere]

Hear, hear!!

[Pulemerci]

OK 3FB. Ever since Biden stated that FDR got on TV when the market crashed in 1929, I have to take what he says with a grain of salt.

[drkazmd65]

Joe Biden (gotta love him) is a gaffe waiting to happen,... one of the things I like about the guy is that he is (apparently) human and not completely programmed.

But - Joe was absolutely on the mark here. And Cheney (as usual) was his usual, gruff, posturing, half-truth telling, windbag self.

Barring (the no-doubt already prepared) blanket pardon,... Dick Cheney in a just world would be spending the rest of his misbegotten life in an orange jumpsuit in a Federal lockup.

Wouldn't it be nice to live in a just world?

[owendog]

The vice-president's role vis ave the senate is indeed laid out in Article 1. I believe was stating that aspect of the VPs role in rebuttal to Palin's ludicrous assertion that the VP could, "...get in there and mix it up with Senators and really work with them to create some good laws." I'm paraphrasing, sorry. So he is indeed not wrong in his reference to Article 1.

[SparkyDash]

This is unfortunate to read again, as it has been debunked/corrected several times. But, while we're at it, can we drop the term "gaffe," which seems to roll off a typist's fingers or people's tongues far too easy?

[garymc8]

Biden is 10,000,000 times better than palin or the destructive gop crime family

[firstcrasscitizen]

As Cheney would arrogantly say, "so".

[realpolitic]

It was very refreshing to hear Biden say: "I have learned nothing thus far that would change my view... Nothing thus far that would change my fundamental view that Guantanamo should close, number one, that, number two, the way in which we have conducted our policy, in terms of both surveillance as well as the detainees, has hurt our reputation around the world.

And to quote from a previous national security report put out by the -- the intelligence community, we have -- we have created, not dissuaded, more terrorists as a consequence of this policy."

Go, Joe Biden! Bring the Bush torture team to justice!

[CornellRedneck]

First off, skip the nonsense about the Hague. We will never surrender our sovereignty to some "world court". Next, Bush and Cheney did what had to be done in the instant. You all recall how most of America thought they were just fine and dandy for about 6 years. Almost half of America still feels the same way, and signs of a resurgeance are in the air. So stop with the "revenge" rubbish or you'll be wondering where the yellow went in two years (just like in '94).

[Montanagramma]

Are you kidding???

[Sparty1]

Montanagramma,

You took the words right out of my mouth. Outside of the added "WTF?"

[sjones66]

what are you smoking? "Most Americans thought he was oK for 6 years"????

DId you MISS the protests in the streets? DId you miss that he had to cheat to win the second time around (as well as the first)???? Most Americans did NOT think he was doing OK.

Many Americans weeped when he invaded Iraq. Many Americans weeped when he decimated the constitution and took apart the checks and balances that indeed make a democracy. And many Americans weeped as he used the DoJ for partisan attacks during elections and stacked it with ideologues.

EPIC fail. Where have you been? Is Princess DI still alive in your world?

[ThinkCreeps]

International law applies whether countries accept its jurisdiction or not.
Whether countries choose to take action is up to them, but as Pinochet found that travel to the wrong country can lead to problems.

I like your time-honored `ends justify the means'/`only obeying orders' defense - that's worked before.

[brynn6]

I think a charter plane to the Hague, stuffed with everyone responsible, wouldn't be out of the question at all. I'd contribute to defray the cost.

[Lark817]

You're wrong about that, Redneck. Those days are over. Never again! For about 1/2 of us, it wasn't even good for 1 week and yeah, it took awhile for some of you to come around but I think most of us are in agreement now. Those 'keep 'em happy to be shopping at Wal-Mart and getting satellite TV while we ruin the collective quality of life' days are over, my friend. It might get worse before it gets better but it will get better.

[ouroborous]

Sir:

"Biden emphatically rejected what he rightly called the "unitary executive" theory of the presidency -- the flapdoodle cooked up by David Addington and John Yoo to legitimize torture and a host of other unseemly policies pursued by the Bush administration"

Unseemly? No.

Illegal.

When are we going to impeach, investigate, prosecute? Are we really going to let these crooks, these murderers, these would-be kings get away with this? Obama's tenor of conciliation indicates that we just might.

Meanwhile, the crooks, the liars, the murderers-in-chief gloat as they slouch off the stage, knowing the ugly truth: America no longer has the political will, the idealistic spirit the -- to be blunt -- balls to stand up to a tyrant like Dick Cheney.

Sad, sad times.

[whrsdfyr]

The ugly truth is that they understand it, it is like they have something on every one in the position to start any procedure to bring them down. They will get away with it, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. You can not openly admit to torture, if you are not sure that nobody has "a set" b/w their legs to even point a finger at you.

[Lark817]

While we appreciate you telling us that, we would all be better served if we started telling our reps in Congress exactly what our demands are.

[dmack]

Kucinich also was against the war, and voted against it. Obama does vote to fund the war, which doesn't make sense. Kucinich was one of the few when it came to having a consistent position.

The Democrats should have impeached Bush and Cheney. Cheney is that arrogant because he knows nothing will happen to him. He is basically mocking the Democratic party, who he know should have thrown him and his president out of office, but were too weak.

[Sparty1]

You're absolutely correct, Dmack. How does Nancy Pelosi allow "Impeachment is off the table." to come out of her mouth? It's like those 2 should've been impeached more so than Nixon when it comes to their respective crimes.

[BLinCincinnati]

"The Democrats should have impeached Bush and Cheney."

And then you would have had Nancy Pelosi as President.

Would that have made you feel better?

[sjones66]

well, he had to vote to fund the war or the soldiers would have gotten even more screwed equipment wise. come on...way to spin one of the few sane votes on the Iraq war.

[dmack]

It doesn't work that way. If one is against the war, then don't vote to fund it. The soldiers will NOT get screwed. The money was already there to bring them home.

[davispty5]

He's not only mocking the Democractic party, he's mocking the citizens of this country and it's repulsive.

[SparkyDash]

Well done, Jacob! I rejoice each day knowing that we will soon have a Vice President of great honor, honesty, and integrity, and respect for the United States...her citizens, and the U.S. Constitution...in Joe Biden. The difference in Biden"s interview and Cheney"s was a good example of why many of us yearn for the fresh change to truth coming January 20. Cheney's try at excuses for the unconsionable conduct of Bush/Cheney the past 8 years falls far short of his intended goal. A great statesman will soon enter the office of Vice President; Biden must make Cheney feel rather insignificant. History will not remember Dick Cheney well, no matter what desperate attempt at justifying his existence Cheney makes on the safe sound stage of Fox News. Preposterous statements....how embarrassing for Cheney.

Thank you for a great post, Mr. Heilbrunn, it is always nice to read about Mr. Biden, and your use of "flapdoodle" quite made my day.

[lafrance]

Biden is going to be a great veep just as Obama will be a great prez.
I read about Angler and it is truly a scary tale about cheney. We can say that pretty much Cheney was running things almost completely in the first term.
An ideological zealot and a very scary person in power. Much of the crimes done by this administration seemed to come from this awful man