When Republican operatives began directing money to W. way back in 1998, their intent was clear. Take this unremarkable Governor of Texas, prop him up with pro-business types like Cheney,Rummy & Wolfie and turn him loose to screw the average American. Once he began to lie, the Pinocchio similarities abound.

Bush never had the intelligence, skills or gumption to pull off being the President of the United States. He was a sub-average student, a cheerleader, a frat boy, a failed oil executive. The only successes he has had have been with the help of his father’s powerful friends. He ascended the governorship in Texas and then to the highest highchair in the land under the tutelage of Karl Rove, the mastermind and architect of the GOP takeover of Texas and then the country. As many have observed, we knew all along that Bush was a puppet, a simple man in thrall to sinister men.

The fact that George abdicated powers he probably didn’t understand to Cheney makes perfect sense. “Here, George, sign these papers. No, you don’t need to read them- it is just a bunch of boring legalese gobbledygook. You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivialities; that’s why I’m here to read all this boring stuff for you. You are a busy, important man- you are the President! Just sign these silly papers and you can go play with your army men on the carpet. There you go, good President!”

So we have to ask ourselves, would we rather have the national security of the country in the hands of an idiotic puppet with little knowledge or curiosity about the outside world, or an malevolent megalomaniac with decades of foreign policy experience? Do you want your country run by a dangerous fool or an evil genius? An incompetent moron or competent criminal? Yeah, it is a tough choice, but luckily we don’t actually have to make that decision since Cheney & Co. has already made it for us.

Is the executive order in question a durable law? That is, will it continue into all future administrations? I know the republicans are planning on an unbroken,eternal hold over the executive branch, but even they must foresee a time when a democratic vice president would accrue benefit from this arrangement.

Incidentally, I am finally getting around to reading "The Clinton Wars" (I'm about halfway through it... so many books, so little time)

I thought I understood the viciousness of the Scaife element of the right wing well enough, after reading Conason and Lyons' "The Hunting of the President", and Brock's "Blinded By the Right", but I never saw how carefully it was all interwoven into the conventional fabric of everyday Washington punditry,and among the elite,permanent denizens of Washington society until I stated reading your tome.... Its always worse than you imagine, isn't it ?

Another VP had broad secret powers, and his name was George H.W. Bush. National Security Decision Directives (NSDDs)have been called an adminstration's "secret laws" or "fugitive laws." One of the first of hundreds of NSDDs drawn up during the Reagan/Bush years, NSDD 3 (Dec. 14, 1981)put then VP George H.W. Bush in charge of a crisis managment group "through which the the vice president intervened throughout the the Reagan administration in crisis management, policy oversight of U.S. covert operations, and conduct of particularly sensitive foreign policy operations." NSDD 159 (Jan. 1985) specifically granted management oversight of all U.S. covert operations to Bush. (source: Christopher Simpson (ed): National Security Directives of the Reagan and Bush Administrations)

Then along came Iran-Contra. The Iranians referred to H. W. Bush, not Reagan, as "Batri," a nickname derived from the best-selling brand of car battery in Iran. They knew it was Bush who really made things go. (source: Ledeen and Lewis: Perilous Statecraft)

So, what do the Iranians call Cheney?

The Vice President's appearance and demeanor always bring to mind the Shelley poem, particularly the description of "the frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command." Cheney barely conceals his contempt for anyone below the executive level of the global corporate monolith and its government proxies. He is a notable example of the ethical corruption that too long residence in positions of power can foster.

my response is an emotional one as i weep for my country that so cravenly allows this imperator worship. [the Latin "imperator": "commander-in-chief", yielding emperor worship...] the despotic and oriental worship of the commander-in-chief as the singular repostiory of divine power.

am i the only one in this country to feel this, or know this?

I believe that Executive Order 13292 is unconstitutional. Our form of government only allows for one president, not two.

I there anyone that has been less less honest while in office than Dick Cheney? Convince me that Kellog Brown and Root were not given all of their no bid contracts simply because Cheney said "Make it happen". That is why we have not recouped the millions of dollars this company has over-charged the American taxpayers either.

I think that the outcry against this cabal is muted because we citizens have been so willing to discount our expectations of the Bush administration. Everyone knew that he was incompetent at every level of endeavor in his life before November 2000. We all knew he was appointed and not elected to the presidency in 2000. We all knew that Cheney was the real president. So why should we be shocked when all of our discounted expectations have been confirmed?

My anger and outrage with the Bushies has slowly but certainly shifted to members of Congress. Congress has always been in a position to stop this presidential charade but they have not. My contempt is greatest for the truly conservative Republicans who have allowed this administration to spend us into near bankruptcy and squander most of our national resources just for the opportunity to feed at the trough. My contempt extends to those Republican congressional leaders who knew that the administration lied about the reasons for war in Iraq and said nothing. And finally, I am outraged with the born again/evangelical/right-to-life christians who are willing to condemn 1000's to death in Iraq in return for two seats on the supreme court and promises of amendments to embed their sectarian beliefs in the constitution.