Addington puts on quite a show
By Steve Benen Wednesday Jun 25, 2008 5:00pmAt this point, we can finally agree that Cheney is the Vice President, and the Vice President is part of the executive branch, right? Apparently not. Cheney’s reclusive chief of staff, David Addington, told the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon that the VP is “attached” to the legislative branch.
In fact, Addington had all kinds of odd things to say today, including his inability answer questions about torture policy because "al Qaeda may watch C-SPAN," and his alleged unfamiliarity with the Unitary Theory of the Executive, which Addington has used for years to justify all kinds of shameful behavior.
Just as an aside, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen any government official express the kind of contempt for Congress as I’ve seen from Addington today. Every response to every question is soaked in pure revulsion. I keep expecting him to spit at the members of the committee after every exchange.
It made for an interesting afternoon. We'll have more videos up shortly...
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Neither Executive nor Legislative.
Just criminal.
ok .....bring on the Constitutional lawyers and professors. How the f... could this be? The VP is a "Barnacle" on the legislative branch? What laws apply? What was Addington referring to in 1961? Hell let's just rewrite all of our History and Civic textbooks.
So...who is the VP accountable to?
No one?
With "Leaders" like this, who needs foreign enemies?
What an unbelievably arrogant jack ass.
Dick Cheney may be many things, but he's certainly not a barnacle.
A better description might be a carp --- or some other species of scum-sucking bottom-feeder.
Errr, maybe I'm just nuts...but isn't the Vice President technically the president of the Senate? I'm just trying to remember what I learned in government class all those years ago, but I could swear that he was, in some way, attached to the legislative branch, if only loosely in theory...
Not to say that Mr. Cheney hasn't done some pretty rotten things, but I'm just saying that we might need to go back and remember the facts here...
Do you think they've considered what it's going to be like when it's a democrat who is president?
Addington lies for Jesus
It's OK
Impeach!
He must be shooting for some McGrampa points.
I much prefer "barnacle" to "fourth branch".
dictators are removed from power in other
nations by any means.........bush and cheney
are now acting fascists dictators and
should not be allowed to continue to
destroy the Constitution and the real
govt of the UNITED STATES.
if bush/cheney are allowed by congress to
continue in this.......a revolution like the
French Revolution is coming.......why
must history repeat itself and no one objects,
especially those who are affected.
David Addington is a one man circus. what a buffoon!
You don't give Dick enough credit. Although I view him as a scum sucking bottom feeder....he definitely is a predator...apparently outside of all law.
This man speaks as if there is something uncomfortable attached to himself.
hope4usa @ 14:
Great minds!
Revulsion - what a great way to sum up this administration, and the one headed our way in the guise of McCain. Revulsion. I have a vision of Cheney rubbing his feet clean on George Bush's hair while this guy and his fellow toadies dutifully stand by with a feather and an up-chuck bucket.
dadams @ 12:
Absolutely! Bush and Cheney are fascist dictators and Congress is complicit in not supporting immediate impeachment proceedings against these two criminals. The people have had enough. If Congress continues to not represent the will of the people, then the People will have to find other means to take back control of their country. This idiots think we're working for them; they are public servants and work for us which they fail to remember.
I don't know about anyone else but when I see Grandpappy McSame glad handing and putting on that nasty grin, all I can visualize is Snidley Whiplash. He's one very frightening evil monster. If we think Bush and Cheney are criminals, we don't want to see what Grandpappy McInsane can dish up.
Dick "barnacle" Cheney.
Priceless.
HAHAHA - it didn't take Wikipedia users long... look at the bottom of this list:
Barnacle (disambiguation)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Look up barnacle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Barnacle may refer to:
* Barnacle, a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea
* Barnacle Boy, Spongebob Squarepants character
* Barnacle Goose, a species of bird
* The Barnacle Historic State Park
* Mike Barnicle, American journalist
* Nora Barnacle, wife of author James Joyce
* Pete Barnacle, a drummer for a variety of bands
* Barnacle tree, a mythical plant
* Barnacle, an alien species in the computer game Half-Life
* Barnacle, a mutant character from the X-Men universe of Marvel Comics
* Barnacle is a slang expression for someone who stays at the same job for some period of time, from Wobbly lingo
* Barnacles, a song by Ugly Casanova from their 2002 album Sharpen Your Teeth
* Barnacle, an unwanted program that usually gets downloaded into the users computer without his knowledge. See also malware and spyware
* Barnacle, (slang) an electronic part manually installed onto a printed circuit board to correct a functional deficiency
* Barnacle, (politics) a label used to describe the relationship between the Vice President of United States and the Legislative Branch of government
Wuzup Hussein Dawk @ 21:
LOL!
I find it disturbing that anyone would elevate Cheney to barnacle status.
Feds are raiding BlackWater!
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Feds_raid_Blackwaters_armory_in_firearms_0...
I recall Addington is one of cards in the U.S.A. Deck of Cards.
XXT @ 4:
You didn't have half as many as you do now since letting those crims take the reigns for the last 8 years.
and we pay all of their salaries
As Tim at Balloon Juice notes
"Yoo’s answer to Conyers, then, is to lean back, smirk and ask what are you going to do about it?
Both sides of that conversation know the answer: nothing. Maybe Conyers will hold another hearing and invite another Bush official to crap on his desk."
Substitute Addington for Yoo in that statement and it makes just as much sense. There are three possible explanations that I can think of for Democrats' lack of nerve refusing to stand up to the Bush administration.
1) They're planning to use the Republicans' own policies against them when Obama is elected.
2) They're stupid enough to believe that the voters will turn on them if they go after a president with a 25% approval rating.
3) They're complicit in the Bush administration's crimes or at least don't have much of a problem with them. My money's on #3
Makes me kind of glad the SCOTUS ruled the way they did on the Washington D.C. gun ban. I'm having day dreams of armed masses hanging these fucks on the White House lawn. Too bad Congress is such a bunch of pussies. They should have turned Congress into a God - damned impeachment factory several years ago.
Well to be fair, Addington was quoting Nick Katzenbach, Assistant Attorney General
under John Kennedy, from official memos of the Justice Department in 1961 and disagreed with the Democratic Senator's characterization of the Vice President as a barnacle.
Addington is the portrait of a man pulling "facts" out of his ass.
The Vice President may be the President of the Senate, but he is NOT elected to the legislative branch, and is in fact "attached" to the Executive branch by being elected there along with the President. His only function concieved under the Constitution is that of tie-breaker when there is a 50-50 split.
All this crap put forth by Cheney is complete hogwash. Essentially what we have with him is an unelected regent with power which he has arrogantly usurped over a brain-dead Chief Executive. I equate him to the Ayatollahs of Iran, who hold the real power over Ahmadinejad who is the president.
I actually long for the days gone by when men like John Nance Garner, Roosevelt's first vice president who once described the office of the vice presidency as being "not worth a bucket of warm piss." Now, the current vice president uses the office to piss on the American people.
Well said Gus, and I bet on #3 too
Yeah but the committee dropped the ball in preparing for the hearings. No tough questions. Addington and Yoo wiggled out pretty well and left them with very little to work with.
Considering the FISA capitulation and impeachment being 'off the table', I find Mr. Addington's contempt for this Democratic Congress completely appropriate. Why should he respect them? They - and What Army - are going to hold him and his criminal pals accountable? Pathetic.
Uhh, excuse my poor civics memory, but doesn't the VP work in the OEOB (old executive office building)? Wouldn't that make him part of the executive branch?
If we could only pick one person who could be tried for war crimes and every one could agree on it, itd be this irrelevant and wretched human being, David Addington. he really is a sickening failure. no one could possibly have any use for him. he thinks and believes that WHAT he thinks and believes are the ONLY things that should matter. well, no David, you idiot. youre wrong. most of the world wouldnt agree with what you think and believe in. some of the US might but not all of it. youre a war criminal and should be seen as such.
They should have dragged that arrogant jackass to jail after that display of contempt of Congress.
Maybe the next Congress could officially pin down what the role of the Vice President is, which would be, in my opinion, to sit down and shut the fuck up unless he's needed to stand in for the President.
Funny how the White House web site has a whole section devoted to the Vice President... he must be in the Executive Branch after all.
A barnacle is a parasitic creature that needs to be scraped off the ship of state because, if allowed to accumulate, it slows the ship down and ultimately rots its hull.
Perfect.
The banality of evil.
I suspect it's rare that Addington doesn't let his arrogance shine through, even when peddling the most specious BS.
Wuzup Hussein Dawk @ 21:
I made that change about an hour after Addington testified.
See, also, here.
I think I finally understand! Dick Cheney cloned himself, creating two Cheneys, if you will. Only the original is part of the executive branch. So as you can see, Cheney is part of the executive branch. And he isn't.
That explains Addington's nonsensical drooling perfectly.
Barnacle? More like a heartworm.
I still am baffled. If the VP is not part of the executive branch, just how does executive privilege apply to anything he does? Shouldn't Cheney be in jail for contempt by now, or does he have to shoot a senator in the face while on Cspan?
http://www.vuvox.com/presentations/33388
JTM @ 43:
Well then, a tip of my hat to you, good sir.
Tip toe
through the torture
through the torture
through the torture
Tip toe through the torture,
you piece of shit.
JTM @ 44:
Couldn't have added a picture of Cheney, though?
He's in the local branch of what ever bank he's with counting the cash I'd think .........
The barnacle parallel is more apt than many realize.
When the VP needs Exec Priv, he's a member of the Exec Branch.
When a barnacle wants to go on holiday, he attaches to a cruise ship.
When the VP wants to avoid being subject to Exec Orders concerning the Exec Branch and/or wants to exempt himself from laws concerning Exec-Branch records-keeping, then he's a member of the Legislative Branch.
When a barnacle arrives in a new country on the bottom of a cruise ship, it need not be declared.
I'd like to get a copy of that video...
How can I do it or is it out there in the tubes somewhere?
Well I, for one, consider the entire Congress a toilet bowl, so the V.P. is not
a barnacle, but a piece of shit attached to the bowl holding an overflow of crap.
Well based on that, what, 30 seconds, I'd have to say this Addington is quite the smartass prick... Of course the questioner wasn't really all that much different, what with all the talking at and over each other instead to to one another..... Trying to out one liner each other it seemed.. Some poster above posed what should have been Mr. Snarky Senators real question.. .Which is, Indeed, just who the hell is the VP accountable to?? The legislative branch? The executive branch??? The freakin Easter Bunny??? I just don't believe the framers envisioned this position as one of total unaccountability to anyone??? So who goddammit?? Who does that fat fuck with his bum ticker answer to?? The answer to that question will inform everyone on just who to ask the next question to, which is; Why the hell hasn't this asshole Cheney been shitcanned??? Hell even Nixon had to shitcan Agnew after he proved just what a 'nattering' numbskull he was, what's it gonna take to get this tic removed?? Who's got to blow who to make that happen??? That's what I want to know.............JD
In the words of Van Wilder: "If he is here, who is running hell?" These fascist thugs all belong in a small corner in hell and they should all have to fend themselves against the others in their crime family. What is better about them than any of the despots around the world? Why is their war against humanity more civil than what Saddam did? I have a hard time reconciling it all.
I am a Vietnam Veteran and I support the troops and understand the hell that they have been sent to. They deserve better and the thugs in leadership deserve worse than they have given the troops. All chickenshit chickenhawk thugs are worthless human beings.
These fascist traitors have the nerve to break the law, murder and torture people, and then talk down to Congress like they're children.
I'd love to see this arrogant piece of criminal garbage beg for his life when the coming revolution shows him the noose he's going to hang from.
Nothing against Conyers, but I want these guys dragged in front of the Senate, where they have far less tolerance for this kind of garbage. If I were on that committee, I'd like to think I would have responded to the "al Qaeda may be watching C-SPAN" BS by noting that Mr. Addington and Mr. Yoo needn't worry about this, as neither could possibly harm the US in their testimony any more than they have already harmed it in the shameful execution of their duties.
Addington just said that Cheney pulled a shtload of crimes but hes not responsible since hes not an american with any ties to any group. LMAO
The thought of Cheney as a barnacle is very funny, and it fits great with him being a colossal dick since barnacles have the longest penises relative to their body size of any known organism
Cheney is no barnacle...
As someone at TPM aptly put it: Cheney is like dog shit on the legislative branch's shoe.
Addington shouldve just said that Cheney isnt a human being, therefore he is not responsible for any laws written by human beings. Hes an alien from Outer Space and answers only to Outer Space laws....
I hope the committee members had those chairs scrubbed with industrial-strength, anti-bacterial soap after those two troglodytes left the chambers.
The most bizarre was Addington saying at the end "I can stay here all day" as the hearing was ending. You have to wonder what his intent was (he said it twice) as he is calculated in his words.
Robin @ 64:
It was both a taunt and a way to say (later) that he's been more than cooperative.
Also, he gets off on being an arrogant ass and could not stand up until his "tent" went down.
I keep wanting to see Addington explode into an intimidating ball of fury that's he's known for. He's totally bristling. The constitution needs to be amended sorely to prevent any loophole of interpretation.
That was a truly disgusting display of behaviour from a servant of the American people. He was indeed contemptuous, and his remarks at the end of the hearing were beyond belief.
I PAY THIS MAN!! They are repulsive. Yoo at least appeared to be trying to make nice while lying all the while, but Addington couldn't even bother - he thinks we are all beneath him.
Watching Addington this morning was frightening. He encapsulates all the contempt and disdain the Bush administration has towards "non-believers". His desultory testimony exuded demagogic evil at the highest level. I can understand the committees kid glove approach with him for fear of getting singed. They practically all but ignored him during the second round. He is truly a very dangerous character.
Wuzup Hussein Dawk @ 5:
Perhaps Constitutional parasite might be a good description. A small organism that attaches itself to a host being and sucks it's life blood out.
So which branch of government is that up your ass Herr Addington?
TimV @ 70:
dick-tatorship....mr.signing statement/secrecy......wanna know who has been three steps ahead of dems. this clown
....he loves the unfair advantage
Cheney is not human so the constitution doesn''t really apply.
Ahhh, what does article 2 (Executive Branch) section 1 of the constitution say:
"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:..."
What does Article 1 (The Legislative Branch) Section 3 of the contitution say:
"The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States."
I guess every line, no matter how clear and specific it may be, can be argued for the sake of argument. I think they are really trying to redefine the constitution - Obviously I might add. The vice-president is clearly prescribed to be part of the presidency, therefore, in the executive branch. In addition, the vice-president will be the president of the senate, but has no vote, unless they be equally divided. I don't see where the confusion is created. I can't believe that the morale fabric of this country has deteriorated so far.
We are going to have to shut down the country with civil, non-violent, disobedience to seriously make any real changes at this point. Americans are so selfish that this task is going to be a great burden on everyone that wants to create real change, not just the 'change' that Barack is offering.
The Chinese leadership watches C-Span - they consider it the greatest comedy show there is.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/cheney/themes/addington.html
if you haven't seen the Frontline Cheney's Law it's worth viewing the have it online
This and other videos of Addington & Yoo make two things very clear
1 - Addington thinks he's smarter than anyone in Congress and has contempt for
Congress.
2 - The U.S. Congress is composed of spineless bureaucrats.
Do we *really* need an Executive Branch? At the next Constitutional Convention, could we at least consider the pros and cons of a parliamentary system?
What an arrogant piece of ____________ .
You just know The Daily Show will do a segment on our "Barnacle" Vice President.
Al Queda doesn't have to watch C-Span...most news around the world isn't as censord as ours is so Al Queda can just want the regular news.
I travel a lot for my job.
You know what would give me more comfort than seeing a Bible in every motel room in which lay my head? A copy of the US Constitution.
This mangy piece of sheepdip is sure a work of art, isn't he? I sure hope Obama appoints a really good person to run the DoJ. Some people are lobbying for John Edwards to be Barack's running mate. That would be a good choice, but I think the Country would be better served with him as head of the DoJ. He is fine trial lawyer and very progressive. He would need a top-notch Assistant AG as well. The shear volume of investigations, for the former Bush administration. Virtually every one of them is under investigation for something (sometimes many things). Yoo, for example, his name keeps popping up everywhere.
I want to watch these arrogant SOB's face, as they are led away to prison, to be Bubba's new dance partner. Most would start bawling like babies.
Do you really think there will be investigations of BushCo after they leave office? I will be very (pleasantly) suprised if there is, but I'm not counting on it. Now that Obama is showing his true centrist stance, I imagine it would be the last thing he would want to do - doesn't fit into his notions of hope and change, I suppose.
When questioned by Nadler, Yoo basically admits that there is no statuatory or other legal basis for his legal opinion in defining torture as "blah blah blah." He states that it derives somewhere from congress, but time runs out and we don't get a clear answer where. There needs to be follow-up on this!
theWalrus @ 79:
Truly pathetic that our political process has been reduced to speculating on how a couple of comedians will make sense of it for us, swallow it, and regurgitate it back to us for sustenance.
(Nothing personal, Walrus--if I had cable and $20 to spare, I'd lay a wager down too.)
In my opinion congress deserves no better than they got from Addington, because they have allowed the entire Bush administration to treat them with contempt and loathing and havent' done a damned thing to earn their respect. When you roll over like a mongrel, who is going to respect you when you show your teeth?
If congress wants respect then they need to act respectable. Stand up for themselves and the American people. Arrest people who thumb their noses at their subpoenas. Demand answers to questions. Hold the administration accountable. But it is too late. They threw away their relevance, their credibility, and their respectability by refusing to do their jobs. They got no better from Addington than they deserved.
Everyone in Bush's administration treats congress with contempt. Addington just did it to their faces.
These jokers are showing their hand and the Democrats are not calling them on it. They're telling Congress and the American people that they want Bush to be a dictator and that they are going to do their utmost to see that he becomes one. Sadly the Democrats are not putting up much of a fight.
theWalrus @ 83:
Given Obama's failure to lead on FISA, I think we all know where any further US investigation of BushCo will go.
Right now, my only hope is that an entity outside of the US will help us with that cause.
Che's Lounge @ 1:
ok,, can he just go away then?
Well if he's not really in the executive branch and 'just' attached to the legislative, could we kinda sub-attached him to the US Marines, then assign him TDY to Gitmo, then sorta' lose the paper work for a decade or so? (At least until the Hague requests his presence.)
I mean right wingers keep a sayin' it's a great place to be held and all .................
I'm assuming that Addinton giving testimony and not claiming Executive privilege was his way of showing that Cheney is not part of the Executive branch, no?
His disdain of this charade is because he knows it is a show, the spineless dems were briefed and nothing will happen.
Well, they may get more donations.
I hope they add another noose to the gallows for Addington. His arrogance is stunning.
He may well break IF they keep at it. At just about :58 sec his hands are shaking when reaching for his glasses. Then his voice breaks. He's worried. And yes: an arrogant, condescending, dangerous, NERVOUS bastard.
The arrogance of the man was astounding. He's a natural bully, who waved his hands at the Congressional staff and often seemed to be lecturing them or putting them on the stand instead of the opposite. I can see why he was so adept at crushing any dissent to Cheney's views.
He has an exalted view of himself and his own views, and looks down on those unfortunates who don't share them.
Another criminal BushCo operative who should be in jail...
poor dave addington. when he got into all this he probably never figured there'd come a day when folks wanted to extradite his @$$ to the hague.
he's probably just some clown who wanted to hang out with cheney so he could see all the cool bases and gizmos. a barnacle's barnacle, if you will.
sucks he's probably gonna have to lose that beard when he flees the country...
Call me crazy, but I LIKE Addington and Yoo's performance:
1) Because it shows the contempt the bush administration has had all along for congress and the am. people
2) Because it shows that the democrats haven't earned any respect, they haven't held anyone accountable and capitulate at every turn
3) Because it makes the tactics of this administration clear, dodge, stall, divert, and the toothless democrats won't do anything substantial
So, i'd say, at least they aren't pretending to give a crapp to this fruitless dog and pony show
I've never seen a video of Addington before but now that I have, he seems like the perfect underling for Cheney. And that is no complement.
Who does Addington and the evil neo-cons think they're kidding? Maybe their Mom's might by this crap.
Anyway, it sure is nice to clear up something that the Bush Administration screwed up.
Congratulations to Dick 'Barnacle' Cheney. You finally belong! Yes you are officially attached to the Latter and have absolutely no responsibility to the people of the United States!
(you may now return your government pay checks for the last 7 years)
This guy is an arrogant nutcase.
Posted to the other thread on Addington ----
Another sycophantic courtier whose power revolves solely on his relationship to the real power, the Executive. That is, he serves only at the pleasure of his master, the simian warmonger. This is, of course, reminiscent of the power structure during the Middle Ages and that was supposed to have disappeared following the events of 1789 in France and the Enlightment. Ain’t it grand to go back to the “good old days” with the blessing of the Congress as they don’t have the kajones to shoulder their responsibilities as laid out in the constitution. Pathetic wimps. They, too, should hang in the Washington equivalent of the Place de la Concorde. This insignificant footnote in history, Addington, will make his contribution to gutting the constitution and then hit the links in Arizona. An anti-democratic thug. Mr. Guillotine, you’re on . . . .
this is the guy that doesn't like the constitution and/or the legislative branch
karl @ 75:
Thank you. Checking out it now...
Dick-Head Alert!
The Anti-Barnacle Defamation League is demanding an apology for being compared to Dick Cheney.
"I don't consider the Constitution a barnacle."
No, you've just done everything in your power to MAKE it one!
non-partisan @ 103:
The Frontline documentary 'Cheney's Law' should've been titled 'The Revenge of Nixon', since that's really what it's all about.
This reminds me of a line from Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job:
"...the rising tide of heinous fuckery and political weaselocity in the nearby kingdom of the United States."
Right on the money for this bunch.
Why do I get the sinking feeling that it's not going to chance all that much no matter who we elect?
The late great George Carlin said you should only follow politics for the entertainment value. I believe he was right.
My hand is attached to my body, it is also a part of my body. What's the difference, Mr Addington?
Conservacontemptible Republicans are all the same and up to their typical Nixonian tricks.
what a pompous git! makes me puke
OH goody. Since he's neither in the executive or legislative branch of government, can we toss him out of the white house :)
Words may fail some in trying to describe Addington.
But I'm not one of them.
He's:
Disgusting, offensive, loathsome, appalling, distasteful, revolting, hateful, dysphemistic, nauseating, insulting, rude, abusive, embarrassing, affronting, contemptuous, disparaging, disrespectful, scurrilous, detestable, discourteous, sickening, uncivil, gross, vile repellent, obnoxious, abominable, abhorrent, sickening, execrable, obscene, odious, incredulous, ineffable & evil incarnate.
I couldn't even stand to be around that guy. His poor, wife, family and colleagues; arrogant windbag supreme (and he loves himself' he's the smartest guy in the room-- always.)
Sharpen the guillotine. Get the water buckets and boards.
113 dmhlt Says: Words may fail some in trying to describe Addington.
But I’m not one of them.
He’s:
Disgusting, offensive, loathsome, appalling, distasteful, revolting, hateful, dysphemistic, nauseating, insulting, rude, abusive, embarrassing, affronting, contemptuous, disparaging, disrespectful, scurrilous, detestable, discourteous, sickening, uncivil, gross, vile repellent, obnoxious, abominable, abhorrent, sickening, execrable, obscene, odious, incredulous, ineffable & evil incarnate.
====================
You forgot abrasive.
106 Pericles Says: “I don’t consider the Constitution a barnacle.”
...........I think it's better used for toilet paper. (he was thinking.)
He quotes a legal opinion from 1961 by a lawyer in the DOJ.
So what?
A legal opinion is simply that. It is not the law, the truth or what is correct.
Just some lawyers opinion.
I'm feeling masochistic today - please post more Addington vids!
Addington makes is sound like the VP role isn't really a position in government at all. If it's neither legislative nor executive then it is NOTHING. We don't even need to impeach barnacle Cheney. Just hand him a pink slip, tell him his job has been made redundant, take away his benefits and send him home.
Does anyone else see these 2 "LAWYERS" as mental retards or at least mentally unbalanced like their boss, or is it just an act? If BS were a dollar they'd be very wealthy unemployed bums.
Another wimp who refuses to directly and clearly answer any question posed by the congressional committee.
Wouldn't he and the other wimp make a great ticket - Addington/Yoo!
Being second to the president, the every day duties of the VP is to sit in Congress and tie break votes. The attachment to the Legislature is akin to saying that Bush is attached to the White House' that he is only president when sitting at his desk.
Waterboard the bastard
WATERBOARD his ass I bet he becomes compliant
“I don’t consider the Constitution a barnacle.”
Only because it chafes to wipe your ass with a barnacle.
all you liberal hippies are absurd. You people are apparently stupid and dumb and missed teh whole focus of the meeting. Didn't you see how this dumbass congressman treat an american citizen? Delehunt wants this guy to be a target for AlQeada. what kind of dispicable lameness is that? This is how america is ran? and this is what you people have to say to such a low sub-human behavior? You think terrorists give a crap about rules and laws when they capture our men? Does the name Nick Berg remind anyone of anything or how he moan like a pig when his throat was slit. And you people want the white house (last line of defense) to give out secrets to our enemies over how we operate. Those murderous punks can die a thousand times and it's nto enough to make up to their sins and all you pot smoking hippies sits here and criticize a civil servant for America over this vile act of a lowlife congressman. Such people like this Delehunt and Obama is gonan make america sink and before you know it, you will all cry when Obama is through with you. America will change (for the worst) if this kind of behavior continues in congress.
Quote # 126,
Totally agree with you. Liberals do not get it. A congressman basically placed a target on Addington's chest. If anything happens to him or his family, than Delahunt should be held accountable. Oh yeah, liberals are never accountable. Never mind.
I would emplore everyone to attempt to read ( It's difficult - i.e evidently slept in on English class days ) the reply by "none".
Pretty much says it all in terms of the hopelessness of trying to understand and reason with Republican / BUSH supporters. Sad but true - this country is in big trouble as unfortunately these kind of sentiments somehow exist in a so called
educated western civilization. I fear for our future !!!
As one of the previous posters noted, the Vice President is technically the President of the Senate. As such, this post can be seen as an intermediary between the legislative and executive branches. You know, one of those "checks and balances" built into the Constitution. So, yes, Cheney does have a certain "attachment" to Congress.
As to the changes in Wikipedia, this is precisely why the information on that site can never be trusted. The developers of the site had such high ideals and intentions, but it has degenerated into a sewer of emotionally-charged and biased garbage.
As for the bulk of the remaining posts here, they make me sad. The hateful bigotry emanating from both parties is precisely why George Washington spoke out against the creation of such parties in his farewell address. Only when we truly work together to identify our common ground will we be able act for the good of the nation.
WOW! this guy reminds me a lot of Bill Clinton, pulling stuff out his but and all!! I didn't think ANYone could BS as well as Bill. My but still hurts from the f---ing it had when HE was in office!
I wonder whether we would find the one and the same IP address were we to check the posting address of "none", "Jake" and "Mike M".
Not that it matters. It seems that certain Republicans are unable to follow even the most basic arguments.
Maybe they could explain the difference of "being attached to" something and "being a part of" something in the context of the Vice President of the United States of America. Or is their garbage about targets and Al-Qaida simply a red herring? Hmm?
It's obvious from the responses here that this is a Democrat lair. Your all very happy to see one of the Republican Admin. members get scourged and pilloried. First and formost, the Democra(p) Congress and their puppet commitees shouldn't be using their time and energy on this type of activity. We have more urgent problems that they should be addressing. Oh, wait - they will when their boss gets in the White House. Thats when they will begin spending money like there is no tomorrow and if they continue to kiss up to al qaida thats exactly what we will have - NO TOMORROW.
To Lusmu,
Mike M is definitely his own person, thank yuo very much. And I don't believe I was making a "Republican" argument, as I do not stubbornly cling to either party (just a side note, I voted as a Democrat in the primaries). Instead, I was making a note of basic civil studies.
As for your question about "being attached to" or being "part of", it is silly to argue such semantics in great length but a distinction can be made if you so desire. I would say the Vice President is more "attached to" the Senate as he is only afforded the ability to vote in the exceedingly rare circumstance of a tie in the Senate, and his main function is to act as a representative of the President to the Senate.
Now for the point at hand, I think it quite obvious that Rep. Delahunt was out of line with his comment. I think it a valid point to say this administration needed to much more transparent, but the comment made was inappropriate.
I often read about science teachers who refuse to teach a certain way...without getting into that debate, perhaps we should scrutinize what is being taught in government and history classes. I don't have kids, I haven't taken a government class in years, but from what I remember, the highest offices in the country have clear functions and relationships with other offices and branches of government.
My understanding is that the Constitution was written by some pretty sharp guys (still quoted today!) who knew that bullies and blowhards could be elected, and wrote in provisions to deal with them. What's the point of a two-party (or MORE, ahem) system if there's no open dialogue and debate? This outright disrespect for Congressional procedures and the people involved is reprehensible. Mr. Addington looked as though he was slouched on a couch reading his least-favorite nephew's badly written report on "Politics of the 1960s".
People yammer about disrespect from youth...how are we to teach respect when the Vice President's Chief of Staff blows off Congressional questioning? Granted, "barnacle" wasn't an appropriate response, but in the political culture of this moment, name-calling is what everyone seems to be resorting to. This is NOT a high school locker room. This is NOT a game. It is extremely disturbing that the most prominent speakers of the country are engaging in clique-based rhetoric, while most of the members of Congress (House and Senate) are struggling to keep party unity in an atmosphere that should tell them they need to start working together.
...and by the way, Fremmy, learn to spell and speak correctly. Thanks for dropping by. Feel free to invite your (I assume) Republican buddies into the chat. Those of us who read C&L (that's Crooks and Liars dot com) would welcome such an event.
Open debate never hurts, open ignorance and open disrespect doesn't get you anywhere.
To Mike M:
My apologies, if you did not like the company. And again my apologies, if you are your own man.
As for semantics, I agree that it is silly to argue the difference, since the as the right hand man and possible replacement for the president, the VP is clearly in the Executive Branch. But it is Mr. Addington who is making the silly distinction. I would say that the difference between "being attached to" or "being a part of" is only in the perspective. There is no real difference in the meaning. An arm is still part of one's body, if it is attached to it.
As such Addington's and Cheney's argument (and yours?) that a secondary, minor duty of the VP defines the VP's office is mindboggingly stupid. VP is chosen by the president to be his running mate, he is part of his team, he acts as a member of his cabinet, in Cheney's case, he is a very big part of the decision making process of the Bush administration, he clearly in the executive branch.
Is your company's VP one of the executives? Hmm?
131 Lusmu Says:
I wonder whether we would find the one and the same IP address were we to check the posting address of “none”, “Jake” and “Mike M”.
Why is it that every time a Republican posts their opinion on a site such as this, that they are labeled as the "same people", "same IP address", "Republican plants", etc....I guess liberals would rather not have opposition to their views. Huh, sounds like Socialism.
The funny things is, I could name 20 different posts on this site that could be the same IP address. Paranoia is an awful way to live.
To Jake.
Because many trolls do use sock puppets. But as I said, doesn't really matter. Can you answer the question I posed?
Lusmu,
Trolls are on both sides!
Lusma said:
"Maybe they could explain the difference of “being attached to” something and “being a part of” something in the context of the Vice President of the United States of America. Or is their garbage about targets and Al-Qaida simply a red herring? Hmm?"
My interpretation of "being attached to" something is working for an organization at any level. "Being a part of" something is actually in the meetings. Think like a corporation. Someone could say that they work for Exxon and that person may only be a janitor, but your perception would be negative, just for “being attached”. The ‘being part of” goes straight to the executive level and the meetings “directly” involved with the price gouging.
Where this line is drawn, you nor I actually know. Just because I am an Executive Vice President of Exxon, doesn't automatically place me in any meetings.
How do you feel about placing a target on someone? And family?
To Jake:
In my experience their number increases exponentially as you move to the right on the political scale.
So, you're saying that the VP doesn't take part in the meetings? Especially Cheney? You're not serious. He is an immensely influential member of the Bush administration/cabinet.
Can the VP have two roles in an organization? A major one and a minor one? Which defines his position in the organization? Does the minor one preclude the fact that he belongs to a certain category, namely executive, in his major role?
And how, exactly, does this work with the VP (I did ask you to explain the difference in the context of the Vice President of USA)? I don't know if I follow you on this.
But we do know. We know the role this VP has played in the decision making processes of this administration, we know that he was hired by the "president of the company" to be his right hand man and possible replacement.
And, please, you'll have to do a lot more convincing in that a VP of a company doesn't take part in executive meetings.
"So, you’re saying that the VP doesn’t take part in the meetings? Especially Cheney? You’re not serious. He is an immensely influential member of the Bush administration/cabinet."
Do you honestly believe the President is in every meeting that the Vice President is in and vice versa? How naive you must be. Have you ever worked for a large corporation? And yes, contrary to what you may think, the government is a very large company.
And what does it really matter? Do you sleep well at night, knowing that we are taking the fight to the terrorist and not letting them come to our house? Please don’t think for minute that the terrorist wouldn’t or couldn’t bring the fight to us again. Get off your Utopian Island soap box and realize there are really bad people out there that will cut off your head.
"In my experience their number increases exponentially as you move to the right on the political scale."
You believe this? There are far more liberal bloggers and hacks than conservatives. You can't be serious here?
You didn't answer my question? How do you feel about placing a target on someone? And family? Or do you think that is OK?
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